Those Rich White Kids

I hate it when I start out the week agitated.  I hate it even more when I started out the week agitated and it goes down hill from there.  Do you know what happens when you start out the week agitated and it goes down hill from there and it's time to write this blog?  It's called release.  Release is a Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) term applied to scholars who have reached their boiling point, explode (release), and desks are knocked over, chairs are tossed, and the scholar is pretty much in a rage.  Well, I'm about to release so beware.

For a couple years now I've been following a blog called Chalkbeat.  This is an education blog that I'm pretty certain started here in Indiana and is slowly spreading out nationally.  In fact, I believe that Chalkbeat opened an office in Detroit, Michigan recently but I don't think they opened one in as far west as Utah.  When I started reading Chalkbeat the creator of the site just posted education news articles from various newspapers here in Indiana and occasionally from outside the state on his blog for interested people to read.  For reasons unknown, Chalkbeat decided to hire reporters to help with the blog.  It didn't take me long to realized that I didn't like this change because when you have reporters, you have reporters with an agenda.  A couple days ago one of these reporters posted an article that said (paraphrasing), "all of the great teachers are in schools where only the white rich kids go."  I only read a couple paragraphs when I realized that this article was a bunch of crap written by some clueless twit who spends little if any time in schools.  You know why I can say this? Because I know where all of the good teachers are and they are not teaching the white rich kids.  In fact, the white rich kids will likely succeed in the classroom with mediocre teachers because they come from a family where both parental units earned degrees, where both parental units are gainfully employed, and both parental units stressed the importance of education starting with their scholars date of origination.

So where are all of the great teachers?  They walk the same hallway that I walk.  They walk in a hallway that is surrounded by a neighborhood of parental units that come from a low social economic background who don't have the sense to place an emphasis on education as they raise their scholars.  And when a scholar, who was conceived and brought into this world by so many dysfunctional parental units enters school who is faced with the challenge of educating these scholars, my colleagues. 

My role at school was recently expanded as I now sit in two general education classrooms so what you are about to read is reality in a those classrooms.  I'm with Teacher #3.  It's nearing lunch and recess time.  The instructions to the class of around twenty scholars was to clear off the top of their desks, quietly go to their locker to get their coat, and then to line up at the door.  After about ten seconds I hear, "you need to keep your voices off and clear off your desks."  The talking continues and the teacher restates the instruction.  This process repeated itself four times before the scholars were lined up and ready to walk to the lunch room.

We are now on the way to the lunch room and I hear again, voices off and stay in line and who ever is dribbling a basketball, please keep the ball in your hands until we get outside.  After a brief pause the basketball hits the floor again.  The teacher stops the line and walks back toward the scholar with the basketball and again asks the scholar to hold onto the basketball.  I'm standing to the immediate left of the scholar with the basketball and I watch him give the teacher the "you can't tell me what to do look as he rolls his eyes at her."  Fortunately this little shit held on to the basketball until we entered the cafeteria.  Why was he fortunate?  Because if that basketball hit the floor one more time it was mine and I was going to dribble it all the way to the BigB's office.

Lunch and recess is now over and I'm back with Teacher #3.  We are outside the building and she gives the instruction to line up so we can go back inside the school.  The scholar with the basketball ignores the instruction and keeps shooting his basketball.  Twice the teacher had to tell him to get in line.  Just before the teachers reaches the door to re-enter the building she reminds the scholars to keep their voices off when they enter the building.  The line is actually quiet except for one noise, the dribbling of a basketball.  The teacher is now getting agitated and walks toward the scholar with the basketball and says, "give me that basketball."  The scholar immediately turned in an attempt to run away from the teacher.  Unfortunately, as the little shit turned to run he banged right into me.  When he looked up at me I said, "get in line, hold that basketball, or it is mine."

I just changed days of the week and lunch and recess period is now over and I'm sitting in a classroom with Teacher #4.  I arrived in the classroom a little early and I heard the teacher tell the scholars to clear off their desks, pick up their laptop and pencil and line up as they are changing classrooms.  Almost immediately the scholars are told that they are way too loud and to be quiet.  A minute or so passes by and again, "please stop talking, get your laptop and get in line as we are now late."  As the line is forming the teacher calls out three names, "why are you standing in line without your laptop.  I've told you twice to get your laptops and get in line.  How is it possible that you are standing in line without your laptop."  Finally, after ten minutes, a ridiculous amount of time to get what is needed to rotate to another classroom, the scholars exit the classroom.

A new group of scholars arrived in Teacher #4's classroom and took their assigned seats.  Teacher #4 tells the scholars to open their work books to page so and so and we will get started.  Immediately two hands go up and one of the scholar's says, "I didn't bring my workbook."  Teacher #4 asks why the scholar didn't bring the workbook.  There was no response from either scholar.  Teacher #4, "where is your workbook?"  A scholar responded, "in my classroom."  Teacher #4, slightly agitated, "you've been coming to this classroom everyday for months.  How is it possible that you can't remember to bring your workbook?"  There was no response from the scholars.

Two incidents, two different general education teachers, and you just got a feel for what these two teachers and several others go through every day.  Scholars who don't listen, can't stop talking, fail or often refuse follow even the simplest instructions, and when the teacher looses her/his patients and raises her/his voice, the scholars give them the look like they are King Shit, roll their eyes at the teacher, get an attitude, and at times will actually walk out of the classroom.

Crap like this frustrates the hell out of me and some twit from Chalkbeat has the balls to say that the white rich kids have all of the great teachers is utter nonsense.  I know where to find great teachers.  I know where great teachers work every day, every week, every month, every school year, and some have been putting up with the crap you just read about for decades.  I know where the great teachers are, in my school and numerous other schools that are surrounding by poverty and parental units who failed miserably when raising a scholar.  And do you know what makes these teachers great?  They keep coming back into the classroom.  They don't quit.  They just keep plugging away and if some grossly misinformed individual criticizes one of my colleagues they better be prepared to defend themselves because I'll get up in their face.

I'm not done with my releasing yet but this blog is getting too long so I'll have to release again next week.  In fact, some food for thought prior to the next blog post.  First, it's time to pressure school leadership and start taking back the classroom, through discipline, from those arrogant, smart ass, disrespectful little scholars.  Second, the crap that goes on in a classroom, in my opinion, falls under the working conditions part of a contract so why and the hell is the Union not supporting their members and doing something to stop this crap.  Finally, I've had it with Grr!.

That's it.  Thanks for following the rantings of an old guy that has view from the back of a special education classroom for scholars with emotional handicaps and also a from two general education classrooms with the supposedly normal scholars.  See you again in a week or two weeks, or maybe three weeks.











 

The Conversation

Nag, nag, and nag.  "When are you going to start writing again.  I told you if you kept finding excuses you'll never get started.  You just can't stop.  People have been reading what you write for over three years.  If you are done writing, you own them one last writing to let them know what you are doing."  She's right.  As she has for almost forty years now, my part time editor, part time consultant, and full time spouse has pointed me in the right direction.

So, where have I been?  First Sunday, road trip to Michigan to visit my hospitalized brother who had triple bypass surgery and a couple heart valves replaced.  Second and third Sunday, road trip back to Michigan as my brother passed away at the early age of sixty-five.  A tough loss that saddens me greatly.  Why is it that a man who would do anything to help anybody can leave us so early in life?  Fourth Sunday, granddaughter in the house for the day.  I could chose either to write or to watch the movie Moana with my granddaughter for the third or fourth time.  I chose Moana.

Fifth Sunday and it's cold, cloudy, and I can't write from my favorite blogging place on the screened in porch on the back of the house but here I am.  I believe I'll start with a review of the scholars.  Also, as a reminder, I left the supposedly much better school in the surrounding area and returned to the school that I love so much, that is not in a downward spiral, as a volunteer.

The scholars you are familiar with, Grr!, Huey, Whale, S&T and Tourette.  The new scholars, Hiss, ShortTime, and Cue.  Table positions in the classroom have changed for the teacher and instruction assistant.  I have maintained my normal position where I have a really swell view from the back of the room.  The teacher, I'll call her Newest, as I'm on my fourth teacher, sits on the south side of the classroom.  The instructional assistant, I'll call her Low, sits in the northeast corner of the classroom.  In case your are wondering, I'm seated on the west side of the classroom.

One final update and I can begin.  I've stayed in contact with Gnu even though I left the supposedly much better school.  During our last texting exchange she informed my that things are settling down in her classroom.  Apparently the scholars have finally figured out that they are no longer in a play room where they pretty much do what they want to do.  Instead of a play room, they are in a academic setting, they will do academics, and at no point do they make the decisions on what they will or will not do.  They are not in charge, Gnu is.  Is Gnu being successful?  I'll let you decide as Gnu's instructional assistant told her this one day.  The instructional assistant is speaking (paraphrasing), "I've worked with Grab, a third grade scholar, since he was in the first grade.  You, (Gnu) are the only teacher that has been successful in getting him to do academics.  All his previous teachers would just give up and let him do what he wants to do when he got angry and defiant."

During one of our recent texting exchanges, Gnu sent me a picture.  It was her son, who will be six months old in December, and he was seated in her lap holding up a sign.  The sign read, "Big Brother."  I'm pretty sure you can figure that out.  If you can't, text me and I'll explain it.

Ok, here we go.  It's the first Monday after fall break and two scholars did not return to our school.  ShortTime, hence the name, moved out of the school district.  S&T's original parental unit has gained back custody of this young scholar and he has moved out of state to be with her.  The feelings of all the adults that worked with, or supported S&T, while in our school can be rolled up into one word, nervous.  Why?  MJ, a behavior therapist, during her last conversation with S&T, told him this.  "Remember all of the safety things we talked about when you move to your new location."  Please keep S&T in your prayers so that he can have a successful reunion with his parental unit.

Also, on the first Monday after fall break, I took some time to see how some of Gnu's former scholars were doing.  Here are the names in case your forgot, EM, Uh-Uh-Uh, MiniJ, and Knapper.  EM is now in a sixth grade general education classroom and he is doing well behaviorally but not academically.  The other three scholars are struggling and, although I'm not certain, they are all back in a self contained classroom for scholars with emotional handicaps.  Knapper, in particular, is regressing to behaviors not seen in a couple years.  This was confirmed by FBG, a behavior specialist, and to hear this news is very disappointing.  MiniJ's regression is also very disappointing and very troubling.  I was informed that there is a safety plan for MiniJ that states that he can't go outside for recess and he can't go anywhere in the school without an adult escort.  Why is there a safety plan for MiniJ?   Inappropriate contact with scholars of the opposite sex.

So what is the new teacher, Newest, like?  She runs a very nice, structured academic day very similar to Gnu's.  There are three academic work stations just like Gnu had and the scholars are paired based on their academic abilities.  The big upside for Newest, one that Gnu didn't have, is that there is a third adult (me) in the room so there is no independent academic work station where the scholars could do little if any academic work.  The instructional assistant, Low, is also very capable which puts me at ease because I've seen instructional assistants in classrooms that are boarder line useless.  So, the bottom line on Newest and Low is this, they are very capable academically and that is exactly as it should be.  On the down side, neither of them have any previous experience in an emotional handicapped classroom and that raises some caution flags for me for two reasons.  First, they are not very good yet at recognizing when a scholar is escalating toward an anger eruption but I figure that will come with time.  Second, they are both very soft spoken and there have been instances when they recognized the anger escalation but don't speak loud enough to be heard.  Fortunately for both of them the third adult in the classroom is not soft spoken especially when he needs to get a scholars immediate attention.

There have been several instances in the five plus years when I've been asked why I keep doing what I do with scholars who can get so angry.  Here are two reasons.  The first one is totally stupid and the second one explains it all.  First of all, I get to stop at the BP gas station again every morning for a cup of Kona blend coffee.  On my first stop at the BP, in almost two months, I ran into one of the locals that just hangs out at the gas station.  It's an elderly African American women and when she saw me walk in the door she walked up to me, reeking of tobacco, and gave me a hug saying, "where have you been?"  After I poured myself a cup of the Kona blend I was headed to the cashier.  When the cashier say me coming he said, "long time no see, free coffee today."  Here is the real reason why I do what I do.  During the first two days that I was back in my favorite elementary school I was stopped numerous times in the hallway by teachers who said, "welcome back, you were missed."  It's the little things, like a smile on the faces of the teachers that welcome me back, that make me realize that what I do with scholars with some serious issues does makes a difference.  It's for that reason that I'll do what I do for a little while longer.

See you next week especially if I hear nag, nag, nag followed by you better get started on your blog.