Farewell, A Note to my students.

I really enjoyed looking at your portfolios. You may wonder why we make you package up your work and "re-turn" it in. Well, for some of you, (the quiet ones, the ones who do their work without me standing over you, the ones I never have to remind to stay on-task) this is the only time I get to really spend a few minutes looking at what you are really capable of. And why the goodbye movie? Because I get to know you that way. I'm sorry. My classes were quite large this year, and I had far too many places to try to be at one time. I missed out on getting to know some of you.

There's a saying, "The squeaky wheel gets the oil." That means if you squeak, I come to you. So to my quiet, shy, reserved, introspective, or really really "good" students: try to squeak, once in a while. It's always your names that it takes me longest to learn- because I don't have to stand over you to get you to work, because you try to figure things out on your own, because I'm too busy with other students' "issues" to mess with you when it appears you are ok. So break out and squeak- there's no shame in asking a question or wanting attention from your teacher. That's what we are there for, and it pains me that I didn't get to know you as much as I wish I had.

Have a great summer, kiddos.

A whole lotta talk about penises

lol. There's been a whole lot of discussion regarding male body parts at school lately. Just what is the high school teacher to do when it "comes up?" lol. I can't stop today, I'm on a roll.

A student drew a penis on another student's paper today, tiny, in the corner. He complained to me about it. I couldn't help it, I said something like, "I don't know why you are worried about that little thing, everyone in the room has one." I was mostly commenting on the fact that my 7th period is in fact, mostly freshmen boys. About 40 of them. The poor young ladies in the class (all 3 of them) are just so put out every day.

So, I had a laugh at school about it today, still laughing about it tonight. Better than the other (more senior) teacher experienced. She opened a student's journal to find a big, anatomically correct penis and thought maybe she should go to administration about it. Poor thing. She used to teach elementary and she just doesn't understand.... our freshmen. All they have on their minds is that. ah. Part.

Creativity when you're tired

It's hard to be creative every day. I think sometimes it's just plain hard to be creative. I am always thinking, and always ahead of the game- I think of wild things that sometimes my friends and acquaintances just don't "get." It's a blessing and a curse. And lately, I'm just tired. Tired of my situation, my job, and always being turned on- striving to do my best. Why can't I just slack off? Why can't I be "normal?" Why do I have to think of better ways to teach my Photoshop classes (full of 45-50 students, ridiculous) and AP students who don't really care about Art History? Because, I'm a teacher, and I care. And because I am basically a creative person, I can't help but create new and better ways of doing everything I do. So the answer is, keep on truckin'. Even when you are tired. Otherwise, you won't like yourself.

It's Preposterous!

Ha, I just like that word. And other words, such as flummoxed, bamboozled, and cummerbund.  But, back to my point.

Still no word from Broward County about whether I will get my old job back. Usually they wait until the last dying moment, so no surprise there. Money suddenly "appears," seemingly out of nowhere, and they call the laid-off teachers and make offers. Of course, they fail to apologize for the loss of sleep, stress, strained marriages, and other physical and psychological problems caused by the whole mess. As for my marriage, of course it's been strained. Right now, my husband has gone to another state to find work. We couldn't both sit here waiting for the hand of god, or someone, to help us out. There is no work in South Florida, people. Don't come here. Yes it's beautiful, yes, there is a great beach and palm trees...but unless you like climbing those trees to hack down your own coconuts in the face of starvation, it's not a great place to come looking for a life right now.

Do I sound bitter? I really, truly thought that once I got my job teaching art at a highschool, my LONG career quest  would be over and I would stay out the rest of my working days. It's not even that my quest for a career was long, it's that my quest for a JOB was very very long. I always wanted this career, but it took 15 years to get the job.

Well, happy to say that my feelers are out and a certain Prep-school will be interviewing me next week to join their Fine Art department in the Digital Photography and Media capacity. If I go there, Broward will have lost one of it's finest. But as I stated before, all you need to keep your job in Broward County is a hire date and a pulse, you don't need any actual skills in the area you will be teaching. That's thanks to our "wonderful" union.

it matters not what I do for kids....

Oh the disappointments involved with being a public school teacher in Florida. On Monday morning I got the phonecall. Summarily laid-off due to seniority and lack of funds.

It seems the Longer I am employed, the lower my seniority gets, since they keep chopping off the feet of the arts totem pole. My Principal and several others have come up to bat for me, I even spoke with the head of the district arts dept, who said "Gee, you have a lot of fans rooting for you!" I told her, of course I do, I'm nice, the kids like me, and I do a good job. Duh.(not that last part.)

But in public school overrun by a useless union, it doesn't matter what my skills or effectiveness are-it only matters that I was hired on 2/20/08. It is very sad, and I hope somehow the word gets out to parents when an underqualified randomly selected person with more seniority is attempting to teach my digital and AP classes next year. How can we fix public education? It's the worst run business I have ever experienced, where skills have nothing to do with your job or compensation.

Teacher Shoes

Ha! Walk a day in my shoes. But make sure you really look at them. Really.

I keep my two pairs of "teacher shoes" under my desk, inside my office. Yes, I am blessed with an office this year. One of the "perks" of having a very large classroom for the very large number of students I have in my elective classes. So I get the big room with the separate office. This is a good thing, because I am not a desk-sitter, and my kids know it. Of course, they still try (and sometimes, unfortunately, do) to get away with playing the Halo Demo while I am on the other side of the room helping someone else. But I digress...

Yesterday, I wore a long skirt. After the first bell rang, I went into my dark office and kicked off the flip-flops I customarily wear to school, to exchange them for the high heels under the desk. My shoes of choice are Onex shoes, American hand-made, very nice. One pair in black and one in cork- the same style, so I don't have to have aching feet from changing styles all the time. I just wear whatever matches my current outfit. Unless it's a Tuesday, the day I choose to wear one cork, and one black, shoe all morning long. Just goes to show how very observant my students are, that not a one said a thing. I looked down around lunch time and had a WTF moment, as I saw my two different colored shoes. Such is my life.