I am so ready for this

The freakin' weekend. Am I 'bout to have me some fun? Only time will tell.

I find your lack of faith disturbing

So say all of us. I guess. Actually, it's just me here, so...well, I'll just continue with the post.
Across the hall from me, a teacher is totally reaming out a student. Apparently, the student has not done some assignment, and the phrase, "No, you WILL do it" has floated across the hallway and through my door.
Now, this is a scene that I see quite frequently, and I believe it ties somewhat into the conversation that Buckwalter and G-Money (if I may be so bold as to use that name) are having. It is an interesting blog-alogue, and I would like to tie in a possible root of the problem if I may.
Teachers in general have become very hard-assed. In most aspects, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Children should be held to certain expectations, and they should know that there are consequences to every action. But this "hard-assness" goes beyond all reasonable thought. I've seen teachers in this school physically stop a student and turn them towards the nearest flag to make them say the Pledge. Not politely ask them to stop and wait, or stop and join in, but grab them by the shoulders and get in their face about it. I've seen teachers telling kids they are worthless because they didn't finish one assignment. I've seen teachers tell crying students to just "get out of my classroom already." I've seen students (and this is a large number) get detention for chewing gum. Gum, people. Teachers as a whole have lost any kind of knowledge of the difficulties of being an adolescent, and therefore are forcing students to be "responsible and respectful" at a very early age.
It's important to note that any school you go to will have banners flying, proclaiming that their school is a respectful place. Bullshit. No school is a respectful place. But this is not the fault of the students. Kids are kids. They have to learn how to be nice to each other, and middle school is the worst place on earth for a child to be. Kids are mean. There's no stopping that -- they just have to grow out of it, and you have to keep pointing them in the right direction.
The big problem in our schools is that these kids GET no respect. How are they supposed to learn to be nice to others when their teachers treat them like prisoners? Um, the answer? They're not supposed to learn. And they don't. A precious few with parents still capable of raising a child end up okay. (That'd be all of us, guys).
I know that I am rambling, but I'll get to the tie-in. I promise.
This "respect" revolution started, at least in the Minnesota schools, around the time I hit middle school. I went on one of those dumb respect retreats in 9th grade. I was told from day one of 5th grade to "respect my teachers." Also at this same time there was a big push to teach kids about their responsibility to many things -- saving the planet, voting, and basically making the world a better place. But now we're seeing the problems created by the educational system here -- when no one respects you, you don't want to respect anyone else. And too much pressure at a young age is not a good thing.
And so, cut to modern day. All of these kids who have been told for so long that "the future depends on you" and "respect each other" and "put a brick in your toilet tank to save more water or the seals will all die" are fed up with responsibility. They have gone to college, had more pressure placed on them there, and have finally decided that they're done. They go back to live at home, and do they want to change the world anymore? No. Because they tried when they were in 6th grade by taking showers instead of baths, and guess what? The environment is still fucked. We raked yards of older people for service projects in 7th grade, and those same people still glare at us in grocery stores, as if we're using 5 finger discounts at 24. We raised money for March of Dimes in high school, and nobody cared. Some of us move into our careers, and when we have new ideas, they aren't listened to because we're "unexperienced."
Obviously we shouldn't be giving up. But my point is, what else does the world want from us? Where was our adolescence? It was sucked dry by community building projects or unnecessary visits to the principal's office -- when we should have still been just hanging out with friends and getting into harmless mischief.
So here we are. Everyone wants that time back, and so we take it. Some of us go to our jobs, but desperately wish that we could just sit at home, have someone else cook for us, and maybe knit something. Some of us still live at home, work part-time jobs, and still wonder when our lives are finally going to come together. We've become apathetic and useless, even those of us with budding careers, and becasue I am a part of the system, I can boldly say that we can blame the public education system in this country. And not just its recent mishandlings -- the whole system is a fluke.
We've been responsible all our lives and now we just want a break. Before we become pregnant. Before we move out and have to pay bills. Before our life gets too serious. Because the truth is, our lives have been sold to us as serious all along.

It is important to note that my point of view on this may be varying from others. This is probably because, as Buckwalter would put it, I don't come from the "hood" like he does. Nope -- I grew up in Minnetonka, one of the blessed of the Minneapolis suburbs. I had awesome teachers, a well-funded school district, and an assistant superintendent who knew not only my name, but my friends' names as well. So perhaps others have not felt this pressure -- I only know Minnetonka and Farmington as of right now, but I'm hoping to expand that in the near future.

And I believe we may be looking at the Hemingways and the Fitzgeralds of our generation right here. Our philosophizing must count for something, after all. I believe I've done enough rambling for now. Lord knows I could go on forever.
And ever and ever.
Play with us, Danny.
See, I warned you! Seriously, now I'm done. I've used my whole prep hour up. Whoops!

America...tha bummer remixxxx

I have just finished removing all of my personal effects from my classroom! Hooray!
But I feel urged to tell you all that the only thing that remains is the billowing 8x11.5" American Flag.
My patriot duty is done here.

Yum!

I love a good burnt brat and some potato salad with Dr. Pepper to boot. Could there be any finer picnic lunch to lift your spirits?
As Buckwalter points out, only 4.5 days left for me! And, joy of joys, .5 of those days will be spent at the Lakeville theaters watching "Star Wars" with the whole 8th grade! That will be awesome. If teaching were all about just hanging out with kids, I would be even more sure it's the perfect job for me. I love middle school kids. You will never find a more teeming hive of excitement and thrills!

Captain Hook would never abide by this...

In additional news, the Student Council here is grilling lunch for all the teachers today as a "thank you" for the school year. Nice of them, and of course I shall attend because it means two things: free food (brats, no less!) and a little more time with some kids that I will indeed miss.
But here's the deal. This school is so two-faced, I feel like I'm leaking brain fluid out of my pores. Yesterday evening at our staff meeting, we "appreciated" some of the staff for their outstanding work on recent performances, for example, the Choir Director and the Band Director. But did we recognize the spring play, performed in between these two events? No. And why not, you ask? Certainly the Madame doesn't LIKE Drama, but she does her job well. Why not recognize her?
And the answer to that, boys and girls, is that three teachers out of hrair came to see the performance. And how many administrators? Zip. Also take into account the myriad teachers that told children they would be coming and then didn't show up. Bad form, I tell you. Bad form.
So no recognition for me. It's okay though -- yes, I am bitter, but you can't complain too much when the people who really matter (the students) are still bringing by thank-you notes and such. What a bunch of sweeties. Where they get it from in this district, I have no idea.

Watership Triumphant!

What an amazing book! I love it when you get so involved in a story that you actually cannot send the necessary nerve impulse signals to your arms allowing you to set the book down for a few minutes. Watership Down was excellent -- much love to the little bunlets. I feel honored to have my classroom here be right next door to the Agriculture classroom, where 1 buck, 2 does, and one new little bunny abide.
It's fantastic that you can feel so much for these characters. I mean, they're just rabbits. Little rodent guys with fluffy tails and big ears. But the author makes them into so much more -- creating a separate language, giving them humanity without making them into people. He maintains their rabbit-ness all throughout. For the past two weeks, as I read this book, I have lived in fear that some of the smaller but valiant rabbits like Fiver and Pipkin were going to be killed. But it all turned out okay. I think I'll have to help the Ag teacher next door name the new bunny -- he does have a big shock of hair on the top of his head. Thalayli, perhaps?

Too much fun...

Hop -- quick! Like a bunny!

Fronch Duip

Yes, my friends. We are eating at home once again. My lovely spouse is cooking for me yet again. And I would like to take this time to offer a few thoughts on gender roles.

NO! DON'T STOP READING YET! I PROMISE TO MAKE IT SOMEWHAT INTERESTING!

I know that no conversation or "dialogue" about gender roles can be terribly exciting or inventive. Ever since Billy got a doll and we were all Free To Be You and Me, there's not much of a thrill to the whole thing.

But I would like to say that I enjoy baking. Cookies -- love making them. Cupcakes -- wonderful. Anything sweet -- I'm there. It could be connected to the shiny silver mine that is my mouth, but that's not the point. I am a baker, but I don't like to cook.

So it is at times like this that I really love living with someone who enjoys the culinary arts. He's a master of them, in fact. Tonight I am being treated to a lovely Fronch Dip complete with the "with juice." My lovely Fronch husband will be serving up all this to me, as is his fashion. And I recognize that I am lucky.

But I have a bone to pick with all these Edina housewives that keep asking him questions like, "Your wife actually lets you use the kitchen?" (insert lame-o muffy giggles here). Hell yes, I do. Actually, sometimes, he lets me use the kitchen. Women have been trapped in kitchens for centuries -- you want me to go back? Yes? Shall I quit my job and begin to pop out some bratty slobbery children while I'm at it? Alrighty. Sounds like a plan to me. Do I get to ask if the chocolate at Bissinger's is actually their chocolate, and not "some Hershey's bullshit?" Do I get to talk about how my fiance is farty and bloated from the bland spaghetti he cooked? Do I get to drop names of has-been stars and wait for recognition, when none is forthcoming? Do I get to wear white capri pants suits and have frosted highlights? Can I also get my legs waxed up to the knees and wear rings the size of my face?

I don't know. Am I crazy for passing up an opportunity like this?
For sure I should check out that ring thing...

Ho hum...

Here I sit, waiting for dear children to get their work done. I must say that when I signed up to be a teacher, I never banked on teaching something like Drama. Speech -- well, at least that's got some relevance to future times for these kids. But I have myriad students talking to me every day -- "I want to be an actor like Orlando Bloom when I graduate." or my own favorite, "My parents are thinking of sending me to an Arts High School." Now, I bear no ill will to the nearest Arts High School. But these kids are talking like New York City boarding school hard-core ARTS High School. From Farmington to the spotlights? Not that way. Not for quite some time. These kids are, after all, coming from a place where their drama department is so neglected it has me for the head of it. Yikes.
Perhaps I'm not giving myself enough credit.
But let's be honest -- drama = not me.

Virgin blogger no more!

Nothing obscene here....just me and Buckwalter hanging out in my classroom. How very. He has just helped me with my new creation. Come back for new news on the Flock -- feather shortage, shrimp season, etc. And for all you pre-verts out there -- that's "shrimp" season, not "shrimping" season. Make sure you wash your lint away first.