Don't judge without knowing them!

Unfortunately, there hasnt beena whole lot of action this week at school. I find that hard to believe, but I pin it on only being the 2nd week of school. I am still waiting for a really, really good story from one of my students. For the most part, I am not having any trouble. I am not in any power struggles or students that lash out at me (whew!)..

Oh, wait! I just thought of a story, though it is about a teacher - not a student. Okay, so we had this long term sub (hopefully not permanent) while our regular math teacher (not me but the other one) is out on medical leave for 1st quarter. Well, he keeps comparing our students to students at Menomonee Falls or Brookfield, etc. Those of you who have read my blog know that these students are not Brookfield students. Hello, they are not even successful in the MPS system. That is why they are here, at an alternative high school. So, the teacher comes and talks at me (not to me) after school or before school. . I hate talking to him - why you may ask? Because he calls our students stupid and says how they are slackers. He was in a meeting last week and said to the rest of the teachers "you know, this school is know in MPS for the place that students go to get an easy diploma when they cant get one anywhere else". What the nerve! I mean come on!!

First of all, when MPS (Milwuakee public school system) gets one of these kids, they cant handle them. That is why they are expelled or fail. They kick them out, and they come here. Think about it.. MPS cant handle a class with 1 or 2 of our students in it.. Yet, we are expected to handle a class of 20-25 students. And, they say we arent doing our job. We have students that havent been in school for 1-3 years, and when they have, were passed without being taught so the teacher didnt have to deal with them. Here, if you dont do your work - you dont pass and I hate to tell them, we have a high graduation rate (65 is a good class for us - our total enrollment for high school is 250)... and it is becuase we push these kids, and we love the shit out of these kids.. These students get a lot of what they should be getting at home from us...

Back to the teacher - he says to me "I had the lesson planned I had to make it easier, and they still didnt get it, and then I had to dumb it down some more". And he pulls out the "the mexicans have a language barrier, and thats why they dont get the assignments" I hate to tell him, I looked at one of his assignments and i didnt even know what he was asking them to do, instruction wise. Some of the students at this school - speak better than I do.

He just always degrades the students - and I have heard from teh studnets that when they answer something incorrectly he laughs in class. Now, there are some students I would not believe when they say this, but the ones I have heard it from - I believe it. Every time I talk to him - its always negative stuff about the students - nothing ever positive.

Oh, and then he questioned my about my grading policy and whether it was good or not (like I even care what he thinks about how I grade my students). My students can earn 5.5 points a day for participation, the warm-up and attidude. If you are on time and do the warm-up you start with 5 points. If you are 8 or less minutes late, you start with 4 points, 9-20 minutes late you start with 3 and miss the warm up completely you start at 2 points (that is like 25 minutes late). So, if you show up at all to class you get 2 points.. If you are here on time, but not doing to warm up (or skills review as I sometimes call it) i take 1 or 2 of those points away.. I got critized from him for giving the students 2 points for just showing up... Attendance here is less then wonderful usually. A lot of times the student doenst have money to get ot school, or cant leave because their parent is drunk or high and they dont want to leave little ones home alone with the parent, or however many other circumstances. If a student is here, great - 2 points for you!! I hate being questioned about what I do when I know Im doing the right thing and he has no idea about these students.

I just hope the normal teacher comes back after this quarter because this isnt the right place for her fill-in. He doesnt understand these students and doesnt seem to really want to!

It just makes me want to scream!!!!