The idea of taking care of one’s self seems so American and timely in today’s day and age?  There”s a constant echoing from Media (ie Reality TV, Talk Shows), Ego’s and a new sense of entitlement is quite persuasive in American society.   Everyone wants to be loved by everyone yet so quite often we don’t take care of ourselves nor do we truly seem to listen to each other.    To me, it’s become quite so apparent that the idea of duty is another chore.  I found this quite evident in my recent 3 (three) week stint serving jury duty.

From the OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

[as modifier] (of a visit or other undertaking) done from a sense of moral obligation rather than for pleasure:a fifteen-minute duty visit

When I received my notice in the mail to report to the jury pool, I had no idea what to expect.  The only things I  “knew” about the processes behind selection of a panel and the proceedings of a Civil Case had been what I had seen on TV.  Or back when I was in high school and my French Teacher suddenly went vanishing for almost  9 (nine) weeks.  Images of 12 Angry Men, and being sequestered with  emotional angry beasts jurors.  Hell, I didn’t even know if I was to get paid.  Yet, all I could feel was an impending sense of doom.

Part 2 tomorrow.

[Chester Kent]

Recently I’ve had a lot of conversations with people in terms of etiquette, morals, culture and the basic social circumstances thus trying to educate, and become more informed of myself, and in total strengthen not just my own awareness, but the awareness of others.  I’m not going to lie, some interactions were strongly [I mean...STRONGLY] informative of my own personal brand of crude interjection into the world; There’s something about having someone literally step on your toes, and not noting that the event occurred.  One, I regret not being informative. Yet, there were a few others (actually, all the others I’m thinking of…)  there came a point, where the conversation became not butting head, not circles, but frustration, not necessarily with the other person or persons involved but with the fact that the only conclusions we came from were that we were pretty powerless because of the system that’s in place, and that we have to live with these systems.  Compound this to the different articles, news stories and blogs that I subscribe to, and well, I don’t know what to do, when I see both sides, make informed choices, listen to my heart, strive, sometimes (most times lately, actually) fail and try to attain some sense of closure while remaining realistic about getting up at some point tomorrow.

The overall hierarchy of my unease stems from feeling some sort of pressure from an omnipresent “system” that is spoken of in hush rumors from the “hood” of Buffalo, NY, mentioned in the hallways of NYC schools, and quite possibly confirmed of in hidden underground chambers below IVY league campuses. The problem I have with this rationalization of “systemic opposition” is that it is the opposition is plausibly amorphous.  Often I’ve felt like just when I think that I’ve figured out how to remove myself out from under its overwhelming weight, it just gets heavier, and if I don’t break (into pieces, or have a breakdown) and even if I do,  the floor under me probably isn’t too happy to have to have their ceiling endangered radically because of my fight.

Being amorphous this “systemic opposition” might be different for someone else.  The system or systems I see influencing me or my cultures isn’t necessarily the same for ever. In a blog written by Chris Norwood, she gives examples of the systemic oppositions that can occur in her experience as a social worker dealing with HIV/AIDS infected women and their families.  The blog speaks to how the allotment or rather dis-allotment of federal funds has (well to cheat my own vocabulary) “screwed” these families and quite possibly left bacteria that possibly could grown into an infection that breeds negative media images, or arkward experiences that we have with some young adults on the subway.  One heartbreaking statement she makes is

“Since 2005, the percentage of Bronx women among New York City women’s HIV/AIDS deaths has risen from 28% to 32%; we don’t know how many AIDS orphans these women have left behind-even with the well known Bloomberg Administration data obsession — that extends to having scooter patrols to count up potholes –”

How many children are out there grieving, acting out or in need of social services that exist somewhere?  I suppose that such is a generic question that can be applied cross culturally, objectively.  I think of an episode of “Law and Order:SVU” in which child protective services misplaced a child in their care.  The social worker in charge of that case was neither altruistic nor stoic and while her actions were the definition of neglectful, she felt remorses but was still obviously overworked even though she probably needn’t be because of a lack of funding.  How many news stories have we read of in the past few months about children under their umbrella that have been abused or have died?  Yet, cases of abused low-income/lower-income children have become altogether too rote after they break and once the initial public outrage (read:interest) in the story, coverage of it or its follow-up often receives byline (if that) mentioning.  Yet, if a middle to white collar child is treated in the same manner, a front page newspaper article and ongoing reports of the search are sent in seemingly hourly.  Hell, I shudder to mention this idea because of its triteness, and how distasteful it feels to compose the sentence;the queasiness continues when thinking of the number of federal laws that are passed that are named after or were inspired because of missing children of higher incoming earning adults.

While Norwood’s examples speak of just one specific population, it still makes me think of the serial unfair situations where I’ve thought to myself that I could feel what was happening, and yet, despite that awareness, something kept urging me down the road.  I mean, I’m here.  However, where exactly is “here?”  It certainly is not Shang-ra-la.

In my own life, I think of the opportunities I’ve had and the ones that just were and aren’t feasible because of decisions made before me.  I wish I were at liberty to share some of the things I think that have negatively influenced me in my life, but that’s not really fair to the other people who were there, and our existence.  I wish I could sum up every experience into a wonderful feeling like Nikki Giovanni does in her poem “Nikki-Rosa”   For instance, take the lines

“because they never understand

Black love is Black wealth and they’ll

probably talk about my hard childhood

and never understand that

all the while I was quite happy”

because love isn’t necessarily the kind of wealth that pays the bills, and the energy I spend trying to dodge my quite realistic fear of a growing a debt……ABRUPT ENDING.  See my working notes.

Repost of links-

“Those Bronx Bad Boys” by  Chris Norwood.  “Huffington Post” “http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-norwood/those-bad-bronx-boys_b_766366.html”

“Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni.  Reposted from the Poetry Foundation.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=177827

Working Notes – Not finished. I’m still trying to organize parts two and three in relation to this format.  I think that any actual discourse might be too heavy thus weakened by presenting it all at once.  I’m not even sure why I felt the need to lead with Norwood’s blog.  Also I know I didn’t do real MLA citations.  I’m tired.

[Chester Kent]
[Get in the Rye.com]
10..20.10

www.gitr.telldat.net

So I log into Subcentral everyday and everynight, and I find maybe a job but when I try to click it, I get a notification that says “This job is currently being offered to  substitute.   Please try again later.”  It’s completely and utterly frustrating.”  My bills are beyond backed up.  They are just overdue.

I looked into this Newark Teaching residency and with it too seems futile.  Past the preliminary application, there’s an actual application fee, and if I make it to the next round, I’d have to take note just one but deux, yessiree TWO Praxis exams which are not cheap at all.  Then I’d also have to take the GRE again since my previous score is a little bit dated.  I counted close to near $400 dollars to possibly get accepted to this program, and I have come to my uncommon senses that maybe it’s not worth it.

I interviewed for a temp agency for some clerical/office work, and I did well on their simulated tests.  However, I guess if there’s no work, then all is fair and well that they have my info on file.  Would rather that they use it.

I’m wondering if it would be rude of me to some of the previous schools I’ve worked at just to say “Wassup.  I’m still a loser who likes being a guest teacher.”  Is it that too forward of a thing to do.  On one hand, I think it would be the most expedient way of getting my face back out there beyond luck of the phone system.  However, on the other hand, the thing about being a decent guest teacher (sub) is that you kind of want schools to list after you.  That way, when standing up for yourself and not being just bending over to the impending hazing by a student, you feel they may have your back because they think you might have somewhere else to be instead of there.

Either way, this sitting on my ass and reading every single news story or magazine article known to man about current education flaws is becoming both obsessive and repressive.  I want to be back in the classroom so bad.  So I’m not really sure what I should be off doing?

[Chester Kent]

GetintheRye

www.gitr.telldat.net

10.11.10

A 21-year-old poses as middle school football player - Prep Rally - Highschool  - Yahoo! Sports.

According to the Associated Press, Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times, a 21-year-old man named Julious Threatts registered to play for the 13-14-year-old Town N' Country Packers of the Tampa Bay Youth Football League on Aug. 21, and played in a game with the team the same day. Threatts, who had a past burglary conviction on his record, reportedly signed up for a spot on the team under the name "Chad Jordan" with a forged birth certificate. After further investigation, it now appears that Threatts -- an avowed Danielle Steele fan who recorded poetry readings on a personal YouTube channel -

As I watch Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Michael Doyle and Solidad O'Brien play Celebrity Jeopardy (oh, and yes I am kicking their collective ass,)  I happened upon the above article on Yahoo.com.  It's particular well written article but the entire story is a goddamn shame.

Personally, I am completely ambivalent about my high school years, so it really makes me wonder how amazing this guy's years were.  I mean, he's been trying to relive them since he graduated.  Yes, the years afterward suck (bills, feeding yourself, laundry, bills, working, taxes, college, late fees from the public library, and Time Warner) but generally the freedom and ability to shape our own lives supposedly become realized for most of us, and we are giving the chance to rise and face the constraints of our situations.

But what does it take to want to feel like a 14 yr old boy in a 20 something year old man's body.  Even Peter Pan had magic to blame.  It's just a damn criminal shame.  I hope that he gets help.  The kicker  of the article is that it seems to keep happening over and over again lately.  I mean, really, serial pedophiles that don't just stalk and pretend to be kids online, but in actual real life.

[Chester Kent

www.GetintheRye.com]

Original Yahoo article link:  http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/21-year-old-poses-as-middle-school-football-play?urn=highschool-266086

The Beijing-Tibet expressway slowed to a crawl on August 14 due to a spike in traffic by cargo-bearing heavy trucks heading to the capital, and compounded by road maintenance work that began five days later, the Global Times said.

I’m sorry, I realize that this has nothing to do with teaching, but I can’t stop laughing at the ridiculous idea of people sitting in their car for 9 days trying to get somewhere.  Really?

Seriously….Shenanighans.

[Chester Kent]

This is the kind of story that breaks my heart.   She was just a day before her teenage years began and was out trying to live life like BET, and the movies tell her she should.

Makes me wonder, how long ago did she actually start playing in the drug game? Furthermore, how did her mother not NOTICE a damn thing?  I really wish I could see a picture of this girl, maybe try to look into her eyes and see if they are hardened or sad.

This is just a fucking shame.

-Chester Kent

A Brooklyn high-school principal — on the rocks for allowing booze at a boat-cruise prom where a tipsy staffer was caught kissing a student — put in overtime pay for 15 teachers to attend the bash on the taxpayers’ tab, a probe found.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/teachers_party_pay_b0VnRDVvpI4h58OsGAnvkJ?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0wfEbNSSi

I honestly don’t even know what to say about this.  So I’m just going to mumble this which I’m not sure I don’t not mean. I dig it.  Suppose you had this dude as a principal, seems like it would just be free alcohol, entertainment, and teen-aged antics all with overtime pay.  I mean, would you really want to be the teacher that reported these “abuses” to the Board of Ed?  Might as well legally change your name to “Pariah.”

Check it out.

[Chester Kent.]

Really?

So does that mean we can kick kids out of school for 8 months if they curse at us?

“In the fight between you and the world, back the world.”
-Frank Zappa

During the course of a school trip that occurred in the final weeks of school, an elementary student Nicole Suriel lost her life by drowning.   As more and more news coverage was generated, the city of New York hired an investigator to determine what went wrong.

However, as more “in-depth” news coverage continued, I began to notice that the news coverage  and subsequent  reports from the official “Investigation” seemingly became fairly pointed towards finding a scapegoat to blame instead of finding ways to avoid this accident.

Ultimately, the findings followed the typical outcome that one would expect- the teacher (Erin Bailey) was fired. Other fallout included demotion of an assistant principal and probation for school principal Jose Maldonaldo.

This was a situation that was going to be resolved in a bloody sort of way for all the educational professionals involved, especially Ms. Bailey.   Any field trip is a potential risk for disaster.  Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a field trip; any time that you take children out of the classroom and into the view of the outside world such as during recess, or gym class in the park (for example) you expose yourself to scrutiny.  There have been many of times when I’ve lined up my students to go to lunch or to an assembly and we’ve sat there in the doorway while other classes drifted passed or the event has started because well….well I don’t think that their conduct would reflect well on them or on my standards of discipline.

As I read through the news stories, I find it curious that Ms. Bailey has never been quoted nor does she have an official statement.  I think it’s unfair the way she has been (mis)characterized in the media.  Does it really matter that she was a first year teacher?  No.  Perhaps that means to some a lack of competence due to the lack of years experience except the things that I have read shows that she tried to cover her bases.   Case in point, though it appears that Nicole did not have a signed permission slip, Mr. Suriel  (her father) was obviously contacted by the school and gave express verbal consent.  Which in itself might have been a little bit of an ordeal, considering that in each interview Nicole’s parents spoke through an interpreter.

Secondly,  Ms. Bailey had the appropriate teacher to student ratio for a field trip.  On the same  official level is that the AP Mr. Stillman stayed behind to pitch in on some end of year administrative duties which could have resulted in the school missing out on $30,000 for school supplies.

Next, blah blah blah.  There are a lot of excuses.  My opinion of what went wrong is probably kind of harsh to. Simplistic, but harsh.  Water + Students who can’t swim = Simplest Equation for an Accident. In the building or out the build. I also have an opinion about elementary/middle school kids that is even worse.  They really should be seen/not heard unless during times when they expressly permitted.  During the portion of class when I’m tossing information out, and reaching out to students of different levels of comprehension in one class, off-handed comments or even unsolicited questions can really throw off all the pacing.  I’ve become quite found of telling the kids – “Raise your hand if you’re going to talk to me.”  Think it might be teaching at a Catholic school that set me up in that way.

I think that the outcome of this field trip was quite sad but not necessarily equal to the level of tragedy.  I suppose Ms. Bailey made errors, but I can’t place myself in her shoes.  I don’t want to feel anything that she felt.  Too many times I’ve jokingly said to myself, “Thank God…None of my kids died today.”  Which really isn’t funny in light of this situation, but I’m still lucky enough to joke about it.  Honestly, I just feel that it’s not fair to lob all the fault on the school.  Several days later, other incidents occurred with adults on the same beach.  Nicole’s parents allowed her to go to the beach, any beach, even though they knew she couldn’t swim.  Ms. Bailey probably should have looked at the percentage of people (adults and children) with aquatic skills on the trip and maybe had gone to the park or something.  Everyone bit off more than they thought they could chew, and what happened next was sadly logical.

Chester Kent
7-18-10
Originally posted on [www.GetintheRye.com]

Ex. of How to Shoot Oneself in the Foot

Every single year we teachers in the upper grade levels do one thing that is the unofficial equivalent of throwing in the white towel.  Take a guess….Realizing that you did not leave enough time to finish that last novel, and realizing that you’re going to have to force feed all the appropriate themes, plots, and vocabulary for one final test that will let Eduardo R, or Tysha J. know whether they should even both showing up for the final exam?  Not what I’m looking for, but it happens to all of us.  Take another shot….What do all upper level teachers do that is the unofficial equivalent to a playing of the extended version of the Fat Lady’s swan song?  Hint…Science/Math  teachers, it’s not switching into full on test prep mode?  That usually signifies that any minute in the hallways, some down on their grade student is going to ask you to reteach the quadratic equation.

No, the unofficial end to the year is that day when we reward the good kids for being good kids all year.  They get to go to Six Flags, Canada’s Wonderland, or some other various accident waiting to happen trip as a sign of our gratitude that they did not shoot at, stab, or curse you out during the school year, all the while maintaining a decent grade point average, and normal human composure.  This trip also has the debatable intentional or unintentional effect of saying to the kids not going “Better Luck,  next year!  (Fuckwad)” as the bus to a great escape leaves them in stranded to a muggy day of educational instruction.

Handsome Reward.

So you see-  This is how we stab ourselves in the foot.  We tell our “good kids”  have fun but “not too much fun.”  No matter what, hijinx (Hijinx, I exclaim) will ensue.  For example, there’s always going to be a few kids who manifest their inner bad ass for a few hours out in public.  Or the girl who loses her wallet, and her ID. There might even be a hint of a stolen cellphone, or lunch.  While the trip is fun for the kids, it’s  definitely more of a Great Adventure for the adults.

Conversely, imagine coming into work wearing your professional dress and passing by your colleagues in shorts and t-shirts, all with grins just as wide on their faces as the day to come is long on yours.  When taking attendance you realize that all of the children you mildly enjoy, the ones that you look out into the classroom, and make eye contact with to remind yourself that there is at least one kid listening, and possibly even sympathetic to your plight.  The kids who come to school come in expecting it to be a blow off day, and it’s true.  In theory, you could forge on with important review work, but really, all that does is make you want to hit your head against your desk because all of your Aces in the holes are gone. The day in so many ways is bullshit, pure and unfiltered.

Ye Olde New York City Publick Schoole

To this I say (and mostly because I am no longer of school age….) let’s schedule these trips after exams. Or maybe on a weekend day so that a day of instruction and/or review isn’t lost.  In such a way, we can all then share the unfortunate blaring discomfort of a poorly planned school without ventilation.