Job Hunt

Whoo Lordy!

I've applied for so many gigs I can't even remember them all. Of course I haven't heard much back...I mean, I'm telling folks that I won't be back in town until Christmas. What are they going to say? I have suggested phone interviews, but not many are keen on that idea. So let's see...what have I applied for:

• I just sent my resume to Expeditionary Learning Schools to become a school designer in the Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca area.


• Rochester YMCA to be a Program Director


• The United Way to run something that I don't even remember...I just know that I'd have to wear shoes and big boy pants.


• Special Ed Teacher at Halpern Day Treament for Hillside.


• The Center for Youth Services as some kind of school based counselor.


• Deaf Services Manager at the Center for Disability Rights.


• Treatment Coordinator at Continuing Developmental Services.


• Santa Claus at Midtown Plaza.

OK, just kidding on the last one. There's others as well that I can't remember. Oh yeah...there was the trainer for some company that makes sealant...I'm kinda glad they didn't call back. My heart just isn't into sealant. Oh sure, I like things when they're sealed, but I just don't have the passion for sealant. Now if it was lubricant...I'd be all over that. But sealant...nah.

What was I talking about, again?

Oh yeah, a job. I was thinking about this last night. I really wish there was a way to do a Vin Scelsa thing...to be this radio guy who can pretty much do whatever he wants on the air. He had to go through a lot of cruddy radio jobs at a very young age, when the industry wasn't as smarmy so he's earned his right to do what he does. And I'm pretty sure he's not a rich guy by any means. But it sure would be cool to do that. I spend a fair amount of time on the podcast and would have a blast if somehow that could be a career. I mean I could really shape it into something unique if I could do it more than an hour a week. But I don't think the medium is viable to sustain a career on.

It would be cool, though.

Uh-Oh

I know this doesn't mean squat, scientifically, but it's November in Hawaii. It's kinda stifling and there is absolutely NO breeze. Something's gonna go down. I don't know what, but this isn't normal.

If I was a real Jew, my knee would be acting up.

Quick Updatey Type Things

*Got a flu shot yesterday. I forgot how oogy they make you feel. It's almost as if I'm hungover right now.

*I guess this will show how obsolete I've become at school. So now that they know I'm leaving, they've decided to replace me with an Education Assistant and a part-time clerk. That's what they're doing with my salary. I guess they don't need Social Studies that much afterall. I sure hope the door doesn't hit my ass on the way out.

*In our Friday meeting today, they kept talking about two sets of rules, one for the teachers and the other for the students...kind of the venn diagram of expectations. Earlier today I heard the 2 new teachers saying how we need to split the kids into grades more. And we're already tracking the kids based on their math skills, thus creating an education hiarchy. And everyone treats the crap kids like they're crap and the "elites" like the elites...and that's how the kids act. And the reaction to all this is more discipline, more external punishments and rewards and no teaching of self-control. Honestly, though, that's the route they have to go as no one here is really versed in helping kids understand internal motivators. I'm getting out of here just in time...it's turning into a traditional school very quickly.

*Well, my dreams of coming back to Rochester with some control over my finances went up in smoke this week. It looks like I'll be back with a five figure debt-load and no job to start paying it off. I'm sure glad there's not a recession...DOH!

*Believe it or not, I'm actually in a decent mood. Today's school happenings really showed me how right I am to leave. And while I may need to come back to that crazy 3 job / 7 day-a-week thing again, I'm going to do my darnedest to make it so I can do things that are important. I'm fairly confident that I'll be saying "no" to more people/groups...for a while anyway. Stop laughing, I mean it this time!

The Right Time to Get Out

Yeah...there's a whole bunch of handwriting on the wall here.

First of all, I got an e-mail from a parent last week, asking why there were so few social studies grades for his kid. Oh, by the way, we use a web-based program called PowerSchool. The concept is good, but the software sucks. Parents and students can see up-to-the-minute updates of what work has been done and the "grade". Teachers can also make notes about behavior or whatever.

So there's not a lot of social studies stuff because I haven't been teaching much. There's all this other stuff the kids have been doing. I explained this to the parent. Well, the Lead Teacher must have been blind copied in on the original e-mail as I got a note from Dan telling me that every time I interact with kids I should be grading it, even if it's just for behavior.

Well, those of you reading this already know how I'm going to react to that, so I'll leave out the f-bombs. Let's just say that it ain't happening and I just won't use him as a reference.

And the same Lead Teacher was away at a conference last week and the other teachers decided to use Friday planning time to come up with a big-ass list of things Dan has or hasn't been doing. It's seriously extensive. And one of the new teachers is going to have a meeting with Dan and Mark (director of KCS) about it. It's going to be a car wreck. And I'm not involved.

Yep. It's the right time to get out.

Loose Lips...Suck

Ironically, it was our school counselor who spilled the beans about me leaving school to the kids. She was standing next to me talking about who-knows-what...there was a student standing right in front of us, one of my favorite kids who I unofficially took on as a project...which is another story. And the counselor just, matter-of-factly mentioned me leaving. I didn't react on purpose, but 15 minutes later, as I was confronting one of our problem kids on his behavior, the kid tried to distract me by asking if I was leaving. Of course I just blew it off and stuck with the kid's behavior.

Today, Peggy mentioned that the kids are starting to talk about it. I'm pretty sure I'll be dealing with it on Monday. Oh well.

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Told the landlord that I'm leaving today.

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Talked to Mom about George (my step-father). As she was telling me about the stuff he's dealing with in the hospital I was literally doubled over in "empathy pain". Unfortunately I picked the wrong time to call as I was waiting with kids for their parents. They thought I was having a reaction to lunch.

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Holy Crap!!! We went over the schedule for the next 2 weeks. I'm actually going to have to teach! A lot! Like, lesson plans and using my college edumication. Maybe we could just watch YouTube videos for 3 days.

Actually, my teaching has been so sporadic that I'm not really in the middle of anything thematic-wise. I can actually do a mini-unit on something...hmmmm...hello commrades....

My Last Hurrah: Actually, the Land Use Committee of the Maui County Council is holding a hearing on the Makena Development that our local rich guy is trying to get fast tracked through...it's on Wednesday morning and I'm trucking in a van of kids to put a MFing boot on that. Looks like Daddy's gotta get his big boy pants out for that day.

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I had to go buy pants. Seriously. I realized that I own a pair of sweatpants, a pair of jeans that have been ripped apart by kiawe trees and one pair of big boy pants that are too big now and have always been kinda high-watery. So I went to Savers...which is Maui's version of GoodWill, but for clothes, a million times better. So now I have some pants.

Damn, I need shoes.

Living in Paradise

Oh sure...you people back in Rochester may have had to brush snow off your car this morning, but did you have to deal with this?



Mmmmmm...Burnt sugar cane ash...and good for the lungs, too. I sure am glad the government is subsidizing them to stay in business.

On a brighter note, after only 2 days of the petition being up to get Linda Darling-Hammond appointed Secretary of Education, there's over 1000 signatures. Good deal. I'm working on a press release to send out to major news thingies in a day or so and Education Week e-mailed me, they want to do a short write-up on their website.

If you haven't signed...uh, like what are you waiting for?

http://www.petitiononline.com/DHammond/petition.html . There's info about her at the site.

Things They Don't Teach You How To Handle in Teacher School

"Mr. Atias, can you drive over more speed bumps, it helps my cramps."

Reason #27 why I prefer teaching girls than boys.