The Podium
Disgruntled is not the word I'd use
Wrong.
A large group of kids decided they wanted to get high and then start denying it, then began turning in kids they weren't even with to get out of trouble. Right, that's a trick that always works.
I felt bad for one of the kids that got turned in because he did have a pipe (which in school is the same as being under the influence) but hadn't been smoking. He just got turned in by someone else who had been.
At the end of the day I ended up interviewing about 10 kids, 3 got suspended, two and a half hours later I finally took off for home.
Don't bring it to school, morons.
So, with that, the big thing today?
A fight. But it wasn't really the fight that was a big deal, but rather the story behind the fight. Keep in mind I've got these two kids in two different rooms and I'm shuttling back and forth between the two.
Kid 1: I didn't do anything, he just came up behind me and hit me in the head three or four times.I asked, "Did he hit you back?"
Kid 2: He's been talking shit about me and my friends forever, I just got sick of it, so I punched him.
Kid 2: no, he's such a punk!I go back to Kid 1, "What have you been saying about Kid 2?"
Kid 2: Nothing. I don't even know him.So, you were just sitting there, and Kid 2 just came up and started beating you up?
Kid 2: That's right."That's crap."
So I called in about 5 other kids, get 5 different versions of this story, finally enough information to generate something believable, which wasn't far from the original version. Of course in the written version, Kid #1 ended up giving a good fight, but, probably not true.
Two hours later:
Kid 1: 3 day suspension
Kid 2: 5 day suspension
Mookee sent me this link. I understand that in today's day these things are unacceptable, but I'm thanking god right now I wasn't the one that had to suspend him. This is hilarious.
Rival Fans Victims Of ‘We Suck’ Prank
08/30/07 | APA meticulously organized high school prank is more than the subject of hallway gossip. It’s also a hit on the Internet.
An Ohio student tricked football fans from a crosstown rival school into holding up squares of construction paper at a stadium to spell out a message. The fans were told it would read “Go Darby.” Instead, it spelled out “We Suck.”
And the 20 hours spent snapping pictures, mapping out the bleachers, and strategically placing the construction paper ultimately earned the organizers thousands of viewers on YouTube — not to mention a three-day suspension.
Students at Hilliard Davidson High School said Kyle Garcher and a couple of his accomplices are also banned from participating in school activities for a semester.
Garcher said he was inspired by a similar prank pulled by Yale students in 2004, when Harvard fans were duped into holding up cards with the same message.
Of course, no one is ever satisfied, and I ran into a couple of parents who just don't understand their kid isn't the only one in the school.
Here's a ten minute (paraphrased) conversation I had today:
"I specifically asked that my daughter have US History and Chemistry earlier in the day. She's in sports. These are her bad subjects. Don't you even read the requests? Why are you setting my child up to fail?"Continue this, adding what you will, but ultimately I apparently set up all schedules, I try to screw as many people as possible, and really would like to make sure all students fail. THIS is the very reason I'm in education."I'm not sure what you mean. I understand that students want certain classes at certain times of the day, but we can't always honor those requests. All the US History classes are impacted, I can't move anyone out of them.
"But my daughter is a good kid, and now she's going to fail because of you."
This of course, was in addition to, "This teacher hates my kid, my kid can't pass this class."
Have any of these people ever heard of self-fulfilling prophesies?
Anyway, it was interesting how they had great evidence, from some 37 incidents from 1974 to 2007, and great ideas to stop programs, but they stopped short of the ultimate conclusion, "These things are impossible to predict."
Warning signs can be followed, acted on (within reason), but past that it just seems like spinning wheels. I got great information, and tomorrow I'll do my "lessons learned," distribute it to other admin types, and see how the powers that be want to pursue it. Ultimately however, the implementation of actual programs would seem to me a waste of time and money.
I hate meetings. Today was the one that is generally the worst, and thankfully, the only all day meeting I HAVE to go to until the end of the school when we do it again (at least these two are the only ones I KNOW I have to attend). In all reality it wasn't so bad. Probably because we got an hour and a half lunch time in which I was able to go home and go for a run.
Living extremely close to work does have its advantages.
Teachers and Parents,Hip Hop Math? Are they serious? Hopefully it's geared toward younger kids, because I know very few high school kids that would buy into it. I admire the attempt, but these types of things just seem to be a waste of time.Hip Hop is the leading force in music today. We have seen children memorize every verse in a hip hop song, but not memorize their basic math facts.
NET PRODUCTIONS produces educational math music. We intertwine learning basic math facts with the popular beats and sounds of Hip Hop music today. We believe that music is a powerful resource in motivating children of all ages and backgrounds to learn.
