I have been thoroughly enjoying my quiet afternoons this week while M naps and N and G are at school.
In preparation for teaching in the fall, I finished my re-read of The Odyssey this afternoon and began planning my lessons and projects. My goal is to have the entire year's reading / plans complete by the end of September. Dragonwings is almost done; Medea and The Count of Monte Cristo are yet to be re-read and planned. But with downtime midday and early bedtimes, I think it is do-able.
Ah, the glory of school's resumption.
Except for one little thing:
the poo-poohing of our district that occurs without fail this time of year on Facebook by folks who have very little (if any) experience with the district.
And it bothers me a lot. Probably more than it should. I need to just get.over.it. But that is hard.
I worked in the district. I have many, many friends who work in the district. My kids attend school in the district. For all these reasons, I support the district.
I don't always and in every way support every single solitary thing the district does, but I also think (and I'll say it again for the 11 millionth time) that education policy, be it at the federal, state, or local level, cannot undo the cycle of poverty and really crappy parenting. Even though it tries mightily.
I guess I feel about the district the way some people would feel about their religion or church if I made comments about what a disjointed, wasteful, poorly run vat of idiocy it is. I suspect they would be insulted because they attend that church or believe in that religion. Because they know people who work for the church, attend the church, etc.
When I read negative comments, I guess I think about all the administrators I know, all the teachers I know, who spend countless hours planning and preparing and doing everything in their power to ensure that children learn and enjoy school and feel safe.
It is easy to pooh-pooh the "nebulous and anonymous" district. I wish they would be a little more cognizant of how many kind, talented, helpful individuals they are slamming in the process.
I really hate it that it hurts my feelings.
In preparation for teaching in the fall, I finished my re-read of The Odyssey this afternoon and began planning my lessons and projects. My goal is to have the entire year's reading / plans complete by the end of September. Dragonwings is almost done; Medea and The Count of Monte Cristo are yet to be re-read and planned. But with downtime midday and early bedtimes, I think it is do-able.
Ah, the glory of school's resumption.
Except for one little thing:
the poo-poohing of our district that occurs without fail this time of year on Facebook by folks who have very little (if any) experience with the district.
And it bothers me a lot. Probably more than it should. I need to just get.over.it. But that is hard.
I worked in the district. I have many, many friends who work in the district. My kids attend school in the district. For all these reasons, I support the district.
I don't always and in every way support every single solitary thing the district does, but I also think (and I'll say it again for the 11 millionth time) that education policy, be it at the federal, state, or local level, cannot undo the cycle of poverty and really crappy parenting. Even though it tries mightily.
I guess I feel about the district the way some people would feel about their religion or church if I made comments about what a disjointed, wasteful, poorly run vat of idiocy it is. I suspect they would be insulted because they attend that church or believe in that religion. Because they know people who work for the church, attend the church, etc.
When I read negative comments, I guess I think about all the administrators I know, all the teachers I know, who spend countless hours planning and preparing and doing everything in their power to ensure that children learn and enjoy school and feel safe.
It is easy to pooh-pooh the "nebulous and anonymous" district. I wish they would be a little more cognizant of how many kind, talented, helpful individuals they are slamming in the process.
I really hate it that it hurts my feelings.
2 comments:
I think it is good that it hurts your feelings. Not good in that they deserve to be hurt, but a good sign. Because bashing like that is counterproductive anyway.
I feel that if you don't like the way something is then you have to change it. People complain over and over about local school districts, politicians, stores, etc... Do any of these same people actually try to do anything to change what they don't like? Probably not. If it bothers you enough to complain constantly then do something! Volunteer in your child's school and learn the ins and outs of things so you can help make a change. Support a political candidate that shares your views...volunteer on their campaign. Heck, run for office yourself if you are that fired up about it. I honestly don't mind people speaking their mind/complaining but I detest it if those same people aren't willing to put forth any effort to make a change.
Post a Comment