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Warning: long, rambling, generally bitchy entry ahead. I've been a busy girl. SOL writing tests were this week. Being the silly wench that I am, I just had to point out some difficulties to my evil masters. First, I wondered why the sample questions were the same on every test, including the released-items test that the state dept. of edu-ma-cation gives us to use as a practice test. (I'm even REQUIRED to give it!) The same sample questions appear AGAIN on the 11th grade test, too. No, they don't, say my bosses. Oh, yeah? sez me. Lookee here! Thus, a Flap ensues. This means the kids have already seen something from the test! The world will end! Um, I say, sample questions don't count. It really doesn't matter. Upshot of Flap: the Issue will be Considered by the Committee. (AKA Ignored.) In further news, we had to deal with the following Test Irregularities: * a boy who wore his PJs for "comfort," even after being told not to do so BEFORE testing day. He wore them the way he always wears them, commando style. Yes, his tallywhacker made a brief appearance during class. *another boy suspended for carrying a razor blade in his mouth. I'm told it's a gang thing. *a girl who LOUDLY announced during testing that her period had started and she had to use the pot NOW or she'd bleed to death. She honestly believed she'd die, because her granny said so. Yes, I love my job. In a related note, I've been reading of Tegan's difficulties with interest. Tegan, you might want to remember that Amanda's teacher and principal have to balance Amanda's situation against the potential for disruption involved. In cases like this, seeing a word like "urine," even in a valid context, would set my class off. Total chaos. The least punitive thing I can do to a kid whose clothing is disruptive is to ask the child to wear a jacket or turn the shirt inside out. If they want to change, they have to go to the office, which means I have to halt my class to write a referral. They call home, then wait in the suspension room, missing class. The jacket thing keeps them in class and keeps class moving, minimizing disruption. That's what the dress codes in schools are about, BTW; it's not censorship (says the Supreme Court) if its intent is to minimize disruption of the educational process. In other words, kids can wear what they want, as long as they don't disturb other kids' education acquisition. The old colliding-rights issue, see? As for Amanda being responsible for her clothing...um, she is. She knows her classmates and teacher, and it's her job to tell you if something you want her to wear is appropriate or not. She's not wholly responsible, but she's old enough (5th grade? Nearly in middle school?) to know if she's violating dress code. I get a little tired of spending time explaining to parents why kids can't wear beer logos, or "Big Johnson" and "Sexy Porn Star" shirts. I personally have no beef with any of those things, but their presence is disruptive. All of our kids and their parents sign a piece of paper saying they understand the school's policies at the beginning of the year, and they have access to e-mail based forums in which they may ask questions or seek clarification. I don't understand the confusion I encounter so often. I am awfully burned out this week. Yesterday, I had ten minutes out of my entire day in which to pee and eat lunch. I am not exaggerating at all. The rest was testing and meetings, including a special ed meeting in which a mom yelled at us (school staff) for denying her son Special Ed services, when she's on record, in her own handwriting, THREE TIMES, as refusing services for which he was previously eligible. Shown this, she changes her tune and says she doesn't want him labeled, despite the fact that the meeting, the hours of testing we've already done, and the two hours of wading through records I did were all at HER request. I was, um, steamed. I offer this, dear Tegan, as an example of why teachers don't always call the parents of the t-shirt kids right away. We have to put out the biggest fires first, and test auditors, razor-blade wielders, rogue willies, and meetings come first. Unless you'd like me to quit peeing. I broke my own record yesterday; six hours without a potty break! |
 
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Horrible week!