I'm not dead yet

It is very possible that this will be my last post on this blog for some time, it might not be. I really can’t tell what the future of this blog will hold – nobody can, not even science (Rob and Rich, that’s for you). But, I do feel that this would be an appropriate time to sum up my experience with Teach for America, and particularly with my school, students, administration, and district. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m going to break this entry up into two distinct parts – the first part will be a summary of the events of the last month and a half (which have been unbelievably eventful) when I wrote my last entry, and then the second part will be about what I am taking away from this entire experience. So, here goes part one.

The last time I wrote an entry, I titled it “Little Warriors”, and it was dedicated to my students (the other entries in the intervening time are ported over from another blog I curate with my friend, David Blake, called “hackingedu.com”). About one or two days after I wrote that entry, my laptop was stolen.

If you were to search back exactly one year, you would find another entry that talked about the same thing. That’s not what I’m referring to – I’m saying that my laptop was stolen again. However this time, I know exactly who stole it, how they got in my room, and what happened to it. Unfortunately, it’s also been a hard lesson in criminology because even with knowledge, if you don’t have proof, you’re sunk. That was the principle reason that I was MIA on my blog.

From that time, the following events have occurred:

1. The PE teacher quit
2. The English teacher quit
3. The Science teacher was fired
4. A security guard quit
5. Our parent liaison was fired
6. We miraculously finished state testing
7. Our principal was absent for 11 of the last 20 academic school days
8. Students who received a referral at any point during the last three weeks of school were given automatic 5 day suspensions. I haven’t seen approximately ½ of my students from that time
9. I’ve sold approximately 50/100 yearbooks that we ordered (it’s been a one man show)
10. My tech lab class completely planned out an end of the year party, complete with materials and a budget which was ultimately ruled unsafe by the administration and therefore terminated
11. I was quoted in the New York Times
12. I have received multiple written reprimands for “insubordination”
13. A current mayoral candidate for San Francisco came to visit my classroom to see the way the public schools are failing our students
14. The Associated Press interviewed a number of my favorite students about the conditions of our school, since we’re one of the 10 schools in the country closing for SIG funding (School Improvement Grant)
15. After my laptop was stolen, the students continued to plague my room with thefts, stealing anything of value from my room (digital cameras, food, etc.). They acted with impunity, and no punishments were ever dolled out
16. My personal yearbook was stolen at the release party. I made a number of key phone calls, and the book was returned to me anonymously the following morning!
17. One of my favorite students was expelled for unknowingly carrying drugs for another student who should have been expelled months and months ago

Plus about a thousand other, common daily occurrences which are probably newsworthy everywhere else, but around this place they’re just the status quo.

It is unbelievable to me the way that things run around here. I could probably have written an extensive entry on every one of those numbers that I listed previously, but I won’t bore you with all the details here and now. The point is, I really don’t work at a school – it is a glorified day care. I wish that my entries were about me trying to figure out how to differentiate, or how to reach that one unreachable student, or how to raise attendance. Instead I feel like they have been about me trying to figure out how to surf the political turmoil that rages here, and keep my head above water.

I can think of no other reason as to why I would push through this entire experience other than I know with all my heart that my students deserve so much more than what they are offered or receive here, and if I can do any of my part to help them receive that, I’ll do it. Now that I’m feeling all nice and nostalgic, I think I’m going to get started on writing part 2. Feel free to inquire about anything you might care to hear more about. I have a feeling this second entry might take me a few days to put together, but stay tuned.