i love math

i love math
I hope you get it.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Small But Mighty

I don't have any biological children of my own. But I do have my own kids. I have a LOT of my own kids. I share these kids with the community, but do I consider them my family? Hell yes. Would I do or give almost anything for all of them (even the not so awesome ones)? Hell yes.  Am I in constant contact with their parents/siblings/significant others/other teachers/counselors/therapists/probation officers/pastors and friends? Hell yes. And do I worry about them as if they were of my own flesh and blood? Without a doubt.

So, imagine now that you have your own kids. Your own breathing, running, spitting mini version of you. And imagine that somewhere, out there, someone does something that is not in your kids best interest. They do something that might actually harm your mini-me. And lets also imagine that this person has a role of responsibility, someone that has a caregivers stance. How would you react?

Pause here for reflection. . . .

Hopefully your mind didn't wander too crazy.

If you are anything like me, the sweet, polite, caring person most people see on a daily basis goes out the window. There is nothing sweet about me when I think you have messed with my kids. Whether you are a playground bully, an absentee parent, an asshole power tripping teacher or (in my case) a completely oblivious uncaring scared "superior", you are going to see a side of me you didn't know existed.

There was a "discussion" recently, where I told a certain someone in a position of power, lets call him Gerald, that I didn't agree with the way he was responding to my kids. Now, Gerald doesn't respond well to confrontation and I'm aware that he instantly becomes defensive. Most people would take the high road and avoid making him agitated. But, he messed with my kids.

When a student is crying because she is being picked on, or when a kid is repeatedly stoned at school, or when a student is assaulted at a school function, a teachers role is somewhat limited. Gerald then takes over. But when Gerald doesn't take over, I get angry. And when I get angry, the result is an hour long "discussion" of "Me Talk, You Listen". At the end of our "conversation", when I said at last "I haven't heard you say one thing you are going to do for my kids" right before I left, the look on his face was as though I told him he couldn't keep his puppy. He was very, very confused. I don't think he knew how angry I could get. Let alone how loud.

Later, he was speaking to one of the office ladies and he said "But she looks so cute and sweet, why can't she just be cute and sweet?" (Please ignore the sexual harassment happening here, that is the least of my worries) The office lady replied "She's quite a little firecracker" to which Gerald said "She's a time bomb."

*Note- I realize that berating a superior is never a good choice in the workplace. But when I feel as though my students are not being heard, supported or respected, I have little options. I also have a major issue when I feel as though my students are not being housed in a safe and welcoming atmosphere, when school should be one of the safest, most welcoming atmospheres they have. Gerald now knows where I stand on both of these issues.

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