My good intentions with regard to blogging more have, once again, fallen by the wayside.  During the school year I'm too stressed to blog and during the summer I'm too relaxed to blog.  Still, I really want to make the effort.  I think I need to make this less about my frustrations with BCPSS and more about my urban existence.  That may make it less emotionally charged and, therefore, more appealing to me.

For many years I've wanted to move back to bucolic upstate NY.  First I wanted to be closer to my mother, but she died last year.  Then I wanted to be closer to by best friend, but she died this year.  Perhaps I should look into moving near Rush Limbaugh...  Anyway, I have made up my mind to stay in Baltimore for a little longer.  I even did something that may be insane.  I put a contract on a house in Reservoir Hill!  I'll be trading 576sf in Pigtown for 3600sf in Res. Hill.  I'd rather the house be here in Pigtown, but houses that size are scarce down here and come with a price tag that is beyond this teacher's limit.  It's a short sale, so it isn't fully ratified and won't be for about 2-3 months.  The settlement date has been set for mid-December.  I don't think it will hit me until it's fully ratified, so I'm kind of in denial right now.  That hasn't kept me from uploading photos to Sherwin Williams' site and trying on colors, though.  I've been purging my personal papers for the past year, so not much to do there.  Since I'll have so much more room I won't need to get rid of much, but I do have a lot of things I don't need to be toting to my new house.  It would make sense for me to start getting rid of those things while I have the summer off, but as I said, it's not quite real for me yet.  Maybe I'll go down in the basement and get some of my old cans of paint and any toxic chemicals I might have and take them to the city's drop off place tomorrow.  Yeah, I can manage that.

It has been a very long time!

Like most people who start a blog, I had every intention of keeping it up. I truly believed it would be a cathartic process that would help me as I slog through the murky waters of BCPSS. WRONG! Now I'm sitting here trying to convince myself that I really will post something regularly now that I've found my way back here. I won't, though. All I can promise myself is that I will finish this post.

So, where am I? Still teaching in BCPSS. Still at an alternative school. Less happy and less hopeful that I've ever been. The corporate de-formers and the Arne Duncan Ed. Dept. are making it difficult to do what I, as a teacher, feel is best for my students. I no longer want to be complicit in the mis-education of children. Also, I am finding that the stress of doing what I do is taking its toll on my health. I refuse to continue to put myself at risk any longer. I will take early retirement and head out the door before the calendar year is through. I'm not sure where I'll go or what I'll do, but it will not be in Baltimore and it will not be in a classroom. I would much rather clean toilets at Ralph Wilson Stadium than continue to teach under these circumstances.

There. I have posted. I will add more later. Just not sure what "later" means.

The plot thickens

I don't know anything about this Darren Muhammed and he doesn't sound completely credible due to his rant about his "civil" and "human" rights being violated, but he does bring up the rumour about Alonso being involved in some sort of domestic violence situation in December!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J1qhv07X_c

Is the end in sight?

The streets and sidewalks are still a mess. Buses are running limited routes. More precipitation (rain/snow/sleet) is in the forecast. Will city schools be open tomorrow? I believe that they will open them because they feel a certain amount of pressure. However, I'm don't know that it's the best decision. I have been out and about on foot a lot during the past several days and have found far too many sidewalks that haven't been shoveled and crosswalks that are blocked by piles of plowed snow and ice. I can't imagine that students will be able to safely navigate their routes to and from school.

So, what's up with Dr. Alonso? Any news? Rumours?

Cabin Fever

I've really been stressed at work this year and have been longing for a break, but this is INSANE! I'm appreciating the time off, but the idea of giving up part of spring break is weighing on my mind. I hope Miss Nancy will give us special dispensation so we aren't either giving up that break or working until July 4th.

I'm still waiting to hear if there is any truth to the CEO rumours. I have just heard that he's being considered for positions in Texas and Florida. Some have said that he could be trying to leave soon because he wants to outrun the mess that's supposedly going on here in Charm City. True or false, it's all very interesting.

Rumour Control

It's been a long time! Teaching has really been overwhelming this year. LOVE the students, HATE what teaching has become. The paperwork required, in the name of "accountability" is ridiculous. I'm all for accountability, but doing paperwork that is unnecessary and which gets in the way of being a more creative, effective teacher makes no sense at all. This is what will finally push me out the door.

I'm actually coming back here, not to complain about my job, but to pose a question. I've been hearing a lot of similar rumours going around about a certain school CEO. I've heard them enough times, from enough credible sources, that I'm truly wondering if they could be more than just rumours. I'm not trying to spread any untruths, just putting the question out there - Is there any truth to...?

Okay, perhaps I should be a bit more specific in my query. Rumour has it that this certain school CEO has had some brushes with the law related to his temper. Domestic-related temper issues that have resulted in police involvement. I went to the trusty Maryland Case Search website, but have found nothing there. I've been told that this could be because our former mayor was trying to keep it on the DL. This made sense, but in Baltimore, also known as Smalltimore, things are not so easily kept quiet. Nowhere on the internet have I found anything about these alleged brushes with the law. Nowhere. I did hear that the question was posed at a recent School Board mtg., but I don't know if this is true. I would wonder why the Baltimore Sun didn't pick up on it, but I believe that they have been complicit in covering up city school stories in the past, so I wouldn't expect them to write about this. So, rumours, rumours and more rumours. Does anyone know the truth. Surely, to take a quote from "The X Files", "The truth is out there." Enlighten me.

UM

Another school year begins

I'm procrastinating right now. I have much to do before greeting my new students tomorrow, but I'm anxious and antsy. It's the normal condition of many teachers the day before school begins anew. This year I'm even more anxious than before. We spent the last week of professional development being given more papers, more forms, more binders than ever before. The amount of paperwork teachers already handle (without secretarial support, I might add!) is already unbearable. On top of that, we now have more data/information to keep track of. I honestly don't know how we're going to be able to do it effectively. I'm all for using data to drive instruction, but there has to be a better way to introduce and implement it. Every year teachers are expected to do more and more work. The average person has no idea what we are responsible for. I think people believe that, since they've sat in many classrooms, they know what teachers do. What teachers do in the course of a 90 minute lesson reflects hours and hours of preparation that no one ever sees. We do research, write lesson plans,prepare activities, create materials, photocopy, sort papers, present the lesson (to 30+ hormonal teenagers, many with social/emotional/intellectual challenges), correct papers, record grades and then start on the next lesson. Now we have to keep track of a binder full of data for each and every one of our 100+- students. When do we sleep? When do we spend time our loved ones? When do we unwind? I know I, personally, have to have "me time" in order to keep my sanity. I don't know how sane I'll remain this year with all the extra work.

Oh, and did I mention, teachers aren't getting cost of living raises this year. But, hey, that's okay. Dr. Alonso got his $29,000 bonus, so it's all good!