elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Oct 19, 2012 21:00:08 GMT -5
Dear Diary,
Been a while, but I've been busy. Been focusing on my classroom and trying to get these kids moving higher. They're missing a lot, but I've already told you this.
It's been a busy month. Visited Hawaii, got hit by the flu, kinked my neck and now it's feels like it's sitting crooked...need to get that fixed up.
But that's just me.
My school has been in lockdown (domestic fight in front of school where the husband pulled a knife on the wife).
I've had a student expelled (threatened another student the Friday before and a couple girls on Monday....on Tuesday he brought a 4" pocket knife). The issue here was the district teetered on expelling him since there was no history of violence with him. So I said - so we actually need to see blood to expell? Is that the new criteria? Great - next time I won't call the office when I hear someone has a weapon. I'll just let the p*ssed off kid walk around with it some more. Yeah....Great policy.
Had a kid come to school with a black eye the other day. I asked him if he had been in a fight at school (I had been out with the flu), and he said No...he had got into it after school with a middle schooler who was wearing a Raider shirt....My student was wearing a Cowboy shirt. If you don't know - the local gangs have adopted these teams as symbols of their affiliations. So my 12 year old student gets a shiner...
Listen, Diary, my school and my class has a lot of great kids, but when I find out that 6 of them knew about the knife and NOONE told me, that tells me there is a serious division between how they see how the school environment should be and how adults view it...
But then again, a parent of a child the other day defended his child who lost two days of recess when he lied to the Principal...."That's too harsh. Everybody lies, you lie, I lie. Everybody lies. He shouldn't lose recess over that."
I am beginning to think I should avoid people more often and get back to rocks...
Truthfully - I have a ton of great students, but I fear for some of their futures.
Hence - Hi y'all, again.
L
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Oct 19, 2012 21:32:05 GMT -5
Jeez Lowell, Sounds like you are not having a lot of fun at all. Funny about the knife thing. When we were kids everyone had a knife in their pocket. Remember I was in German class in high school when the teacher asked if anyone had a knife so she could pry out a big staple holding some paper to the wall. Some of the switchblades that appeared were awesome *L*. Different times now I guess, with everyone always so over protective and so many kids so violent. All we ever used knives for was cutting chores and mumbley peg. But then we all shot each other with BB guns and linoleum square guns, fist fought and jousted with brooms on bicycles so I guess we weren't really non violent, just less protected.
I know this is offensive to Democrats but with a president like Obama, the parent defending their student for lying was actually right. Look at the example our nation's leader sets forth for the kids. He lies constantly in front of them on TV every day. What do teachers expect?. College students cheat, politicians lie, famous athletes juice and cheat in their sports and douchebag Movie stars and singers who are richer than Midas go on TV and tell everyone how the rich are keeping them down as they hawk their CD's, movies and $200 sneakers to the suckers and make themselves richer still. Not a lot of good examples out there these days.
Hope you feel better soon Lowell and get that neck fixed......Mel
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Post by Rockhobbit on Oct 19, 2012 23:32:25 GMT -5
Good to see you posting Lowell! I am all for home schooling, even more now!!
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Post by helens on Oct 20, 2012 13:28:50 GMT -5
Mel, I think you got the name of the liar wrong. Mitt Romney is the liar. Obama gets fact checked by everyone every day and he's remarkably lie-free.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Oct 20, 2012 13:48:04 GMT -5
Helen *L* Pardon me for saying so but you are so full of bull poop. Obama gets fact checked every day all right and the lies are piling up higher than his lying posterior *L*. If his lips are moving you know he's lying *L* And guess what? And, despite the smokescreen you Democratic operatives try to put up, the American public is finally getting the picture.....Mel
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Post by Rockoonz on Oct 20, 2012 13:56:12 GMT -5
Mel, brooms on bicycles? I guess I missed out on that. I can still find the black spot on my leg where I was stabbed with a pencil (who needs knives). The days are gone where a teacher was allowed to make a judgement call on whether they needed to intervene or allow the kids to work it out among themselves. Things like Columbine have changed it for good. I'm sure that it's mere coincidence that these changes seem to coincide with the forced removal of Judeo-Christian values from the classroom.
I had a fellow student bring his dads loaded revolver to school once in high school, he showed it around and no one reported him to the faculty, why would they? It was nothing but testocerone charged show-and-tell. The same young man built a .22 caliber tube in metal shop. He could chamber a rimfire cartridge into it then strike it with a large stone with a delightfully dangerous result. Appropriately (?) his last name was Hood. I often wonder what became of him.
Lowell, I hope you stay the course, your devotion to your vocation is obvious in your writings. One of those kids could grow up to be a great leader.
Lee
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Oct 20, 2012 20:21:37 GMT -5
Sorry - I reread my post and I failed to mention that the soon to be expelled student threatened one student on Friday and two girls on Monday....of course, never reported until the weapon was brought.
But in the days of Columbine, of Virginia Tech, of anything and everything else that kills the young and old in droves via bullets and blade - I gotta take seriously.
Whether a chemical embalance or not, when you make a threat, then bring a weapon - you've gone beyond what can even be considered acceptable in today's environment. Would it be different without the threats and it was a fishing knife or something to cut his sandwich with? Sure thing - still punishable, but more understandable.
I'm sorry for leaving that part of the equation out - which reinforces my being taken back by even the consideration he shouldn't be expelled.
Thanks for support. - And as for lying, Mel two things - I try to reach for the highest standard, and not based on any examples set by our government. I understand the point you want to make on one level, but my class policy is - you lie - you lose two days recess. If I cannot trust you, if I don't know where the truth is - then it lowers my ability to help the students and protect them. Lying - in most cases - is wrong.
As for government - don't care which side of the political agenda you're on - there are enough lies to be found - just count the number of people caught in political controversies. It's not on one side of the aisle, and to think it is, I gotta tell you all, is blind. I'm not taking sides but I have to say that Republican slant on Obama's "You didn't build that" surely didn't try to take the truth of his statement that any business needs the infrastructure provided by government and other businesses to succeed. To cherry pick a specific line to misrepresent a comment is just as bad as lying (BUT IT"S A GREAT WAY TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE) (just don't try to argue that one....it was ludicrous at the Republican convention.) and I'm not letting the Demos out of their poor showing at the first debate. They got issues themselves - not going to deny it. I'm just saying Republicans ain't without guilt.
Don't just put silvery halos above one group of people and horns on the other. It's about the agenda you most fall in line with. Just because you disagree doesn't make it wrong. Just means you disagree.
It is when people become blind to the failings of their own favorite party that they begin to sound like they are more interested in pushing an agenda than actually finding some middle ground - and then I stop listening.
I'm tired. I deal with arguing all day at school.
Seriously - both candidates have huge credibility issues in my opinion.
L
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Post by Woodyrock on Oct 20, 2012 23:43:51 GMT -5
I too am of the age where all young males, and most of the girls had pocket knives...always in the pocket, everywhere we went. Our jousting was either horseback, or motocycles using yucca flower stems. Never was knocked off the motorcycle, but getting knocked off a horse is quite an experience. Twice in my young life, I was belted by the local constable (Canada) and told to get home...where on arrival I go the belt again..damned telephones. I am absolutely certain that instant punishment did me no harm.
Sad to see where the country is today. BTW Mel ,and Helen both of them are politicians...neither to be trusted, or believed.
Woody
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