Thursday, March 13, 2008
Why It Rolls Down Hill
I don't understand why we have to hurt one another...or what the thrill is in bringing down others just because you can. Yet, in a the field of education I see it everyday - everyyear - everywhere. We are in the education, people helping pe0ple, kumbaya business - and yet there is such a culture of gossip-mongering and tattle-taling, back-stabbing, maybe we are too much like the children we teach. It is beyond me why people act this way. Let's say I am making a million dollars a year and I know you are making $250,000. Why would I try to take away any of your money, or rain on your parade? What would be the point? I am only going to make my million, and that is plenty so why should I begrudge you your $250? We seem ready to "dish the dirt" at the drop of a hat, we seem to thrive on negative energy and negative words and negative thoughts-what a waste it all is. I try to stay in my space and do what I am suppose to do - I could do more and do better, I know-but I don't talk about others and I don't point the finger at others - I try to understand that we all have our own agendas and we all have issues for which we compensate-and I know we have all walked a road that left some soreness in our heels, so I am not going to sweat anyone what they have to do to get through the day. As long as you are not hurting others, then do what you need. Live and let live. But it doesn't work that way and the negative energy just wears me out. If I am willing to carry an extra load and you don't want to carry any load, that is fine - but don't hate me for my effort and I won't hate you for not trying at all. And, ultimately, in the end, we are all trying to move the same pile of rocks from one side of the road to the other - so why don't we just work together?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
What Was It?
I think I have a memory problem...last night as I was attempting to fall asleep I mused over a blog I wanted to write - this morning, as the cursor flashes, my mind is as blank as the screen in front of me. They say sometimes, if you are not in the mood, you should just begin a little foreplay and the rest will follow - so I thought if I just began to write the thought would come back to me. It has not. Reading the newspaper or listening to news on the radio is frightening. The way I see it, in about a year's time we will not be able to afford gasoline, food, or clothes. My partner and I have already decided to stock up on non-perishable items- we plan on eating rice and beans for the next year or so. Our nine year old daughter, listening to our dinner conversation, interjected with the most concerned; "is that really going to happen?"
I replied, "No, of course not. We are just speculating."
Problem is we are speculating based on the information given to us by the media. Which I know is a pit of political agendas and immoral attention
seeking whores. What are we supposed to do? I guess just not watch and wait for the world to end. Perhaps ignorance is bliss. The Governator in CA is cutting almost 500 million dollars from the education budget - as a teacher I need to know this information, or do I? Next year my school campus will look different. Gone will be the extra things like a counselor, psychologist, nurse, new text books, adult assitance, yard supervisors, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, safe busses to transport children to school: sure a school nurse was a luxury. And I know if a child has a crisis, if one child amid my 40 has lost a parent or been a victim of violence - I know I will find a way to attend to them as best I can - it won't be the same as having a train counselor spend some 1:1 time, offering expert help and referring the student for outside agency follow-up - No, it won't be like that but I will do my best. Then the teacher's union talks about going on strike to get more money and to protest all the cuts and how the cuts will affect children - so I innocently ask; "How will a classroom without a teacher affect the children?" Isn't enough damage going to be done with all the other cuts, can't we at least offer children the stability of having familiar teachers on campus, and can't we for once and for all recognize the important role a teacher plays in the future of our entire country? Can't we recognize the amount of education required to become a teacher and the amount of professional development a teacher is required to maintain every year and just pay teachers a professional salary - No, we can't do that because teachers have summers off. Do you think the CEO of Big Bussiness Inc. gets 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks of vacation a year? Bet he does. And how many of these hip technology companies, and advertising/marketing companies allow their employees to wear shorts, jeans, flip-flops to work, or to bring their dog to work? They make 6 figures, because a catchy tune to sell a Volkswagen is more important than teaching -
I guess it is true, a little foreplay can get you in the mood - just that now I am really angry at the injustice of it all and I wish, I wish, oh, I don't even know what I wish anymore - why can't the world just be a fair place?
I replied, "No, of course not. We are just speculating."
Problem is we are speculating based on the information given to us by the media. Which I know is a pit of political agendas and immoral attention
seeking whores. What are we supposed to do? I guess just not watch and wait for the world to end. Perhaps ignorance is bliss. The Governator in CA is cutting almost 500 million dollars from the education budget - as a teacher I need to know this information, or do I? Next year my school campus will look different. Gone will be the extra things like a counselor, psychologist, nurse, new text books, adult assitance, yard supervisors, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, safe busses to transport children to school: sure a school nurse was a luxury. And I know if a child has a crisis, if one child amid my 40 has lost a parent or been a victim of violence - I know I will find a way to attend to them as best I can - it won't be the same as having a train counselor spend some 1:1 time, offering expert help and referring the student for outside agency follow-up - No, it won't be like that but I will do my best. Then the teacher's union talks about going on strike to get more money and to protest all the cuts and how the cuts will affect children - so I innocently ask; "How will a classroom without a teacher affect the children?" Isn't enough damage going to be done with all the other cuts, can't we at least offer children the stability of having familiar teachers on campus, and can't we for once and for all recognize the important role a teacher plays in the future of our entire country? Can't we recognize the amount of education required to become a teacher and the amount of professional development a teacher is required to maintain every year and just pay teachers a professional salary - No, we can't do that because teachers have summers off. Do you think the CEO of Big Bussiness Inc. gets 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks of vacation a year? Bet he does. And how many of these hip technology companies, and advertising/marketing companies allow their employees to wear shorts, jeans, flip-flops to work, or to bring their dog to work? They make 6 figures, because a catchy tune to sell a Volkswagen is more important than teaching -
I guess it is true, a little foreplay can get you in the mood - just that now I am really angry at the injustice of it all and I wish, I wish, oh, I don't even know what I wish anymore - why can't the world just be a fair place?
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