Bucking the system

Oh man. I really did it this time. A fellow parent from the school my son attends (the same one I work at) asked me to participate in a meeting withe the superintendant, assistant superintendant, and a school board member about the issues at the school. I agreed and went representing other concerned parents and also the paras at the school who feel like things are out of control and we have no support from the principal.

I think the meeting was eye-opening for the administration. No one has really said anything about all of the behaviors at the school because they worry about not having a job next year if they speak up. I also really believe that the principal is not correctly reporting the incidents as I know for a fact that many of them are down-played. Things like weapons, fighting on the buses, and the like. It's disgusting and not a safe environment. Most of the kids she seems to be lenient with are the kids that bussed in from N. Minneapolis. So happy that my tax dollars are paying for troubled students from other districts to be bussed to my neighborhood school where they make life a living hell for the teachers, staff and students. Good thing the principal protects them though. It would be a shame if they were actually held accountable for their actions instead of being allowed to continue to blame others.

We'll see if anything happens from the meeting. It's not that I don't like the principal, it's just that she's not doing her job and next year she'll be at a K-5 school and I am concerned that the problems will just follow her there.

How to Hurt An Old Guy

10 kids under the age of 15 plus 5 dads in their 40s equals one spirited and full-contact kickball game!

We had 4 families over for a little get-together last Saturday and the kids ended up challenging the dads to a game of kickball. This was no ordinary kickball game though - not when the dads involved are all super-competitive types who also happen to be just a tad uh... immature when they get together. To give you an example, my husband's favorite method of 'tagging' the kids out was to nail the ball at their ankles to knock them off their feet. It was ll in good fun and no one got hurt until one of the dad's dislocated his shoulder (previous injury involved) and had to ram it into a wall to pop it back in. Now that's a fun afternoon! Here are some pictures for you - enjoy!

Back in the cast again

Hanging out on the couch again. I find out on Thursday when I can return to work (not that I'm in any hurry, but walking and driving again would be nice). I thought it would be today, but at my 1st recheck after surgery the doc said "we'd discuss my return to work at my next appointment."

I woke up at the end of my surgery and watched a little of it on the tv screen. It was really weird. I could see all these people bending over my ankle, which was cut open. It looked like they were pulling really hard on whatever they were trying to get out. Ewww. I kept thinking that I shouldn't look, but it was like a train wreck. I couldn't look away! After the surgery, the doc said I might have some permanent numbness/nerve damage after this one. He was surprised by how quickly the cyst grew.

I know everyone is good at something, I just wish I wasn't so good at growing ganglions.

CRAP

So... the nasty ganglion inside my ankle has returned. Well, not really. It's a new one, I guess. So I'm back in my walking cast until another surgery on 3/19. After that... who knows? Much the same as last time, I guess. Casts, crutches, a scooter (that should be fun at school!) the 2 new things this time around? A longer time completely off my foot and a handicap permit thru JUNE. Dang. That's a really, really long time. I haven't quite wrapped my brain around it yet. I'll be back with more later...

Great frustrations, to say the least

So. The kid that threw the chair last week? Technically shouldn't have been in school because she should have been suspended (according to district guidelines anyway, which our principal doesn't feel the need to follow). But she was in school and on Thursday at recess I saw her chasing kids and making a stabbing motion. Weird, I thought, but it looked as if they were playing a game. I still moved closer to get a better look and saw her doing it again. Since I was closer, I saw she had something in her hand that looked like a pink pencil. She was making stabbing motions at the kid she was chasing. Not a game. I told her to stop and come to me. She of course turned her back to me and I saw her put the object in the pocket of her snowpants. When I asked her for it, she pulled a plastic toy out of her coat pocket and tried to tell that's what she had. Ummm. No. Wrong pocket. Wrong color. Wrong shape - this was a monkey, not a pencil. Obviously, she thinks I'm an idiot. I asked for the object in her snowpant pocket - she started yelling that she didn't have anything and trying to get away. I saw the object poking out of her pocket and reached for it. She went ballistic and stared hitting me and screaming at me and twisting away. Long story short - I pulled a long, pink hard plastic thing with a sharp tip from her pocket. She said it wasn't hers. She ended up being restrained until we could get help to take her to the principal (who wouldn't come down on her own).

So. District guidelines call for a 5 day suspension for the assault on myself & the other 2 students. I don't know what she got. She was gone yesterday, but I bet she'll be back Monday. She told the principal that I was touching her inappropriately and trying to pull her pants down. If I did it again she was going to kill me. Yes. That is definitely something I would do - and right smack in the middle of outdoor recess. NOT. The principal reviewed the tapes from the video cameras on the playground and guess what? She wasn't able to see the kid making the stabbing motion, so it must not have happened. Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME??? I have the weapon, I SAW her doing it. 3 other staff were with me restraining her when I pulled the thing out of her pocket, but because she was out of camera range it didn't happen?? Lady, you have no business being a school leader. I shudder to know that you are going to be the principal at my children's school next year. Can you say open enrollment anyone???

Big Liar

Sure. I'll post more often. I'm glad no one was holding their breath! I've been having problems with my ankle again and have to have the new cyst (yep, that's right) needle-aspirated with ultra-sound guided by an interventional radiologist today. Sounds expensive, doesn't it? Hopefully the 4th time will be the charm....

Work is still going well, but many of the kids are VERY challenging. I get really frustrated because many of the behaviors we deal with have a district policy for the consequence that is not followed thru on. For example - a student threw a chair across the room this week, narrowly missing several classmates. Her consequence? One day in school suspension. Apparently they couldn't get a hold of her mother. So was she suspended the next day? Nope. She was back in school. Nice message we're sending there.

The kids talk back constantly which is one thing that makes me WILD. You ask or tell them to do something and they are right in your face "why do I got to do that?" or "man, I didn't do nothing, why you hating on me?" Nothing is ever their fault, they take absolutely NO responsibilty for their actions. Of course, this is not reflective of all the students, just a subset of problem children. Again, trace it all back to PPP - piss poor parenting. I feel like these are the kids that are running the school, not the good kids. The change needs to come from the top - principal. Hopefully next year when the boundaries are re-drawn and schools are switched around, the dynamic will change.