... the other Black experience
>->-> EDUCATION CONFIDENTAL pt. III<-<-<
My continuing adventures as a paraeducator in the suburban school system. What the hell I witness going in the schools today.
A continuation of my thread/blog Adventures In Sub-teaching. What I see & experience in the classrooms, hallways & meeting rooms of a junior high school.
This is our future and your tax dollars at work...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by X-D-D-M*9 on
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There are times I really think these students need corporeal punishment. The level of disrespect they show for the staff and their surroundings is ridiculous.
How the hell can you leave an uneaten sandwich and spilled food all over the table? Are y'all nuts? Some of these students need to have their damn phones & ipods snatched out of their spoiled hands crushed underfoot in front of them.
I work in the same middle school I attended 3 decades ago and it seems to have gotten worse. Unfortunately they ain't all terrible, no, but technology has made them all more lazy and given them all a wild sense of entitlement. In my era it was MTV that was gonna wreck our minds but now it seems to be social media. Everyone creates their own garbage and sends it worldwide in seconds via internet or texting.
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Yeah. A female friend of mine told me she was getting hit on in middle school by teachers. Folks told me it was as crazy in jhs in the 80's but the rumours weren't as present, or maybe I didn't hear them (and I was a nosy observer especially because I wasn't doing anything then or in high school). I must have been at the wrong events, ha.
Today I got my ego semi-checked. This little spoiled brat who always thinks in gym he can do as he wishes because he's an decent athlete challenged a call I made in volleyball. I told him to bring it to the gym teacher and the teacher stated (almost reluctantly 'cause the brat gives him problems too) that he was correct. I said OK but honestly I was 'noyd.
I've had to shut the brat down a few times in the past when he got out hand and I thought this was going my way again. But I just took it and went back to the game and I didn't see brat homie gloat too hard. I often get a lot of props from other teachers and staff for helping resolve situations and shutting loudmouth students down. And even on the smallest level, yes I probably do power-trip on it a bit sometimes but very rarely. When I sense myself going that way, I normally step back & chill before I engage anyone. But the checking I got reminds me that I need to watch my step and not let some student 30 years my junior get to me. But it's not easy and parents of preteens know this too well.
Also I selfishly wanted the students in the Digital Media class to shut up and stop interrupting the lesson. Partially to respect the teacher and their peers, butmoreso because I was trying to absorb how use GarageBand and FinalCut Pro for editing music and video. I can't really expect all these half-one-step-from-the-hood-yet-highly-priviledged youth to understand how good they've got it, but the loudmouths could at respect those who want to learn this stuff, including me.
Some of the preprogrammed GarageBand stuff I swear I've heard on top-charting songs, changed very little. And man I could save loot if I get an idea of how to navigate some of that FinalCut. Some of the students make some great, really creative stuff. I hope some roll with it. I told one girl that this is some of the same stuff the Neptunes use, and she looked at me crazy. She didn't know who the Neptunes were. Is pop culture moving that fast? Jeezz...
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Permalink Reply by CaliforniaAfrican on -
Doc, why part III.
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The Neptunes in my opinion are probably the best pop producers today (well maybe yesterday, ha). And if they're 'out' or 'last decade', it's no wonder that I can't listen to popular radio now no matter how much I try. It's hard to believe I'm actually nostalgic for the time when they ruled the charts with hits for Jay-Z, Nore, Brittany, Mariah, The Clipse, Snoop, etc.
I definitely don't blame these young people (at least not fully) for their behavior. It always starts with their parents because they're new to this thing called life as Prince so poeticly put it, back when I was a teenager. And without rules or morales, they sing their own version of "let's go crazy" and just react to their base desires.
We had a discussion in the English/Reading class after a going through a modern adapted version of Romeo & Juliet. The students, this class being 'Learning Support' where many supposedly have comprehension & discipline problems (I believe it's more focusing challenges), all read the story well and had insightful comments. From observing this class & others, I do believe the so-called "special ed" programs we have today are often very flawed and definitely skewed toward marginalizing Black, especially male, youth. Most of these students aren't anywhere near this insane idea of 'MR' or 'mentally retarded', many are even sharper than students in advanced classes. The behavior is the main problem and you need folks that can handle that as opposed to shoving them into 'special ed'.
During the Romeo & Juliet discussion, it fell into what the students thought was 'pretty' or 'ugly'. Everybody had their own ideas and it was interesting that Nicki Minaj came up by a few of the boys as their idea of what is pretty. There is an older sister in the class who assists the (young white female) teacher. The sister is a nice church-going type but she seems to approach communicating to the students from the background she's intimately familiar with: being a mother. That's all a young man raised by his Mom or Grandmother alone needs: another woman telling him what to do, ha. So when the boys get out of line, she snaps on them as a Mom would which often doesn't go over well. She began speaking about 'it's so much more than than looks for relationships, don't be so superfical...', blah-blah-blah, woummp-whoomp-whoom-whaahhh---Charlie Brown adults talking.
All I could think was I know these boys were tuning much of what she's saying out because they're 12-13 years old for christ's sake, they ain't searching for wives, hahahaaa. They are seeing the girls they knew suddenly grow body parts that attract their attention for the first time. Just discovering the fun of self-induced orgasms. Probably watching all kinds of material at the press of a button online that took me & my friends serious planning to see. If we wanted to see naked women when I was in junior high, it was an covert espionage mission of the top secret proportions. Set the meeting place, pay an operative to obtain the material, find a drop spot, smuggle the package, plan viewing package, pass it along and start again hopefully without being caught. We should have worked for the CIA.
One student said he'd date an 'ugly' girl if she was nice to him and nearly got clowned by the other students 'til we diffused it. One other boy mentioned his girl doesn't have to be 'pretty' but he doesn't want to be teased for dating her. This went on for a bit and all I could add was that if you date a 'pretty' girl with a bad attitude, you probably won't enjoy being around her very long. And I stated I'm sure all of you know girls who look cute but aren't very nice and some agreed. I only asked that they be real about what they fully want.
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Permalink Reply by CaliforniaAfrican on
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I was taking a chance when I asked that mom to come and help me with supervision in the mornings. Her son is really going thru major shit. I knew that it would make a difference for him if he saw his mother on campus every morning, walking around with a walkie talkie. But she didn't show up. Damn.
Sitting there watching you cry was heartbreaking. Then when your dad started crying, I almost went there. Sometimes I wish I spoke Spanish. My counselor asked you to give your father a hug. You're mine now, Enrique. I will give you the love and support that I would give my own son. Study Hall daily, checking in with your teachers, weekly progress reports, meeting in my office every Friday, talking between passing periods. I have an obligation to you and your family. Let's make your parents proud. No more susupensions from me. No more F's!!! It's all love.
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Thanks for adding on Cali.
Calling it Part III because I did something similar on AP 1.0 and here with Adventures In Sub-Teaching; might still be out there somewhere.
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Permalink Reply by Rosenda on -
CA you are in the same league of great caring loving tough conscientious educators like my Mom and Pops during their careers. Some kids need that extra help. You giving it will make a difference already for him. Right on. Daoud? Keep with it, while you are still teaching. Being honest and clear and balanced and making the kids see and think about what and why and how they do the things they do, you give them something really important that hopefully will last them a lifetime if even a few of them take it to heart and use it. Probably you being in education when your career goals are on another field altogether probably gives you a different perspective the other career long term teachers working at your school don't have, and I bet you it's good for those kids, whether they like it or not.
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Rosenda I appreciate your perspective. I'll keep in mind my semi-'outsider' status may give me some interest from the students.
Today our class visited the high school (that I graduated from) that they will move on to and the special needs class there. The vibe from the staff was mostly kind cold & not very welcoming (except for one who we knew) and not as personable as our staff. Everyone was basicly cordial but didn't seem like the warmest crew to around, as opposed to our staff where we keep it as energetic & fun for the students & ourselves or we'd go nuts. The high school and junior high students got along fine with each other though. My other co-worker afterwards echoed my sentiment that I really ain't excited to be involved with their staff when our students move up (and it's likely we both will be gone elsewhere).
The Reading Strategies class was interesting. The students had to create a cartoon on a poster using the 1st, 2nd & 3rd person. The teacher in the class has a good hold on the behavior because many students in her class have challenges. One student showed me his which had a character he based on me with my knit locks crown on his head and everything. It was very cool and I thanked him for finally putting my big head into a comic strip. The exercise did well in keeping them focused with their own creativity and getting the main idea forward.
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+++ Sweet Justice or I Can't Make This Stuff Up pt. IV +++
Today we had Physical Education again. The PE teacher told me and another assistant he had plans for a special lesson today and for us jsut to observe but not get involved. We complied.
He had the class divide up for a tee ball game. He purposely placed all the better athletes on one side and with the less athletic on the other. One surprise was he left the spoiled brat athlete on the weaker side (the same one I mentioned that acted up at the volleyball game and other times). The strong side started off knocking balls way out the park. First inning the strong side was up 7-0. The weaker side barely got a score in. The brat was noticably bothered, dragging his feet when the innings changed and pouting like a baby. The other assistant & I were falling out trying not to laugh too hard.
By the end the stronger team won something like 18 to 3. The PE teacher sat the class down to explain how this was lesson about bullying and that students should not gang up on others or celebrate another's weaknesses. There have been some serious cases of bullying happening at our school and it was being adressed with new programs and visits. The little bratty student still stewed about the game and actually tried to flex some attitude to the teacher to which he called him to wait after class. I had to shake the teacher's hand and tell him "Great class!" and we all couldn't help laughing a bit about it.
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= Add on:
Just came back from the winter choral concert. 250 sudents in the choir so you know the place was packed with family & friends. As soon as the show starts, some ignorant students who just decided to show up bump their way to some seats nearby. Then the group moves to the back and start talking and joking around loudly. I give them several warnings and one other parents steps to them too.
After awhile I tell them to step outside the auditorium. I ask if they want to talk outside or watch the show respectfully. They're looking at me like I stole their phone, like "whadda mean we can't clown around & make noise while the show's going on?" I'm giving them a brief sounding for their behavior then the vice principal comes and take them away so their parents can be called.
I freakin' don't get it. Save that uncivilized nonsense for school (that's ironic). Y'all did not have to come to a winter holiday show for families at 7pm and spoil it for them. This is tiring and a disappointing look because once again, it was mostly 'us' acting up, our children.
Outside that the show was great and my class was estatic about doing it. It was pleasure meeting the families.
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Permalink Reply by CaliforniaAfrican on
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Damn, damn, daaaaaayum, I wish I could post about this week! But if anyone would read about what I want to say about my teachers, I would be in some serious boo boo! Damn that one teacher who knew he was fucking wrong. And yes, I had to do what I did because of what yo ass did. And damn that other teacher who... Damn it!!!!!!!!
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Hahahaa, yes my sister. That's why I changed my AP title. Ya'll know but i ain't gonna make it easy for someone to seacrh my posts. I need this gig right now and I talk too freely up here. At least your name is far from your AP handle. And be careful about names...
CaliforniaAfrican said:Damn, damn, daaaaaayum, I wish I could post about this week! But if anyone would read about what I want to say about my teachers, I would be in some serious boo boo! Damn that one teacher who knew he was fucking wrong. And yes, I had to do what I did because of what yo ass did. And damn that other teacher who... Damn it!!!!!!!!
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