The Cast

I would like this blog to serve as a parental advisory source. Things happen in schools that would appall most people. We just don't get to hear about these things. Until now. Perhaps once parents read my writings they will question what is happening in the schools in which their children attend a little more frequently. The school disctrict in which I teach is actually detrimental to learning and cares more about money than the well-being of the students they are supposed to protect. Problems are swept under the rug, especially if they occur in the schools that are predominantly filled with minority students.
The children that attend my particular school, Summers Elementary, come from poor homes and a very violent environment. Their streets are filled with drugs, guns, prostitutes and thugs. I teach in one of the most crime filled cities in the southeastern United States. It is truly a shame what our students have to go through on a day to day basis. The school nurse told me that a great number of students who attend Summers Elementary have stress-induced ulcers. Their upbringing is filled with enough heartbreaking tales to make a hyena cry.
On the other hand, I am not going to just be writing about the bad things; there are also some good things as well as some good people who are trying to make a difference. The children do and say enough hysterical, as well as eye-popping, things to constantly provide me with funny material to use at dinner parties and in my blogs. People always want to talk to teachers, we have the best stories. To make things even more fun, I am a special education teacher who makes a valiant attempt to educate children with emotional disorders. You are not going to believe some of the things they say, do and believe.
Here is an example of something that really happened (not in my classroom).
A teacher was trying to explain to her class that it would not have been possible for a whale to swallow Jonah, like the bible claims. A second grade girl refuted her, saying that if it says so in the bible it must be true. The teacher tried to logically attack the situation, explaining to the class that a whale does not have a large throat hole, it only eats tiny critters. The little girl was not buying it, and she continued to say that the teacher was wrong. So, this second grader said, "Well when I get to heaven I will just ask Jonah and then we will see". The teacher, trying to be slick, said, "What if Jonah went to hell?". The girl replied with a flicker of attitude, "Then you will have to ask her".