Fights, Paper & Budget Cuts

NEW POST
It's hard to believe I've been so busy and/or tired for the past two months that I have so severely neglected my blog. Although, I think the drastically diminished frequency at which I posted since the beginning of the school year indicates what this job really requires.

Much has happened since my last post. I decided to update now because I am sitting in the lab at school right now, on a Saturday, facilitating lab make-up. So far, there are only two students here and they're being quiet and cooperative. Compared to last time, I had around 50 students who were relatively disruptive. I've found that the best solution for Saturday lab make-up is to run it like a drill sergeant - I think I have that perfected.

STUDENTS THROWING STUDENTS
I had a disturbing incident this week on Thursday in my ninth period. After my students took a quiz, they were given time to work on posters illustrating and explaining cell analogies. However, as this began, a male and female student engaged in a heated verbal exchange. The female student got out of her seat, walked over to the male student and continued to yell in his face. He hit her in the face. They proceeded to hit and push each other back and forth. At this point, I'm on the phone calling for school safety. As I have become a little too well-versed in calling for school safety, I used the 10 code for a fight when I called. The front desk answered when I called and I say "I've got a 52 in 711." A 52 is a dispute; we have plenty of them at Graphics.

When I got off the phone and turned around, I saw the male take the female by the shoulders and throw her against the wall and into the chalkboard. This guy was at least a few years older than her and probably about a foot taller.

When she was thrown into the wall, another student in the room began to verbally defend her at which point the first male went over to him and started hitting his head like a punching bag. The two students who were being beat up quickly left the room just before safety agents arrived.

The student that initiated the physical violence has shown up to my class no more than 5 times the entire semester, so for him to come into the class and alter the dynamic was clearly not a good mix. As far as I am concerned, that student should be arrested and and charged with two counts of assault. I do not understand why this wouldn't happen. If this occurred on the street, this would surely be the case. I doubt he will be returning for the remainder of the semester.

On a lighter note, this is the first physical fight I've had since the last brawl involving a girl having a seizure. Of course there are a few bumps in the road in between, but for the most part, it's been pretty smooth sailing. I have become accustomed to dealing with nonsense.

C GRADE & RATIONING
Our school also received its grade by the city of a C for this past year. While that may sound bad, it is not necessarily horrible. Graphics has made loads of progress in the last five years. However, schools that received C's, D's or F's for three years in a row are dismantled and closed. This is our second year with a C.

Now that our principal is up in arms over this potential closure, we are receiving slightly different instruction from our administrators. At a faculty meeting, our principal gave us some very directed and somewhat ambiguous instructions. "We need to find was to pass our students." This has become a point of contention with teachers. Often teachers will say that our principal simply wants us to pass our students regardless of what they do. And to some degree, I agree with this perception of what is being said. If a student has now shown up for weeks on end, then decides to come back, the suggestion is to prepare a packet of work for him or her to complete so that we can have something on which to base his or her passing grade.

Personally, I think this sends a very poor message to students. Don't do anything, then wait until the last minute so you can pass by not doing much. However, I do not place any blame on my principal, but I do place blame on the systems and policies of the whole education system. My principal is simply doing what he needs to do to keep his school open. It's a sad state of affairs for NYC's education system, but it is a harsh reality.

The most aggravating part is that I see advertisements on the subway commending the NYC Public School System. It's an inflated presentation of progress to the public. Real problems aren't really being solved.

To further complicate matters, we have had over $900,000 in budget cuts. This has manifested itself as a paper shortage. For the remainder of the calendar year, we only have two boxes of paper for the entire science and foreign language department. I guess I shouldn't feel too distraught because other teachers from other schools have it much worse than I. It is difficult to go from a seemingly limitless supply to rations.

All I know at this point is that I have seven more teaching days until my winter break and I cannot wait until then.