Thursday November 02, 2000
As I'm averaging the grades I realized that I wasn't failing as many students as I had at Shitsville. This quarter, I had failed like 44 students out of 240. When another teacher heard this they told me that I would have to immediately justify my numbers to the administrators so that there would not be a shock in the office. I immediately became defensive asserting my right to assign a failing grade to any student who has an average below at 60. My grading scale is on a 10 point curve whereas the school system has a less generous curve. I found myself questioning whether or not a kid deserved a D with a 58 average. This is ludicrous. After a brief consultation with the principal, I realized that this standard is appropriate and that I had been pushed into some kind of confessional that I never really needed to make. I wonder how these teachers can just push these kids through without the kids trying at least to average a minimum of 60. I just guess that I will have to have a conscience because no kid is going to get a passing grade out of sympathy.

The kids are much better at this new school, but that didn't stop me from putting my foot down and sticking it right up some kid's asses today and over the last few days. I feel terrible when I raise hell with the kids, but I guess it was about time. Some kids got real upset when I challenged them to a level of success that they were not meeting. The funny thing is that out of the 4 kids that I really ripped, 3 came back to me later in the day to apologize and try to right the situation. I can't believe the attitude that some of these kids display. It makes me feel kind of bad that I ripped them in the first place, but then again, these kids needed to be sent a message that I was not to be fucked with.

I bounced this whole line of thinking off of the AP of Curriculum who hired me and she was pretty supportive. It kind of made me feel a little better about the week in general.

I got a brand new Mac today on my desk and a mini computer lab which is not yet fully operational. The kids are real stoked and they should be. This school is pretty progressive and I think I can settle back down once the next nine weeks starts on Monday.

Monday November 06, 2000
The new computer that I got on Friday is gone. The room was broken into over the weekend along with other rooms on the hallway. My room was trashed and the one thing missing was the new Mac. The other computers were not taken which leads me to believe that it was a sole operation. At the time I learned this, it was Monday morning before 8. Welcome to Monday.

As a result I was kind of frazzled all day. I was kind of pissed but more just discouraged over the incident. I didn't take it personally, since other rooms were broken into, but it sure deflated my tires. I hardly had a moment of free time today, and now thinking about it, I just guess I was kind of put off by the unexpected invasion. Now that I know it happened, my perspective will be a little bit different.

Thursday November 09, 2000
Veterans day tomorrow means a vacation day from work. In the past week I have come down really hard on some of the kids and have really challenged them to meet the expectations that I know they will be facing in the real world. Some of the kids have really responded and I think this is probably going to give some of the kids the kick in the ass they needed for the rest of the nine weeks. Failure is just not acceptable and I really want these kids to give a shit about themselves. I'm not sure if it is Sunnyland's mentality that I have bought into, but the standard that I have adopted is so much higher than I've ever encountered before. Maybe because the teachers and the administrators expect so much from the kids they actually respond to the challenge. I'll need to think about it some more before I make up my mind.

The computer lab in my room is up and running and the kids are pretty stoked about it. They need to learn how to do more than consult the world wrestling federation's web page and the latest lyrics to Trina or Trick Daddy's newest hit. The administration at this school really responded and got some computers up and running in a very short time. Some of the other teachers wanted to know how come I got the computers so quickly. The tech guy, Mr. Fartburger, told me that the AP who hired me insisted that I have them in my room.

It was reported to me by another teacher that one of the AP's at the school is a total sleazeball who hits on chicks all the time and is a total backstabber who cannot be trusted. Yesterday he asked me if I wanted to go to happy hour with him and Mr. Creepy who hugs the kids all the time. I told him that family commitments prohibit me from giving a firm answer. I need to be very selective about hanging out with him. He tried to go on an informational fishing expedition this week with me and tried ever so discreetly to pry into my personal life and decision making. I gave him some real vague answers and will probably stay clear of any personal stories being exchanged with him.