Yesterday, I volunteered in Primo's elective class, which is Agriculture. Now, he hates the class purely because he was anticipating a computer elective, but that teacher left for another position at another school. So he is stuck with learning about food, how it's grown, how it is consumed, how it affects us culturally or is representational of the culture that is producing and consuming it, from field to table. At least that is what the parents were told on Back-to-School night. I believe that the teacher had every intention of teaching all that, and she may be really attempting that. What I experienced made it seem that teaching ANYTHING was/is next to impossible.
We were slated to make (and did indeed do so) seed bombs, which is to say super ball sized balls of clay, compost, water and seeds all rolled up together. The thought is that when they dry, one can drop them anywhere to plant seeds, we used native wildflowers, so as not to introduce any invasive species. I came in during lunch and mixed up the dirt mixture, Ms. B scooped seeds into the mixture and the kids squished the seeds al around into the dirt, then they rolled it all up into little balls (they looked like big chocolate truffles) and we placed them on trays to dry. It was a neat project (well it was actually really messy and dirty but it was a clever and interesting idea) and some of the kids seemed to enjoy it, but I was appalled at the behavior of most of the kids. First there was the talking back to Ms. B when she gave instructions, then there was the talking out loud either to anyone who would listen or another child, not always sitting close together, while Ms. B was addressing the class. Children were constantly out of their seats, leaving class when ever the urge struck them, even if Ms. B told them to stay put. Up, down, in, out, milling about, constant talking, I was amazed that we got the project done at all. Ms. B never lost her composure, she was never angry or indignant with the students, she kept her cool and kept repeating herself until the child she was speaking to complied. It was like herding cats.
The realization that struck me, and rather forcefully I might add, is that this couldn't be the only class like that. One student from another class kept coming in and at one point he stood at the door arms raised, middle fingers brandished for all to admire, turning in a slow arc to let every student in the classroom enjoy the full effect of his gesture, until he realized that I was watching him.Then his arms fell limply to his sides while he gathered his wits back up, ready for his next show. It suddenly dawned on me that ALL of Primo's classes were (are) full of children who don't care one whit about what the teacher is trying to share with them, they don't see their education as anything but a nuisance, something keeping them from what they really want to do, and they especially don't care who is derailed, inconvenienced, or disrupted by what they do.
So I have decided, fully supported by my amazing and wonderful husband, that Primo will not be attending public High School. Of course I want him to go to the same school Prima goes to, so we are working on a presentation for his audition, but I am ready to send him to Catholic school before I send him to public school next year. Okay that's that, onwards.
I was really blue today, mostly because I made the mistake of perusing Facebook, which henceforth will be referred to as f**cbook because I usually feel all f'd up after reading it. One of my 'friends' posted a list of things that she had done over her 8 week leave. Seriously, 8 weeks and on leave, and just like me she was really out for longer. I read it and promptly went to bed, after calling LS and complaining to her. I was dumbfounded, it left me feeling ridiculous, especially for keeping a blog. I felt like a massive whiner for being so proud of myself for the accomplishments I have made. She listed hers out in one f**kbook list and it sounded like she had practically saved the world, or at least it did to me. When I read the list to LS, she had a really different take on it. She said it sounded like there were some good resources there and that actually I had achieved the same if not more. Well you know how it is, once you open the flood gates, it's hard to put all that water back! So I moped around for the rest of the day. But I did get a bunch of research done regarding school for Primo, and that IS something important!
Now I am off to bed, although I had much more to say, I have to get up super early to take Prima and FM to the airport, they are going to L.A. to see The Favorite Boy Band, well one of the favorites anyway. I'm a nervous Mamma, so I need my rest to make sure I am a good safe driver tomorrow. Maybe by tomorrow the flood plain will have dried out a bit (vague enough for you?). Goodnight!
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| Best Bumble Bee |
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