The Tattooed Teacher

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 

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…

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.

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.

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.