Inside Four Walls: Update on School Discipline...or lack thereof

So I decided to follow up on the incident from Student S the other day. I emailed his counselor and wanted to know why Student S only got a 1 day suspension for lying to a sub and cutting class. His response? It was his first referral for cutting a class. And yes, he did lie, but it was still only his first referral for cutting a class. The counselor saw these as one offense, not two separate ones.

I didn't reply, but then at lunch a teacher said if I didn't write him up for lying to go ahead and write him up for it. So I did. I sent up Student S for lying to a sub. Now in our student handbook it talks about students not being willfully disobedient to a teacher and identifying yourself to a teacher or administrator when asked. Clearly, Student S didn't do this.

So I get a call from the counselor and he asks me if I read his email. I say yes, but the lying wasn't on the referral that way he could have his "paper trail" that we are always told about. He sounded a bit annoyed by that comment, but he didn't do anything else.

I saw him after school and he tried to tell me again that it was one offense and that the lying really wasn't that important because it lead to the class cut.

I don't know if I will take it higher or bring it up later in summer with the principal before the new school year.

Free Speech for the Dumb: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Our dear governor. What happened to him? He promised to come in and clean up California and he is leaving it in worse shape than it was when he took over from Grey Davis. Now, I know some say he was powerless against the liberal legislature, but he could have stood up to them when they presented those enormous spending budgets...he didn't.

His liberal colors came through more and more with the passing of "final solution" global warming bill, which might hurt our state even more, and the signing into law of Harvey Milk Day. This next quote shouldn't surprise anyone then.

While speaking at a graduation in Atlanta, the governor had this to say about the new Arizona law;

"I was also going to give a graduation speech in Arizona this weekend," Schwarzenegger said. "But with my accent I was afraid they would try to deport me."

Seriously, it's stupid comments like these that have totally blown this law out of proportion. Maybe his wife would be pulled over for all of her traffic problems, but that's another story.

Venting the Anger: School Discipline...or lack thereof

Ok, so I wasn't at school last Thursday or Friday. Today I got the reports back from the substitute and noticed that two of my students left for a track meet at 1. That seemed a little early because most of the time it is 1:20. So I looked at the list for release times and noticed that there was no scheduled release time for track that day. Bingo! Class cut...two of them.

So I am writing up the referrals for the two students (Student A & Student J). I didn't know that Student J was in track so I thought just cut. So I am telling this to my TA and she tells me it wasn't Student J it was Student S. So I proceeded to write out a referral for Student S and thought the sub just misread the seating chart.

So I send up Student A & Student S for a class cut. I tell the class that I almost sent up Student J on accident. Then another student speaks up and says, "that's no mistake, Student S told the sub his name was Student J."

This was interesting to me because on top of a class cut, Student S lied to a substitute, a big no no in any district I am sure. As I am calling his counselor, my TA tells me that Student S also asked her if she thought he could get away with ditching the class.

I am pretty excited now, I have Student S who told my TA he was going to cut, lied to a sub, and then actually cut class. I explain it all to the counselor and wait.

Student A comes back with a simple 1 hour detention after school. I was a little upset, but that counselor has a reputation for going easy on discipline...so I wasn't too shocked. I read the referral and it said "student was confused about release time". Clearly she wasn't...but whatever.

Student S comes back in smiling saying he was pretty sure he would get caught, but whatever. I asked him for his referral and noticed he got only a one hour after school detention! And the same excuse was on there about being confused about the release time. So nothing happened for him lying to the sub.

I am getting sick and tired of things like this happening. How can anyone justify this? A student blatantly lies to a sub and cuts a class...his punishment? Oh that big one hour detention (actually 45 minutes). What has he learned? That he can cut class and not get into serious trouble. Oh and he can flat out lie to the person in charge and nothing else.

I usually don't bring stuff like this up to the principal or VP, but I think I might on this one. You can't justify a one hour detention for that. I have had students come back from getting detention for tardies with candy from the counselors too. I am sorry, but can anyone say reinforcing negative behavior? The counselors have been horrible on discipline this year. When a student is excited to go to their counselor to get into trouble, there's something wrong with that.

And what does that do to us classroom teachers? It takes away any power we have. The students know they can screw around and have nothing happen to them. Or they play good cop all the time. I had a student who was late all the time, the candy kid. So he was on crutches for a week and showed up late. They had 15 minutes to get to class, which is plenty of time, since you can get across campus in 5. So I send him up for being late. What happens? His counselor tells him "If you can convince Mr. W to take away the tardy, I won't give you a detention. I am sure he will, you are on crutches". Yeah how fair is that to me? I didn't change my mind either, in case you are wondering.

It is this constant coddling that is killing education. If it's not the parents, it's the counselors and administrators.

Music Non Stop: Anthrax

I am seriously done with this band. They have to be the most drama filled band I know. A quick recap...they dumped Joey Belladonna in 92 for John Bush, to create a more aggressive sound. John Bush was perfect for this new sound. Sound of White Noise, Stomp 442, Vol. 8, and finally We've Come for You All are classic albums. I would put them up against any of Anthrax's earlier albums. And John Bush nailed the songs. The guy is a classic metal vocalist...so much so that I put him #2 on my list of metal vocalists. If you want more proof that he was a perfect fit for Anthrax, check him out on The Greater of Two Evils, an album of early Anthrax music with Bush on vocals. The songs from Persistence of Time sound so much better with Bush...and they should because that's when Anthrax started to change its sound.

They did a crappy reunion with Belladonna and pushed Bush aside. After the reunion, they kicked out Joey again and tried to get Bush back. He said no. So they went out and got a Bush-clone in Dan Nelson. They recorded Worship Music. The samples released were great. Faster, heavier...awesome.




For whatever reason, Dan Nelson was let go and Worship Music is still a finished unreleased album. So Anthrax gets back John Bush to start doing shows with again. The Big Four Tour is announced and Anthrax is scheduled to play, with Bush. Anthrax wanted Bush to re-record Nelson's lyrics and release the album. Well, Bush wanted to do something new because he wasn't apart of that process. He was quoted as saying he would release an EP with some of those songs, but not the whole thing.

So I wake up this morning to see that Belladonna is back with Anthrax and Bush is out again. I am sick of it. Belladonna can't be aggressive enough for this new Anthrax. They need to call it a day. I guess I will always have those 5 albums to look back on.

Right Now: what a weekend

Still trying to recuperate from this past weekend

• 6 hours of yard work, put in new border
• Disneyland for our son on his birthday
  
• Saturday work school
  
• our son's 2nd birthday party (on Saturday)
  
• Mother's Day

I need a vacation

Thoughts Without Words: What happened to our schools & country?

I haven't been in education very long (7 years), but if you count in all of my years in school I have seen a lot. So what is going on with our schools? We blame teachers for everything (that has been discussed on this site for awhile, so I won't open that up again) and parents seem to get a free pass on raising their kids.

But what about these two stories? From Darren, seems that 5 high school students were sent home for wearing American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo. WHAT?!?! Could you imagine the outrage that would come from the left if students wearing a Mexican flag on the Fourth of July were sent home? Racist they would cry. So why do this happen and nothing? Where is the ACLU now?

The other story from Joanne Jacobs, and elementary school to a field trip, but only took the black students in the class! How is that fair? Once again, imagine a teacher only taking white students on a field trip. The NAACP would be there so quick they would probably beat the bus back to the school.

These are just two examples I found today alone. But it seems as though, traditional values and American pride is being taken away even destroyed little by little. We are so worried about offending someone or making someone feel bad about themselves.

About 6 years ago, a teacher told me he thought America was like the Roman Empire and would fall and become a 3rd world country. I laughed it off, telling him common sense would right the ship. However, everyday that passes I tend to think he is more right than wrong.

Free Speech for the Dumb: Contessa Brewer

How have I not had this lady on here before today is beyond me. Contessa works for MSNBC and obviously is a left leaning diehard journalist reporter person on tv.

She has been in the news before for bone headed things like mistaking Jesse Jackson for Al Sharpton.


She was quoted telling a guest on her show that the GOP should; "Until they change policies – I mean, that's what it took for conservatives in Great Britain to win – is a real change in focus away from morals and values into things that affect people's daily lives."

This girl is going to be a regular on here I think. Anyway onto the latest. Seems that Contessa was a little sad that the failed NY bomber had times to the muslim world;

"I get frustrated...There was part of me that was hoping this was not going to be anybody with ties to any kind of Islamic country."

I am sure that if this person had ties to the Tea Party she would have said the same thing right?

Free Speech for the Dumb: Bill Maher

Ohhh Bill Maher, you are so far left I don't even think MSNBC would put you on TV. This quote comes from ABC Sunday, where Bill Maher was comparing the new Arizona law to WWII Germany. George Will called him on it by saying;

"Mr. Maher, just said -- if i heard him right -- that conservatives basically are racists and like government intrusion only against people that aren't white," said Will.

So Maher decided to clarify himself;

"I would never say and I have never said, because it's not true that Republicans, all Republicans are racists. That would be silly and wrong. But nowadays, if you are racist, you're probably a Republican. And that is quite different," explained Maher.

really?

Music Non Stop: new Limp Bizkit

I know this is about a week late and I really don't know why I didn't post it the day I heard it, but better late than never I guess. So here is the first released song from Limp Bizkit's new album Gold Cobra, Why Try.

Initial thoughts:

• back to old Limp Bizkit sound, gone is the "mature" LB that put out The Unquestionable Truth Part 1
• catchy hook and chorus. It's always been their strength minus Results May Vary
• same can be said about the lyrics. With TUT part 1, there was some depth and some touchy subjects like priest abuse. You aren't finding it here...

Imma rock it like some TNT
blow it up like a G with a dollar bill 3
all the G's on your fleas don't lie
f*ck with me and you'll fry

The song has peaked my interest a bit more. I can't believe I am waiting for a Limp Bizkit album. The new Soulfly was a let down, maybe this will pick up some of the slack.

Venting the Anger: Sense of entitlement?

This picture popped up over the weekend at one of those anti- illegal immigration rallies. It hasn't been confirmed as real or fake yet. It might be photo shopped or it could be someone just trying to stir things up, but the message I believe is real.

Not only do we see a sense of entitlement in the classroom more and more, but it seems as though everyone is feeling that way lately. I do feel that these people are coming here and are expecting to be handed a lot of things to them, like health care. And why not?

The Mexicans aren't the only ones that are doing it though. For some reason, they want to draw the attention to themselves. The Asians have this down to a science almost. A teacher at our school had some relatives come over from China to live here. The aren't citizens or anything, but they are here legally...the beginning process. Anyway, when they arrived by plane, the first stop was to a lawyers office to fill out papers to begin receiving free benefits.

Social Security is going broke, yet they receive every month SS benefits! How is that possible? Why are we giving SS money to people who have never paid a cent into? Worse yet, giving it away to someone who isn't even a citizen?

It comes down to this, the liberals want to help everyone to feel good about themselves. And in the process this country is being destroyed. We have lost our identity and find ourselves in trillions of dollars of debt.