Frightful Playthings

Every once in a while, the news tells the story of a serial killer, with all the gory and gruesome details that go along with it. The media portrays them as crazy, and justifiably so. The audience is often times left wondering “What were these people like when they were young?” This student may have shed some light on that as well as casting more confusion about the nature v. nature debate. By age 6, this student was institutionalized. While he was intelligent, he was also disturbed. I did have the opportunity to meet his mother and his siblings, and they were all well-behaved and pleasant, they did not struggle like this student.

By this time, one would probably be wondering what this student would have done that was so extreme that he would have to be institutionalized at such a young age. Well, it was more than one thing. The first indicator that there was something wrong with him was his box of playthings. In the alley by his apartment, where he frequently played by himself, were the contents of this box. In the box were the carcasses of numerous animals, more than you can count on your fingers and toes, that were his playthings. Some of these animals were trophies of impressive feats for a 5 year old. He had caught a couple of squirrels. He had rounded up strays. He had broken into people’s apartments and abducted their pets. Basically, he had removed a couple of city blocks of animals. Some he killed before he played with them. Some he played with first, then killed them. The others were killed while he played with them. When he was discovered playing with his morbid toys, he was acting out a scenario with 2 headless puppies. If you add that behavior, with his conviction of sexual assault, it seems like the makings of a serial danger.

On the scale of things, the students at this school were of the 5% of society that are considered abnormal. Public schools and local out of district placements handle the 95% that is normal. Having worked with the abnormal students at this school, it has made public school students seem quiet and subdued. The view of abnormal varies for teachers who have little sense to how bad things can get. However, it is nice to see that we have a way of removing would be menaces from the general population for the more tumultuous times in their lives so they can hopefully heal, recover, and mature so that everyone can have better futures.