You are either already subscribed or there was an error
Your entry has been submitted
Sorry, your entry could not be submitted
Nth Letter V
2008.05.23
This is a challenge. Family members just passed. Boyfriends just broke up. Prom is tomorrow. A brother was lost in a shooting last night. Learning disabilities discourage, making our languages nearly foreign. Peer pressure requires that one’s grades not be too good. ‘Hoods require that territorial acquisitions come before the demands of a challenging class’ homework. There are ninety-eight unlocked doors to the outside; to the daunting, unsafe, and warring surrounding neighborhoods. Our principal has just been fired and 4 of our 7 departmental teachers are “retiring.” There is a track meet outside and 65% of my class is missing. I don’t have walls and I just saw a former student across the floor, throwing a book out the window and towards the track meet. Today is the first, in three days when the fire alarm has not sounded.
I have been called a b*tch, a mother f***er who needs to f*** off, broccoli head, too hard, too easy, pressed, trifflin’, “hot,” crazy, country, annoying, boring, and that I talk too much. The school has commended me for “keeping to myself and getting my job done.” While, on the other hand, I have gotten in trouble for using an administrator-only microwave and filling out a leave slip inappropriately. I barely got this job and I’ve nearly lost it. I am pursuing being “highly qualified,” my masters, my certification, better practices, professional development, completion of the DC Teaching Fellows Program, further understanding of my content, completion of all the Praxis components, and repoire with the students. I am working like I have never worked before, but to what end? Papers read that entire faculties are being fired, tenure is ending, charter schools are sweeping through and taking over, and at-will firing has begun...
2
Comments
Remember when I thought you kept saying Practice. It's good to see it spelled out. Praxis. And it's good for my heart to hear yours.
