In a weird place

One of our teachers died last week.

She was only 45 and died of a heart attack, or so I was told.  She taught English and did the Journalism and Yearbook classes.  When I first heard about it from a colleague on Veteran's Day I was stunned.  I had just been in her classroom the week before helping kids edit the newspaper with election returns data, and now the permanence of the whole thing is kinda hitting me.  It’s not like I was close to Tonya Sparkes, we didn’t do a whole lot of speaking while I was teaching at Ukiah.  Our rooms were in different buildings and our lives pretty much revolved around students, which means we were always busy.  But every conversation I had with her was a pleasant one, and her loss just seems so, I don’t know, frightening and sad.

It was my first real encounter with grief at the school.  We’ve had some students and ex-students die in the past, and that has caused a little turbulence, but this teacher was a former Ukiah graduate and a very beloved member of the staff.  The impacts were far greater.  We had an early faculty meeting to discuss the crisis situation on campus and were told that grief counseling was available.  Teaching in that kind of setting is odd.  You know that the feelings going around are not going to be good, yet I also felt like some students were going to be wanting normality to continue to get their mind off things, and yet others wouldn’t even be involved.  Remember, a school of 1,600 students, and not all were involved with Ms. Sparkes.  So what’s a teacher to do?

Well, I gave a little speech, tried to talk about my experience with the deceased, and then offered time for reflection.  No one took it, so we did a light version of the lesson and all proceeded ok.  It was odd.  The rest of the day seemed right in line.  Well, kids are resilient that way. 

I cancelled basketball practice and I’m going to her memorial service on Saturday.  While I didn’t know her personally, I feel like the teacher family at the high school lost a good soul, someone who was a pretty danm good professional educator.  And I have no problem honoring the memory of someone whose legacy will revolve around giving up their life to help kids. 

No problem at all.

Another Day in the Life of a High School Teacher

-Alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m.  My wife and I chit-chat for a little bit and discuss the why’s of needing to get out of bed.  She goes and works out, I take a shower.

-Breakfast is oatmeal and coffee.  Instead of taking my coffee to go, I slow down a bit and watch the morning news and enjoy the dawn.  I wear slacks and a button down shirt.  No tie today because I don’t feel like wearing one.  I grab my backpack and my basketball bag and I’m out the door at 6:20.

-I get to school at 6:30, one hour before classes start.  I’m hoping for computer lab time for 1st and 5th period to review, track, and buy and sell stocks for the their stock project.  I reserved the library lab for 5th, but my building’s lab is taken by another teacher.  I plan to beg him later for it.  I begin to make a quiz.

-By 7 a.m. the first students arrive.  They are fantastic kids that are not only bright, but social towards teachers and are the exact kind of kids you want around in the morning.  The other teacher still hasn’t showed up.  I talk to my neighbor teacher about students using the teacher bathrooms in the building.  We are going to start writing kids up for using them, even if another teacher allows it.

-I get a call at 7:15, my 5th period library computer lab spot has been taken by a science teacher that reserved it by e-mail the night before.  I’m furious, but prepared nonetheless.  The other teacher gets to school and tells me he can’t give up his lab spot either.  No stock portfolio time this week.  Believe it or not, our school as less than 100 computers available for student use, for a school of 1,700 students.

-First period Economics starts with a quiz on business organizations.  One student comes in late and starts on the quiz.  We correct the quiz with seven students getting “perfection” and I write it on the white board.  They compete with Fifth period Econ for perfect papers and usually lose.  I send the one tardy out with a referral.  I tell them that today is a stock trading day and that they can turn in “trading tickets” (they must buy/sell/organize everything by hand, no online stock simulations) by Sixth period today.  I then show them how to create a line graph in Microsoft Word.  We then watch the news.  It lasts about 7 minutes.  Couple of questions and on to business organizations.  The focus today is corporations.  The class attention is good, the discussion is lively, and overall it is a nice day. 

-Between First and Second I take a phone call from the Varsity basketball coach.  We discuss the station drills I’m going to run tonight.  I then go outside and greet students.

-Second period is AP U.S. History.  The students go straight into the lab and begin to research information on Andrew Jackson.  Using three articles of impeachment, the students are putting President Jackson on trial with some students trying him and others supporting him.  I monitor the class in the lab and grade a few papers.  This class is lively, but a small group has maturity problems.  Two opposition groups playfully go after each other on whether or not Jackson committed genocide on Native Americans.  The discussion is good at first, but two students can’t focus and it ends up distracting people for a majority of the period.  It isn’t enough to toss out of class, but I’m pretty close to calling home on the group.  All does end well however, and it looks like people used the class time wisely. 

-Break is next.  The 12 minute break allows me to put up Mock Congress research links on my blog, and I spend 5 minutes out with colleagues talking about nothing in particular. 

-Third period is American Government.  We watch news and answer questions, then get to the bill writing portion of our Mock Congress. Students have divided themselves into Democrats and Republicans, and are using the computer lab to write bills.  They jump right into the process without a single problem.  The entire lab time is used to research statistics and begin the actual format of bill writing (which is very specific).  Everyone is engaged.  The entire period is me going from place to place checking on format and statistics.  It is a very productive period for a class that can be challenging at times.  They are totally engaged until the bell.

-I head out between Third and Fourth to converse with students in the halls.  I talk to an ex-student who is now a waitress.  I talk to two students about golf.  I talk to another about basketball practice tonight.  And talk to many about nothing in particular. 

-Fourth period starts out with a laugh.  I have a fantastic relationship with many students in the class, and the current ongoing “argument” is whether or not one of my students is actually Portuguese (which I am).  He brings in a book called “Portuguese Families of Mendocino County” and there is his family.  I act dejected and everyone gets a good laugh.  News and questions, and then (since this is also American Government) the bill writing begins.  This class is more deliberate.  They meet in party caucuses and discuss the bills they want to write, then set off and get them going.  Again, full engagement with no hiccups.  The Majority Leader and Minority Leader are very active in the class, making sure that the bills are on target and trying to sway some fence sitting members of the opposition.  It is another good class. 

-I begin lunch by shooting an e-mail off to Ning to ask them to remove Google Ads from my social networking site.  I’m looking to launch my Ning site this January, maybe.  For sure for next year.  The rest of lunch is at the table with colleagues.  We talk about lack of participation in sports and the overall negative atmosphere at the school this year.  Student apathy is bad, and it seems like teachers have no support from parents in the matter.  We shoot around the table the stories of parents who seem to not care that their kid is doing poorly or is not attending school.  It is the most negative I’ve heard my lunch table in a long time.  I leave in a little bit of a bad mood until one of my Fifth period students shows up with a tall Cafe Mocha for me.  I can’t help but smile.

-Fifth period begins with a quiz and the perfection number is 11, beating First period, again.  Fifth will be allowed to trade stock through tomorrow but must get me all the stock tickets by morning on Thursday.  We watch news, I show them the stock graph in word, and then we start on Partnerships and Corporations.  This class is full of incredibly bright kids, but some like to try and manipulate the conversation into something more interesting than the current topic, if that makes sense.  Most of the questions are valid though, and the period flies by quickly without problems. 

-Sixth is my “prep”.  Today, it will be non-existent.  I walk to the Varsity basketball coaches room to discuss try-outs, tournaments, funding, and a myriad of things related to basketball.  I then walk to the Athletic Directors office and we head down to the Admin Building to try to solve a problem with student physicals (like students not having them).  I collect some of the completed ones and walk down the hall.  I talk to the principal for about two minutes regarding a basketball issue.  I then walk to the vice-principal’s office and spend time in there discussing one of my students about attendance.  I return to my class with 20 minutes left on my prep.  Some students arrive with completed stock tickets.  I take those and head to a computer tech office to try and get my Ning issue resolved, meaning the schools filters won’t allow for students to access Ning, which creates a problem in using it.  I return to talk to some students about stock portfolio numbers and my prep is over. 

-The end of school begins at 2:45.  I sit and do some work on a business organization power point when after 10 minutes a student comes into my classroom from the computer lab.  Apparently the credit recovery program supervisor was absent today and didn’t tell the students.  The lab is full of kids.  I head to the Admin Building to let them know the deal, get more basketball paperwork, and then start dealing with my basketball physical issues.  Some parents are mad because we (coaches) won’t let players play without all the paperwork.  The next 30 minutes is a flurry of going building to building looking for student paperwork, calling parents, and trying to resolve issues that are usually related to students not getting their responsibilities in order.  I’m not amused, and by 3:45 I’m pretty much ready to say, “If you really wanted to play basketball, this would already be done.”

-I leave campus at round 3:45 to get coffee.  I’m tired and irritated and Coffee Critic gets my business.  I run into a student who is filling up her caffeine intake before going to work, and another teacher who I chat with for a few minutes.  Back to school.

-I get back at around 4:10 to find that students are looking for me and parents are calling me, all about basketball paperwork.  I haven’t had a bite to eat before practice, but I need to address the paperwork issues now that they are at my front door.  More calls, more visits to the Athletic Director and the Principal, and it is 4:30.  The issue is not resolved, but I’m not budging and it is a “No” until Standards and Practices are met.

-I cook my microwave Chicken Alfredo and start to download The War Room off of Youtube.  I can really use some of those clips in my Government classes.  I change clothes in my classroom and head to the gym at around 4:50, after one last stop in the office to see if any more paperwork was turned in.

-Practice starts at 5 and lasts until 7:30.  I won’t comment on it because if one thing gets more negative attention than anything else in this town, it is athletics.  Oh, I will say that basketball paperwork problems were involved.  When practice ends the coaches retire to the coaches room to discuss the day. 

-I drive home at 8:30 to my wife, who is also very tired.  I watch the Kings-Thunder game until 10 p.m., then read and write blogs until right now.  Tomorrow is a day off, so I can stay up late and not think about schoolwork.

But I promise you, basketball paperwork will still be around tomorrow.  

Energy

As much as you want to ignore it, kids will tell you which teachers are good and which teacher they can scam.  I often hear arguments that students will only pick the teachers that are “easy” as the teachers that are the best.  Believe it or not, students (at least upper classmen in high school) are pretty dang honest when it comes to which teachers give them the goods. 

When I hear about a teacher being praised, I ask the students why they like him/her so much.  Hell, why not?  Obviously those teachers are doing something right and it would be foolish not to try and incorporate their successes in the classroom.  The same names usually appear over and over again, and the reasons are actually pretty simple:

1.  I actually learn something in the class.

2.  The teacher seems to really care.

3.  The teacher is energetic.

The third one is so important and it is often overlooked by those in the credential program.  Nobody warns you about the October Blues and how students will respond better if you keep the energy up.  In fact, students will often overlook errors in your teaching when you show energy and passion in what you are doing.  Think about it this way, for every 10 days of energetic teaching, the kids will actually give a break when you might be “off”.  While other teachers begin to slide in the level of interest with the students after the first month passes (or in our case, when Homecoming ends), teachers that maintain the rigor and consistent interest are rewarded with a year’s worth of respect and hard working kids. 

Here’s a hint for rookie teachers though, the kids won’t acknowledge it until later.  And if you are brand new at the school, you might not get it acknowledged until next year.  That’s the tough part of maintaining energy, the ability to sustain it when the kids seem bored, but are paying attention.  I’ve occasionally asked a student, “You ok?”, and the student will sometimes answer in a perplexed manner, “Yeah, why?”. 

“Well, you just seem kind of down and out of it today.”

“No, I’ve got it all.  This is actually my favorite class.  If it wasn’t for this class, I wouldn’t be here today.”

You have to smile after a comment like that, especially if it’s during the doldrums of October or the nasty stretch of early Spring. 

So rookie teachers need to remember that energy gets you through a lot of hassle, and it’s good for students.  Fight through the tired and the bad environment and the negative publicity, and bring the energy to the four walls in which you teach.           

Legalize Marijuana, watch your kids go to pot

"Legalize it and tax it". 

That's the argument that is constantly stated by those people that think that weed is the answer to the woes of society. 

Those that actually believe this are liars.  I am living in a town where marijuana is basically legal and society is slowly but surely crumbling away from reality. 

First off, you aren't going to be able to tax anything.  When all it takes is a little drip irrigation and a decent green thumb, everyone that wants to grow it will simply grow it, not buy it with the burden of paying a tax.  And if you actually think someone is going to enforce taxing growers, guess what, authorities can't control anything as it is, they sure as hell aren't going to deal with taxation.

Then there is the school.  Startling numbers came out this week and they spread like wildfire around the campus. 

The number of students expelled for drug use and/or distribution is now more than all of last year, and it is getting worse.  I talked to various people that called the problem "epidemic", and when you are in a town that accepts the culture, how do you deal with this?

A few of us teachers through around a few ideas and in the end we came to two conclusions:

1)  Get out the real scientific truth about weed.  More and more studies are coming out regarding the impact of marijuana on the teenage brain and none of them are good.  No, it won't kill you.  It'll only make your life slowly worse and worse.  Maybe you shake it off as a high school/college fad, and then again, maybe you won't.  Maybe you want it and need it.  Maybe it is necessary to smoke it every day at lunch, and then when you get home, and then again at seven in the morning (yes, they are catching students smoking at 7 a.m.).  In the end, you will be deteriorating your body and your brain nice and slow, all for a stupid little plant.

2)  The drug is illegal, especially at Ukiah High, and let's treat it that way.  The teachers had no problem with increased police presence, dogs, the whole nine yards.  If the community wants to battle over the importance of marijuana over kids, then we make the stand at the gates of Ukiah High School. 

It really needs to be a city wide effort.  There are good businesses and good people in this town, and the only way this problem is going to be solved is if the good parts of this town overwhelm the idiots that find marijuana so important. 

Updated 11/10

Looks like the Twitter feeds have been catching on to my blog post, and it's funny to read some of the reaction.  You know what never ceases to amaze me?  When the people that are so pro-legalizing pot seem to insist that I'm over-exaggerating or lying.  Take for instance this guy, jdc325, who insisted that this post is "overemotional, illogical, and lacking in evidence".  Of course this is some schmuck from Great Britain and not from Mendocino County, so the moron wouldn't know the first thing about teaching in a pot-laced county.  Am I overemotional about the rampant drug use from kids or the lack of society's priority in their well-being over legalization of weed?  What is illogical?  Is it the fact that Ukiah has had an increase in crime since legalization or simply that drug related crimes at the high school have skyrocketed?  How about the lack of evidence?  I promise that I'm not lying that drug related expulsions are through the roof at our school.  I promise that I'm not lying that kids are waking and baking before attending school.  I promise that I'm not lying that kids are simply taking weed from families that grow and try to sell it at school. 

Legalize it, legalize it, legalize it.  All those bad things, real or "perceived", that happen in society are either lies or ...........who cares.  Just legalize it.

Idiots.  

Two things the Ukiah Daily Journal dealt with this week that I’m tired of watching

 

A fabulous week for the school district in the newspaper.

As the Ukiah Daily Journal reported on Tuesday, our idiotic teacher’s union has refused to negotiate with the school district.  We aren’t at impasse or anything like that, the UTA (Ukiah Teacher’s Union) just doesn’t want to meet.  I went to a meeting where a union leader actually had the balls to say “The school’s budget is just fine, the contract is strong, and the district can do nothing to us if we don’t negotiate”.  This would be funny if it was a Mel Brooks movie.  But it isn’t, and young teachers are going to be in big trouble (as soon as January), and the fact that these people have the paychecks of hundreds in their hands is frightening.  That might be why some institutions are looking at alternative representation.

Today there was a story about the wonders of marijuana at the high school.  This week’s announcement by President Obama that the feds would not go after legal marijuana users has brought quite the reaction locally, where the UDJ has had article after article about weed within the county, as if it just realized that it was a huge part of society in Mendocino County.  The article isn’t too far off the mark about weed’s impact on the school, with the social order accepting the drug so readily and the school having a zero tolerance policy towards it.  However, I haven’t heard about students smoking during class.  I can guarantee that it isn’t happening in my classroom. 

I’ll be waiting for the positive high school story this week.    

The Grind

When watching the Deadliest Catch, there comes a period called “The Grind”.  It is a seemingly unending work shift that can last for multiple days with almost no rest and a feeling like you are doing your job in an almost robotic fashion. 

For teachers this is called October.

If you are frequent reader to my blog you’ll notice that I’ve been pretty sparse with the postings lately.  That’s because I’m unbelievably busy.  I often have fantastic ideas during my prep period, but I need that time to prep for tomorrow.  I often have great ideas around 7 p.m., but I need to correct papers and input grades so I hold off on blogging.  I still have those great ideas at 11, but now I’m off to bed, only to be up at 5 a.m. and exhausted.  I’m straggling into class at around 6:15 a.m. to work up energy for my 7:30 class, and I try and get through the day.

Obviously I’m giving too much work since I’m so damn behind in my grading.  First quarter grades were due on Wednesday and I ended taking my AP US History classes and taking a bit of liberty in assessing grades.  I still have at least a half dozen assignments to grade and it wasn’t going to get done in time.  It wasn’t like the grades were going to be significant in change, but I feel unsatisfied none-the-less.  Oh, and Homecoming just ended.  This completely screwed up the minutes I had allocated to teaching and I’m still making up the time missed.  Fortunately, the students did a good job with attendance finished work ahead of schedule in the case of AP Comp Gov.

I don’t know about you, but my school is getting hammered with illness.  Interesting that it happened right after the late nights and crappy food of Homecoming, but listening to the news makes me think that it is just a really nasty bug.  While I hear plenty of rumors of Swine Flu, who really knows.  Lots of kids are coming down with the flu (my APUSH class was half gone early this week) and most come back insisting that it is Swine.  Nobody has been tested for it.  They just stay home a whole lot longer than usual.  This makes school that much more difficult because breaks and lunch become a teaching period were quizzes are made up, assignments are dealt with, and kids get make-up instruction. 

November will be better, I know it.  Basketball starts, Thanksgiving is on the horizon, and I get to listen to the rain coming down on my roof.

While I grade essays.

This time it ain't Tigger socks

This is 11 year old Dean Martin from Adele Harrison Middle School in Sonoma, California.  Dean wore the Vallejo firefighter shirt on 9/11 to honor those that died in the line of duty on that tragic day.  Well, guess who has a blue/red dress code.  From Sonomanews.com:

"...the T-shirt violated Adele Harrison Middle School's dress code, which does not allow students to wear solid red or solid blue clothing due to the affiliation with gang colors. When Dean got to school, he was sent to the office for breaking the dress code. "When a student breaks the dress code for the first time, they're given a warning and asked to change their shirt," said Karla Conroy, principal at Adele, who added that Dean was given the chance to change into his gym shirt but refused."

We've seen stories like this before, most notoriously the Tigger Socks from Redwood Middle School in Napa.  Of course, this isn't about cute cartoon characters, it's about the recognition of American heroes. 

I really appreciate how the Martin family reacted.  The kid rode his bike home and then the family explained that they would follow the rules, but expressed their displeasure.  No lawsuits. 

While I understand the Martin family's displeasure, the school did the right thing in being consistent with their rules.  Of course the shirt wasn't malicious, and of course the intent is to stop gang activity, but if you are going to be a credible educational  institution, you need to tell Dean to change the shirt.  They gave him the option and he declined, so he was given a consequence.  It had to happen. 

However, I also think that the dress code needs to be looked at for viability.  I don't like the idea of banning colors for this very reason.  I wear red ties and blue ties to school all the time.  Am I breaking the dress code?  In theory yes, although the rule isn't designed for my beautiful choice of ties.  Either require uniforms or better yet, attack the gang problem by attacking the gangs themselves.  We had a loose interpretation a few years ago of a color dress code, and it slowly evolved into specific articles of clothing; Shoelaces, belts, do-rags, and hats.  The policy is more focused and has caused much fewer dress code issues.     

In the end, let's remember that the colors aren't doing the damage, gang-bangers are.

Mendocino Measure A! Democracy……and idiots….in action.

Just outside of the city limits of Ukiah there is an empty piece of property formally owned by the Masonite Company.  In 2001, the company left town leaving a probably toxic parcel for some entity to swoop down and purchase. 

Enter the Diversified Realty Corporation (DDR).  After hassling with the county about rezoning the land (it is heavy industrial now, they want it mixed use), they have managed to get a ballot measure to the voters in the November that let’s the people decide about the rezoning issue.  The ballot measure is called Measure A.

Needless to say, both sides of the Measure A issue have made plenty of noise.  The “Mendocino Crossing” project (DDR) is the name of the “Yes on Measure A” group.  They are the “corporate big-box bad guys”.  On the other side we have the “No on Measure A” crowd, a group of no-growth advocates, anti-corporate types, and local business owners.  It’s over a month away and already I’m  tired of both sides’ aggressive tactics in getting people to vote.  I’ve been called twice by both sides and been solicited by a “Yes on Measure A” promoter.  The media hype surrounding the “No on A” is so annoying and hypocritical that my wife and I are considering voting “Yes” on the measure because we are so turned off by the anti-corporate faux-rage.  Here’s a list of arguments from both sides, and why I’ll probably end up voting “yes”.

1)  Measure A goes around the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) with a loophole regarding the initiative process.  My take:  It does, although much of the environmental impact studies have already been conducted in a report that DDR released.  In addition, the development still has to go through the county for permits, water issues, and still have to pay local impact fees.  Mind you, a lot of this would have been taken care of if the county wasn’t such a bitch to deal with.  Meaning, this is a growth issue.

2)  It will kill good jobs.  My take:  What good jobs?  The town has been losing jobs for the last nine years, and I haven’t seen a whole lot of development spring up that offers high paying positions.  While I agree that the box store model of employment isn’t the best, that land has been sitting idle for almost a decade with nothing going on, with no attraction for industry and no job growth.  I’ll gladly get some money pumped into the local economy by having locals work there. 

3)  It will be a traffic nightmare.  My take:  If it is planned correctly, it won’t be.  And if the city and county actually become involved, they could work on being a model for rural public transportation planning.  Instead, they backed out of the whole shebang and have left it to the will of DDR.  It might not be too late to get involved and make the process work.  By the way, the area that will be developed is in strong need for repair.  The roads and conditions of the area are sub-par at best.

4)  It is big-box urban sprawl that will make downtown Ukiah a ghost town.  My take:  Most local businesses I’ve dealt with are; A)  too expensive, and B) too full of themselves.  I’ll gladly shop at Rainbow Ag, Oco Time, Schat’s, Ellie’s, and Dorsey’s Auto Repair.  But way too many businesses in Ukiah expect the consumer to feel like they owe the business something by being local, and they become petulant.  The perfect example is Dave Smith, owner of Mulligan Books here in Ukiah.  I’m sure Dave is a nice guy, but his store is open a total of four hours on the weekend, and his stock of “gently used” books are not as cheap in many cases as a brand new one at Amazon.  Oh, and Mr. Smith can’t have many employees, if any.  Amazon.com employs around 20,000.  And yes, those cheap prices allow me to eat more Oco Time.

5)  Public services are crippled due to lack of taxes.  My take:  If the city got off its ass, it should attempt to annex the land now.  If they had a brain, it should have been done years ago.  It really doesn’t matter because I don’t see it as true.  The city could easily collaborate with the county for tax revenue, and let's remember that the development will attract more people to shop in town, and eat in town, and play in town.  The tax revenue will go up.  And of course, DDR still needs to pay impact fees.

6)  Big corporations don’t need to be in small towns.  My take:  If the big corporations do better for the small town, so be it.  I have no problem with a Costco in Ukiah (the rumor).  Small businesses revolve in and out of the downtown area not because of Wal-Mart, but because they aren’t very good.  Wal-Mart has helped keep costs down in this town and allowed for people to spend money on other things like going to the evening races, bowling, eating out, or going to the Ukiah Player’s Theater. 

I’ll probably end up voting “Yes” on the measure, although I have serious questions about logging haul road that is next door to the development, and the overall aesthetics of the project.  This town needs good growth, and people bitching that it needs industry only are the same people that often complain that marijuana needs to be legalized, a major reason that we can’t get industry into the area in the first place.  Who the hell wants to raise a family in a town that smells like a pot garden every morning?  Fix your social issues and the good development comes.  In the meantime I want Costco, I want Best Buy, and I want Barnes & Noble.