Filed under: Uncategorized
My grandfather sent me this email forward. He always sends me some kind conservative, Republican shit. This one crossed the line for me; it really pissed me off. Here it is………
—– Original Message —–
Subject: The cost of Tomatoes & Maids &
> Gardeners
>
>
>
>
> This was sent to the President
> @White House. I HOPE he gets it!!!
> THE COST OF TOMATOES &
> MAIDS & GARDENERS
>
> From an American
> school teacher – - -
>
> “As you listen to the
> news about the student protests over illegal
> immigration there are some things that you should be
> aware of:
>
> I am in charge of the
> English-as-a-second-language department at a large
> southern California high school which is designated
> a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average
> lower socio-economicand income levels.
>
> Most of the schools
> you are hearing about-South Gate High, Bell Gardens,
> Huntington Park, etc.- where these students are
> protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
>
> One hundred percent of
> the students in this school and other Title 1
> schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch
> program. When I say free breakfast I’m not talking a
> glass of milk and roll –but a full breakfast and
> cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a
> Marriott proud.
>
> The waste of this food
> is monumental, with trays and trays of it being
> dumped in the trash uneaten. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT
> WORK)
>
> I estimate that well
> over 50% of these students are obese or at least
> moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have
> cell phones.
>
> The school also
> provides day care centers for the unwed teenage
> pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can
> attend class without the inconvenience of having to
> arrange for babysitters or having family watch their
> kids. (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
>
> I was ordered to spend
> $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding
> for the upcoming year even though there was little
> need for anything; my budget was already
> substantial.
>
> I ended up buying new
> computers for the computer learning center; half of
> which, one month later, have been carved with
> graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously
> feel humbled and grateful to have a free education
> in America . (OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK)
>
> I have had to
> intervene several times for young and substitute
> teachers whose classes consist of many illegal
> immigrant students here in the country less then 3
> months who raised so much hell with the female
> teachers, calling them “Putas”(whores) and throwing
> things that the teachers were in tears.
>
> Free medical, free
> education, free food, day care etc., etc., etc.
> Is it any wonder they
> feel entitled to not only be in this country but to
> demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
>
> To my bleeding-heart
> friends who want to point out how much these
> illegal immigrants contribute to our society because
> they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they
> like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in
> the real world of illegal immigration and see the
> TRUE costs.
>
> Higher insurance,
> Medical facilities closing, higher medical costs,
> more crime, lower standards of education in our
> schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc., etc.
>
> As for me, I’d be glad
> to pay more for my tomatoes .
>
> We need to wake up.
> The guest worker program will be a disaster because
> we won’t have the guts to enforce it.
>
> Does anyone in their
> right mind really think they will voluntarily leave
> and return?
>
> There are many
> hardworking Hispanic/American citizens that
> contribute to our country and many that I consider
> my true friends. We should encourage and accept
> those Hispanics who have done it the right and legal
> way.
>
> It does, however, have
> everything to do with culture: A third-world culture
> that does not value education, that accepts children
> getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15
> and that refuses to assimilate, and an American
> culture that has become so weak and worried about
> “politically correct” that we don’t have the will to
> do anything about it.
>
> If this makes your
> blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone
> you know
Filed under: General
Since I’ve written on this blog last…
A few of my students have been arrested
many have been suspended for fighting
some have run away from home
some have come back
some have brought drugs to school
some have thrown computer parts and each other through a window
some have brought stolen merchandise to sell at school
some have been abused
some have abused others
some have urinated in soda bottles and tried to convince others to drink it
some have threatened and fought teachers, resulting in a hospital visit
some have been productive members of society
some work at after-school jobs
some turn in their homework, even though they don’t have electricity at home
it’s been a busy few weeks. sorry if i haven’t written. i’ll try harder, i promise.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Most of the students I deal with always want to appear “hard,” tough, not taking anything from anybody. This is never more evident then when a new student is transferred to our school. Negative behaviors of my current students tend to spike because all the current kids want to show the new kid who’s tough or try to establish the “pecking order.” The current students will talk back, act up, and get crazy, all the while looking straight at the new kid before doing what they do. It gets even more interesting and sometimes funny when I call their hand and explain to the current students exactly what they are doing. Their behavior usually gets in check after that. But the same phenomenon will occur when the next new student arrives.
The new student usually acts in an opposite way. It’s called the “honeymoon period.” Usually they are quiet and compliant. A teacher is tempted to think that this student is better than their history suggests; that they were just misunderstood to be sent to an alternative school. I can say that no student, from my experience, has been sent to an alternative school because they were misunderstood. A quick reading of the students’ referral behaviors or their latest psychological report will put those optimistic dreams to rest.
Sometimes a student will arrive and try to establish themselves at the top of the pecking order and promptly get into a fight, usually with unconstructive results. On rare occasions, I’ve had new students come in and actually be at top of the pecking order and be the leader in the classroom. This is when an adventure really begins. The order is disrupted and all align themselves either for or against the new leader. I’ll talk more later about how engaging the leader and followers in different ways is important…
Filed under: Uncategorized
I have finally solved the networking problem with my computers in my classroom. The problem was so simple, but it took me forever to realize the error of my ways. I now have all 12 computers linked together. I consider this a triumph as it will greatly improve the efficiency of distributing, monitoring and grading my students’ assignments. This should open a lot of things up. Creativity and communication should abound.
Filed under: Uncategorized
He’s a gray-haired 50-year-old man. He raps about math and positive behavior. He can’t rap. It’s hilarious. Most of the kids laugh at him and say his rapping is stupid (they use better adjectives). What’s the funniest part about it? The students know all the lyrics.
It doesn’t matter that the man’s rap style is better suited for Barney the dinosaur. It doesn’t matter that the students say they hate it. They remember what he says. He raps about fractions and order of operations and about staying away from drugs.
The old man is trying to speak the language of today’s urban youth. Most teachers see the hip-hop culture as a problem. They react against it, instead of turning it into a learning tool.
At the end of the last school year, I helped produce some of his latest raps, and put them to popular rap beats. Hopefully with a familiar beat, and a funny lyric, the content will be stick in their minds even more.
Filed under: Job description
For many of my students, school is the only stable place in their lives. It feels weird to be viewed as such a rock in the lives of students whose lives outside of school are many times chaotic and dangerous.
Sometimes a student will do almost nothing but sleep at school. On the surface, this is an offense that most teachers would not tolerate. But for some, their father deals drugs from the home, their mothers bring in new boyfriends every night, or sell themselves for drugs or money. How’s a kid supposed to sleep through that? Or they’re awoken by gun shots, and have to sleep on the floor to be safe. How about the kid whose “guardian” watches porn in the same room they’re trying to sleep in? Sometimes school is the only “safe” place to sleep.
Many students come to school sick. Many come to school after being beaten up on the street or by their “guardian.” I have had students who have lost family members, even mothers or fathers, that don’t miss a day of school.
Sometimes students will do nothing but mouth off to staff and other students at school; again, an offense that many teachers wouldn’t tolerate. But many kids have so much anger and hate built up inside from what they has to deal with. They knows that they can “vent” and we as teachers can’t slap them or throw them across the room, or deprive them of their food. If they act up we can’t sexually assault them, or verbally abuse them. If they get into a fight with another student, they know we’re not supposed to let it get out of hand; we’ll step in and break up the fight. Sometimes school is the only “safe” place to let out your feelings.
Dealing with inappropriate behavior is complicated. Knowing what lies behind inappropriate behavior is useful in addressing the real issues; but those issues are even more complicated. On my school-issued identification badge it lists my job title as Teacher/Counselor. I probably spend more time doing the latter. I don’t mind. My students need to know how to act appropriately, even more than they need the academics. If they don’t learn how to act, they’ll end up dead, or in prison – a burden to society. Someone must teach them the skills. Someone must empower them.
Filed under: Job description
Before school started, I decided I was going to try something totally different, a different approach to teaching and keep my students engaged in their academics. I decided to not use any paper.
I wanted learning to be interactive, and fun. I wanted my students to feel normal, better yet, feel like they were doing things that students in regular school couldn’t do.
This is going on week #3 at school. So far, my experiment with going paperless has been going very well. Because of a large donation from a local university, our school has computers in every room. The classes have four computers in each room even though most teachers don’t use them, or don’t know what to do with them. Since I helped get them, and my constant lobbying, I have 12 computers in my room, enough for every student. They are all old computers, but they work for the most part.
All the assignments and projects are done on the computer. Most of my students have zero to no computer skills, and most cannot type to save their lives. But even so, they are actively engaged and enjoy doing the work on computers. By the time the year is done, they will know quite a bit I hope. I don’t have the computers networked together yet, but I’m getting there; that will help quite a bit. But it’s nice not to have all the papers and junk lying around. It’s easy to be organized and keep up with their progress. I haven’t even blown the fuses on the wall except for twice.
Filed under: Uncategorized
One of the provisions of No Child Left Behind is to phase out everything but a regular education diploma. This means no more certificates of attendance, and no more special education diplomas for students with disabilities. This may not mean much to some people, but to me and my special education students, this will be a catastrophic change. Most of my students will work to the best of the ability, showing great effort, but will never pass the high-stakes standardized tests that are required for high school graduation with a regular education diploma. So, if the student completes their goals as stated in their IEP (Individualized Education Plan), they will receive a special education diploma. While it is not the same as a regular diploma, it still shows their effort and dedication to school, and that they have achieved something notable. And often employers only ask if they have a diploma, not what kind they have. So my students can still get a job after high school. Many of them, if they have the ability, can also get into a technical school or even community college with a special education diploma.
With the phasing out of the special education diploma, my students would receive nothing unless they pass the high-stakes standardized tests. No diploma whatsoever. This will have a catastrophic effect on the drop-out rate. What incentive is there for the student to stay in school? If they know they cannot pass the test, they will give up. Not only will the graduation rate go down (currently 60% in my district), but the drop-out will skyrocket. With no diploma, my students will be the left behind.
Filed under: Complaints & Rants
About 80% of my students are at poverty or below, the rest are not far off. Based on family income, the child is to receive a free lunch provided by the school, paid for by the government. Sounds like a good service…but that’s until you see what the lunch is….
MENU:
Hamburger and fries. Everyday? Yes. There will sometimes be an alternative selection like chicken patty and corn, or turkey casserole with cabbage (many times these choices are very scary). Milk, juice, and fruit also come with the lunch.
QUALITY:
The burgers and assorted side almost always arrive warm or cold, never fresh. Our school has no kitchen. Our lunches are provided by a local high school, so a representative is sent over to pick them all up. By the time he arrives back with the lunches, most of them are not hot anymore.
It has even been found that sometimes burgers were green, or not fully cooked, or that the bun was moldy. Complaints to the school of origin got us nowhere. Even when a call was placed to school dietician for the school district, she assured us that the lunches were healthy and beneficial to our students. Yeah, what lunch are her kids eating?
NO LOGIC:
I’m still waiting to receive the nutritional fact sheet about the lunch. Burgers and fries everyday? Healthy? And French fries are considered the vegetable side dish? It’s unbelievable. And 75% of my students are African American and many of them are lactose-intolerant, yet they are given milk everyday. The juice says on the box that it is only 5% real juice, and the rest is sugar and artificial colors and flavors.
Is this how we are to feed the poor?
All I want to know is if this is what the urban city schools are eating for lunch, what does a school lunch in the suburbs look like?
Filed under: Complaints & Rants
I just happened to catch a radio sermon of some religious conservative preacher the other day. I’m not sure how it was tuned to such a fire-and-brimstone AM station. (What’s AM again? How far are they behind the times?) Once I was cued to the target in his cross-hairs I was had to keep listening. He was decrying public schools as liberal wastelands that corrupted our youth with a new religion of secular humanism. Wow.
Do people understand the reasoning behind the wall between church and state? Maybe not. Straight from the First Amendment it says, “Congress shall pass no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
I frequently hear people complain “Well, kids these days can’t even pray in public school anymore.” Well if you believe that, it’s a lie. Kids can pray anytime they want to and school officials cannot stop them. The free exercise of religion by a student cannot be stopped under the First Amendment. They can wear religiously related clothing and jewelry, they can talk openly about their religion, and they can talk to other students openly about religion. The only restriction is if there is what is termed a significant disruption caused at the school by the students’ religious talk. If the student was harassing another about religion, or if a student was loudly preaching and calling for repentance on the playground (a true story), these would not be examples of protected speech.
The difference is a teacher or school official cannot freely express their religious ideas or lead a prayer in school. This would violate the same Amendment according to the landmark court case Abington v. Shempp (1963). If a public school official does, it is seen as an establishment of religion by the school.
Other people complain that there is no religion being taught in the curriculum. Well it is allowed. The same Abington v. Shempp (1963) court case never said to keep religion totally out of the curriculum. Studying about religion is permissible (ie., comparative religions, the history of religion, religion as a significant aspect of our culture). The point being, public school is not a place to be indoctrinated or proselytized to any particular religion. If you want that, go to church.
Many people don’t know, but students actually have the right to leave school property while school is in session to go to receive the religious instruction of their choice off campus. Another landmark court case Zorach v. Clausen (1952) established this as constitutional for students. This instruction should be off campus and not taught by any school staff, but there are no other restrictions on the type of religious instruction received. There’s one most people probably don’t know about.
Non-curriculum related groups or clubs are allowed to meet before or after school. This would include any religious groups that would want to participate. The only restrictions according to the Equal Access Act (1984) are the school cannot discriminate against any group unless is goes against the moral standards of the community or if it goes against the educational mission of the school.
So thinking back to that fiery preacher on the AM radio, I don’t know if that man has ever been in a public school before. I also doubt that students, parents, and even school officials know their full rights and know the precedents established by landmark court cases on the subject of religion in public schools.
