Sunday, April 4, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
One of my best friends has died
He was not in good health. It has been expected. He went well. It is still not real.
And there was still so much to talk about and yet we are comfortable in the silence.
I will miss you.
And there was still so much to talk about and yet we are comfortable in the silence.
I will miss you.
You have to wonder about some people
We went shopping today. Son needed shorts and Kohl's was having a sale.
I hate shopping.
So, while he tried on clothes. And tried on clothes. And tried on clothes. I got bored. There were all kinds of clothes dumped on racks near the changing rooms, an obvious sign that the economy is not good. There aren't usually that many and I will bet they have fewer employees to put them away.
I mentioned I was bored, didn't I?
So I gathered up clothes and played the memory game, putting them away where they belong. If I couldn't find the correct rack, I had to bring it back (and that only happened with one dress). My son even got in the spirit. He must have been bored as well.
I must have put away about 30 outfits in addition to the ones son didn't want when I see a woman pulling the extra clothes off the rack where they had been stashed and dumping them on the ground. I guess they were in her way.
It didn't take very long for an employee to show up with an additional rack, and the customer KEPT DUMPING THE CLOTHES ON THE GROUND EVEN WHEN SHE WAS POLITELY ASKED NOT TO.
She has to be related to the mother Jane Goodwin observed at KMart.
Happy thought: as we arrived a nice gentleman called us to his car and gave us a coupon worth 15% off (he was leaving). See - there are more good people than crumb-bums. (I count myself as one of the good ones and son as well).
I am stealing the label from Ms. Goodwin because it is too perfect.
I am striving to be nice, to focus on that side of life. I am feeling like the masculine bovine soil enrichment of human behavior is becoming the focus and I am losing sight of the daffodils.
WHile I am a work in progress, sometimes I think I giving God too much to work with.
I hate shopping.
So, while he tried on clothes. And tried on clothes. And tried on clothes. I got bored. There were all kinds of clothes dumped on racks near the changing rooms, an obvious sign that the economy is not good. There aren't usually that many and I will bet they have fewer employees to put them away.
I mentioned I was bored, didn't I?
So I gathered up clothes and played the memory game, putting them away where they belong. If I couldn't find the correct rack, I had to bring it back (and that only happened with one dress). My son even got in the spirit. He must have been bored as well.
I must have put away about 30 outfits in addition to the ones son didn't want when I see a woman pulling the extra clothes off the rack where they had been stashed and dumping them on the ground. I guess they were in her way.
It didn't take very long for an employee to show up with an additional rack, and the customer KEPT DUMPING THE CLOTHES ON THE GROUND EVEN WHEN SHE WAS POLITELY ASKED NOT TO.
She has to be related to the mother Jane Goodwin observed at KMart.
Happy thought: as we arrived a nice gentleman called us to his car and gave us a coupon worth 15% off (he was leaving). See - there are more good people than crumb-bums. (I count myself as one of the good ones and son as well).
I am stealing the label from Ms. Goodwin because it is too perfect.
I am striving to be nice, to focus on that side of life. I am feeling like the masculine bovine soil enrichment of human behavior is becoming the focus and I am losing sight of the daffodils.
WHile I am a work in progress, sometimes I think I giving God too much to work with.
Bully for you!
Bullying is in the news a lot because of the recent suicide of Phoebe Prince. Even the NY Times has advice.
The first story, Mark at www.storiesfromschool.org, has a comment about teenagers having two tools that they use when bullying that make it hard to police: superhuman situational awareness and social intimidation.
What do you do when it is the adults who are subject to the bullying?
I am watching two situations unfold among my students where the teens are targeting two separate school employees with false claims in an effort to punish them for perceived failing on the part of the adult.
One has claimed that the adult was arrested and charged with a felony. Luckily this is a provable lie. But it is still complicating things.
The other is being more subtle and complaining to the principal about things that have led to the teacher being told he/she will not be returning.
I am not afraid, but I am being careful as I teach both teens. And I recognize bullying behavior in both.
I can report what I hear to thepowersthatbe, but there is no way to stop this insidious behavior. What I find amusing (in that sick sense of humor that is me) is that I think the reason for the second one is grades. The student earned a C and thought he/she should have had an A. That student has an A for me (because I have so simplified my classes and procedures, not because he/she is a math whiz) but the only other As he/she has earned have been in PE. Since I teach Juniors and Seniors, if this has been your history in this school, why would you expect more? He/she is not what I consider an A student - a scholar. I have some.
The other? It comes down to jealousy.
Maybe it does in both cases.
I cannot get my students to stop saying the "N" word, to stop using Jesus Christ and God as punctuation, to drop the low-level cuss words (shit, crap, ass, etc) to say nothing of the bigger ones (like the f bomb) - how am I expected to keep them from slandering adults they are angry with? Or to even see how it is wrong?
These are probably the 2 worst of the dozen students who are making this year less than fun. I know other people have bad classes - I have a few in about 3 classes. (and we all know it only takes one in a class to disrupt it).
I am counting the days til the end of this term. I am looking forward to never thinking of these two again. And several others.
I have also been blessed to have met several wonderful kids who like me, respect me, seek me out, have changed their behavior because of me. (I had the joy of backing down one's bad behavior in front of one of my toads by telling the good kid "Look, we respect each other. I respect you, you respect me, and I want you to stop XXX" and he said "Yes, Ricochet" and did. Toad would have asked for justification on WHY I thought I had the right to ask that.) I've never had kids come to a MATH class to escape another class. But I have had several this year.
I need to turn a telescope on the dirty dozen (you know, make them appear to go far away and vanish in the distance) and turn my magnifying glass on the ones who are making this year a joy.
I need to laugh more.
I need to get through the next 2 months.
The first story, Mark at www.storiesfromschool.org, has a comment about teenagers having two tools that they use when bullying that make it hard to police: superhuman situational awareness and social intimidation.
What do you do when it is the adults who are subject to the bullying?
I am watching two situations unfold among my students where the teens are targeting two separate school employees with false claims in an effort to punish them for perceived failing on the part of the adult.
One has claimed that the adult was arrested and charged with a felony. Luckily this is a provable lie. But it is still complicating things.
The other is being more subtle and complaining to the principal about things that have led to the teacher being told he/she will not be returning.
I am not afraid, but I am being careful as I teach both teens. And I recognize bullying behavior in both.
I can report what I hear to thepowersthatbe, but there is no way to stop this insidious behavior. What I find amusing (in that sick sense of humor that is me) is that I think the reason for the second one is grades. The student earned a C and thought he/she should have had an A. That student has an A for me (because I have so simplified my classes and procedures, not because he/she is a math whiz) but the only other As he/she has earned have been in PE. Since I teach Juniors and Seniors, if this has been your history in this school, why would you expect more? He/she is not what I consider an A student - a scholar. I have some.
The other? It comes down to jealousy.
Maybe it does in both cases.
I cannot get my students to stop saying the "N" word, to stop using Jesus Christ and God as punctuation, to drop the low-level cuss words (shit, crap, ass, etc) to say nothing of the bigger ones (like the f bomb) - how am I expected to keep them from slandering adults they are angry with? Or to even see how it is wrong?
These are probably the 2 worst of the dozen students who are making this year less than fun. I know other people have bad classes - I have a few in about 3 classes. (and we all know it only takes one in a class to disrupt it).
I am counting the days til the end of this term. I am looking forward to never thinking of these two again. And several others.
I have also been blessed to have met several wonderful kids who like me, respect me, seek me out, have changed their behavior because of me. (I had the joy of backing down one's bad behavior in front of one of my toads by telling the good kid "Look, we respect each other. I respect you, you respect me, and I want you to stop XXX" and he said "Yes, Ricochet" and did. Toad would have asked for justification on WHY I thought I had the right to ask that.) I've never had kids come to a MATH class to escape another class. But I have had several this year.
I need to turn a telescope on the dirty dozen (you know, make them appear to go far away and vanish in the distance) and turn my magnifying glass on the ones who are making this year a joy.
I need to laugh more.
I need to get through the next 2 months.
Friday, April 2, 2010
language
I hate the language my students use. If it isn't ghetto where it sounds SOOOOO uneducated it is just foul. I hate the n word and the other words that proliferate.
Today someone said bullcrap. I said watch your mouth. They said it wasn't cussing. I said you all have so perverted the English language that you miss the richness of it. So much of what they say is just common and I want some variety.
I wrote up my best write up ever today. It was just for a phone, but the drama was awe-inspiring. She threw herself on the floor and kicked her heels, she whined and wailed, she had to be dragged out of the room (really!). I told the class I may have to write her up every week just for the entertainment.
Today someone said bullcrap. I said watch your mouth. They said it wasn't cussing. I said you all have so perverted the English language that you miss the richness of it. So much of what they say is just common and I want some variety.
I wrote up my best write up ever today. It was just for a phone, but the drama was awe-inspiring. She threw herself on the floor and kicked her heels, she whined and wailed, she had to be dragged out of the room (really!). I told the class I may have to write her up every week just for the entertainment.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
what a day
* kid who has been suspended returned today. He is failing my class. I went to talk with him about taking a test today to raise his grade: he cut my class instead.
* so I wrote him up - he confronted me in the hall, livid that I had done so.
*Next class: a girl I am having other issues with pulled out her phone and video taped me. I gather I was supposed to be thrilled - I am offended that she so flagrantly flaunted the rules.
* Next class: (by this point I am out of sorts and recognize it) They came in whining that they wanted to go to an assembly - I am giving a test tomorrow and had a great deal of trouble getting them on task. Who knows how they will do.
*Next class: girl friend of 1st kid came in announcing that I was a snitch and she wasn't talking to me and leave her alone and she HATES this class and doesn't want to be here. I accommodated her by having her removed. She is not passing my class either and needed to work on a project today.
There were some bright moments but these overshadowed them. I want to call in sick tomorrow.
Can you tell that we have another break coming?
* so I wrote him up - he confronted me in the hall, livid that I had done so.
*Next class: a girl I am having other issues with pulled out her phone and video taped me. I gather I was supposed to be thrilled - I am offended that she so flagrantly flaunted the rules.
* Next class: (by this point I am out of sorts and recognize it) They came in whining that they wanted to go to an assembly - I am giving a test tomorrow and had a great deal of trouble getting them on task. Who knows how they will do.
*Next class: girl friend of 1st kid came in announcing that I was a snitch and she wasn't talking to me and leave her alone and she HATES this class and doesn't want to be here. I accommodated her by having her removed. She is not passing my class either and needed to work on a project today.
There were some bright moments but these overshadowed them. I want to call in sick tomorrow.
Can you tell that we have another break coming?
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