Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson for October 11, 2023

Is that a satellite dish?

Sounds like Cube.

Where the rooms kept shifting, and were boobytrapped

Like no school I’ve seen.

Does he go to Hogwarts?

Second panel seems quite representative of Petey’s entire life.

I wouldn’t feel safe or secure in this situation

I have worked at schools like that. One was undergoing major reconstruction, and one was rapidly growing but hadn’t had a building levy approved in decades.

Down in SW Florida, many of the schools damaged by hurricane Ian have resorted to using portables until the repairs can be completed. Back in the ’70 and early ’80s my elementary, middle and high school all had portables as well to deal with the overcrowding as Hillsborough County could not build schools fast enough to keep up with the population boom at that time. In high school we even had to do 2 years of double session; juniors and seniors from 7-12:15 and freshman and sophomores from 1-6:15 or so……

All schools re in an unstable condition—filled with kids as they are.

Good metaphor for the education situation in general these days.

Rather like the office map I made for my boss; who was where and their ext. number. Within a week of getting the updated version out, someone would quit (very common), get fired (also rather common), get hired, or move offices. Rather than look at it as a burden, I thought of it as job security.

I think I heard that the Pentagon was supposed to be temporary at first? And they do have maps on every ring. You are here.

Petey’s pain is real, even if the “unstable” portable classroom situation is not. It is one of youth’s nightmares, to lose one’s way around school….