Sunday, March 30, 2008

Dilating pupils.

Friday I was substituting for an advanced highschool.  It is a public magnet school with an emphasis on international bachelauriate programs.  The school has this empire style archetecture adorned with eagles and sweeping new-decco arches.  It was built in a neighborhood that is somewhere between heavy industrial ghetto, to working class lower end-come residential. In a phrase...black and white and grey all over. Its not a new school but its official designation as an acedemic magnet is only about eight years old, so it is naturally going to have some growing pains.  Most of the students are very self directed.  Then there are a small percentage of students that get in through pure lottery or random application...?  Don't really know why they are there, but the mix of "effective"academic elitism and ghetto resilience principles make for some dramatic high school years.  Recently two or more young ladies were approaching other girls and asking if they had seen an earing  thought to have dropped neerby.   When the victim is distracted they steel the victims purse.  Now I know these petty theivery high school girls didn't expect to get caught and certainly not charged with gran larceny...but . The overall feeling I am starting to garner about this educating the masses is that we as teachers are just here to keep a certain unengaged element of society off the streets long enough to allow their parents time to make some money to exchange at the nearest soma branding machine...Ecco Southpole 5ive Apple Cadillac Chrysler BP Shell Chevron Mc Donalds...samo samo... I begin to formulate some ancient questions of morality-Blade Runner, androids dreaming of electric sheep type questions like "There is a turtle lying on its back in the dessert do you turn it over?". This is where I begin to believe I am not cut out for teaching. . This is the nature of money in exchange for a service I guess. I get paid to scarecrow authority, seventy dollars a day. Gotta love the deep dark south.

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St. Augustine, Florida, United States
I spill ink ,it collects here.