Long, Long, Long

No, the title of this entry does not relate to one of my favorite (and under-rated) Beatles songs.  These days are just nothing short of long (well... to be short of long, it wouldn't be long, right?), long, long.  

Today, six students (3 of whom are in the special education program) got into a brawl at recess. Spectators said it was like a mob scene.  There was biting, scratching, and strangling---a teacher had her entire arm bruised and scratched trying to split it up. 

I spent the entire afternoon in the Dean of Students office trying to patch pieces of the story together.  

He was trying to get everyone who was "maybe" involved suspended for 10 days, as per DCPS' Chapter 25 in the new discipline code.  

But I was arguing against having my students out of school for 10 days.  Having my students not learning for 10 days?! Speaking of "long, long, long"----that is a LONG time!

If our school followed "protocol" every time students fought, we would have an empty campus.

RIF, etc

It is almost impossible to know what to write at this time.  

My thoughts go out to all the teachers who were RIF'ed.  Certainly the manner in which this news was delivered to you, at minimum, was inappropriate; the measures taken to "assure your transition" inadequate.  

My school got pretty lucky. 

 

I feel like I am living in the middle of an era that national public schools will examine for a long time to come.  I feel like I am living out the nightmare of being stretched from all angles, when all I want to do is teach kids using resources like this.

But things are never that easy, and there's nothing like working in DCPS to prove that to you day after day.

Everyone is high stress, high tension.  Everyone.  Our staff meetings feel corporate. We have to meet AYP this year (though who doesn't?), so everything is all about business... but is our business approach a good match for the emotionally-charged jobs and lives we lead?