Taking the first step

I did it. I just met with the Department Chair and registered for the first course in Communication Disorders for next semester. It is Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing Mechanisms. Conveniently, it meets from 4:30 to 7:30 once per week, starting in January. At least I'll spend a little bit of my time feeling good about myself.

Four more teaching days of that 4th block class of Basic Readers. Today, for the first time ever, I actually pressed the buzzer on the wall and summoned an administrator to remove two students from the class. I'd written up one of them at least six times over the past few weeks, and nothing happened; no ISS or consequence of any kind; therefore, she has felt increasingly bold about disrupting the class any way that she pleases. The other girl has been written up a couple of times; no ISS. Later, I received an email that made my day: "Princess (what an ironic name) has 3 days ISS, beginning Dec. 9." The administration is probably collecting evidence of my incompetence viz a viz the number of write-ups I send and will use it against me later. They're right; I'm just not a terrifying enough person to make some of these rougher kids quake. On the other hand, I would think that it is the administration's job, not mine, to enforce good behavior in the school system by giving them stronger consequences for their often appalling actions. Why are so many of these students still allowed to be in school? They obviously don't want to be there for academic reasons.

If I were the Secretary of Education in Georgia, I would enact a new set of guidelines, allowing each student one ISS referral, and if they didn't learn their lesson from that, then----OUT! Send them to do community service or work in a chicken factory in Claxton. Or make them take on-line courses in an alternative school setting. The reason education is not valued, at least in Georgia, and maybe nationwide, is because students get it free. Therefore, they take it for granted (or "granite") as the students themselves would write. What if public education were rationed out to those who really valued it and earned it (as measured by work ethic more than through grades)? Terry and I once discussed the educational system, and I argued in favor of dissolving the current system and restructing it so that the riff-raff could be phased out by high school and put to work. Then the phased-out would be allowed to re-enter at an older age, say 21, and finish high school in an accelerated program. I think Terry was a little shocked when I told her that I'd like to dissolve the educational system and start a stricter version only for the worthy. She argued in favor of public education for all. However, she hasn't meet Princess or spent time in the classroom with her.

Liberto felt a kidney stone this morning. He'll drink a lot of water, and it will eventually work its way out. I want him to understand that having a horrible class is like having a kidney stone of the soul, a pain that just goes on and on until the semester ends.