An open letter to all you Lousy Teachers

Yes this is directed to all you lame ass teachers out there that make all of the good teachers in this country look bad. I am sick and tired of you idiots who should never have been granted certification in the first place giving my profession a bad reputation.

It's bad enough that the politicians in this country have basically claimed open hunting season on my profession. The incessant opinion that we are overpaid, should be stripped of our bargaining rights  and don't deserve decent medical coverage and pension is sickening enough. We don't need any more bad publicity, and when educators demonstrate poor judgement and behaviors in the classroom.....well you aide those very politicians with even more ammunition.

I know not every teacher is a good teacher.........just like every doctor isn't a good doctor. But the majority of us work tirelessly to create a safe, nurturing environment for children to learn. I know I personally put in a long day that not only includes teaching 5 different subjects, but also includes endless paperwork, individualizing lesson plans, emailing and calling parents, not to mention after school meetings several times a week.  Of course I can't fit all that work into one school day so I easily log an additional twenty plus hours a week of work at home.  I do it because it is what it takes to be a good teacher......to give my students the best chance to succeed academically. 

When I hear about teachers, like the ones who were recently the focus of this youtube video

it makes me sick to my stomach. Here is  a well educated special educator who not only carries on inappropriate conversations in front of her students, but actually bullies her special needs student. What probably sickens me the most is that she encouraging her classroom aides to join in with her. This is a prime example of a teacher who should not be teaching. But guess what......she is and she probably will be teaching again next fall. She'll continue to come to school with an admitted hangover from staying out to late the night before, running late because she had a case of the dry heaves, and will be completely unprepared to teach her students that day's lessons.

And Me.......I'll be the one knowing I've done my best to prepare myself and my students for the school day....knowing I'll never be like her.

 

My Sanctuary

It's that one place you can go, where your thoughts are your own. Not to be judged by others, picked apart or analysed. The one place where you don't have to justify and argue your truth. It's simply what it is....your thoughts, whether fleeting for a second or ingrained in your psyche for an eternity.

But what are thoughts if they aren't shared and birthed into this world with the roll of the tongue, shared with loved ones, the masses or simply a stranger on the street? Is their significance increased simply by choosing to draw in a breath and utter them in front of an audience, or do my thoughts retain their importance as I crack a sly grin and place them back into to recesses of my mind, never to draw a single breath.

I'm oblivious

Yes oblivious to some things that well just seem a waste of time.....case in point.....renewing your drivers licence...........really what's the point if you have a perfect driving record. Why should I have to go and renew that stupid piece of plastic every 4 years? Honestly I wouldn't be bitching about it if I didn't forget to renew the damn thing when it expired 4 months ago.....now every time I see a police car my heart beats a thousand times a minute and I'm cursing myself thinking that damn $25.00 renewal fee is going to turn into a $200 fine if you don't get your ass to the DMV.  Of course this always happens after 4 P.M.  when the place is conveniently closed.........and the vicious circle begins again.

How We Get Through The Hard Times

.......Today is the opening of the MLB Season, and those of you who know me from my old blog, know what a baseball freak I am. See we love our Tigers in this ghetto town. I say we because we're all proud of the tradition of baseball here. 

We are proud that history considers the 1915 Tigers to be the greatest team EVER-even though technically the winning percentages were better in 1934. We know of the healing that occurred, when our boys won it all in 68' a mere year after it seemed the whole town would burn to the ground amongst racial tensions and riots. We all remember that once upon a little league mound we talked to the ball hoping it worked as well for us as it did for The Bird. And as adults we still try to turn 2 while playing softball just like the greatest double play tandem of all time. 

We all know where we were at exactly 7:41 PM on October 14, 1984 and we understood what tears of joy meant. We know the entire roster of the "Bless You Boys" and their batting averages during the 84' Series--The year that we WON it all with just a 3- man rotation...THAT'S RIGHT...a three man rotation. Unheard of by today's standards.

We know there is nothing more beautiful than that white old English "D" sitting atop your head on a hot Detroit summer day. We know the joy of being an underdog and fighting our way to the top in O6 and knocking the mighty Yanks down a few pegs along the way. 

When we win titles, it more than a celebration, it chaos, pandemonium and euphoria all rolled into one. Sure we all miss the corner of Trumbull and Michigan, that familiar Corktown where many of our fondest baseball memories originate. But hearing that Tiger growl and eyes light up after a Cabrera walk off homerun helps to make up for it. This is our team, THIS IS MY TEAM, and good or bad we love you just the same....Good Luck this year Boys, this city needs a winner more than ever. Do us Proud. I am Kat and I am proud to say I will always be a Tiger