Community Service

My middle school wants our 8th graders to be "well rounded citizens". Well, duh- it's a nice idea in theory but the approach is a pain in butt.

Here's the deal: the kids get "points" for their grades, attendance, behavior, standardized test scores, and extra curricular activities. For a kid who makes good grades, plays a sport or joins a club, doesn't miss much school and passes the standardized tests, this is no big deal. For about 95% of the 8th grade population, this is no big deal. BUT!!!! (yes, there is always a BUT!!!!)

Well, I guess before the "but" I should also say the 8th grade teachers claim that they have the nerve/ the right/ the guts/ the whatever to tell kids who have passing grades, good attendance, who are NOT behavior problems and who pass their standardized tests that they will not allow these kids to PASS to the 9th grade because they don't have any community service hours or because they aren't participating in an extra curricular. You read that right- no passing because of that lack. I think that's one of the stupidest things in the world. And I am pissed.

Now remember what I do? I work with mild special ed kids, and LD and ED kids. These kids, for the most part, HATE school with a passion, usually are discipline problems, fail their standardized tests, and never have any extra curriculars because they hate school and want to be as far away from the place as they can be, once that bell rings. (Or their parents don't have money to pay for them to join anything, they don't have transportation home from something after school!) So MY kids are the ones who are in danger of passing because they have a low amount of points to begin with. So last week, the 8th grade teachers had individual conferences with these kids, and told them they needed 20 community service hours by May 14 or they would not be able to go to 9th grade. Outrageous!

Where are MY kids going to get community service hours? Really? Most people would take one look at them and say they weren't interested in their help. Most don't have parents who can help guide them; obviously, or they wouldn't be in this situation to begin with. Most of my kids don't have a way to GET to a place to work. Who thought of this whole stupid idea?!?

So, I decided since this is stupidest thing I've heard this year, and I teach special ed so I hear a lot of stupid shit, I'm going to make sure the kids get their hours. I called Curley, who works at our local senior citizen rec. centre here in town and tell her about the BS at school and can she help me get 5-12 kids some hours. With her help and with the help of her boss, I have time slots for my kids to go in to volunteer every day, beginning today, until next Friday.

I arranged transportation from the school to the centre, and I'll be taking them home. And I'm staying to oversee this huge bunch of kids for the two hours they're spending working. The kids will be doing anything from yard work to "house cleaning" to stocking the food pantry to moving furniture. The won't really be interacting with senior citizens because we get there so late in the day that most of the 'senior' activities are over.

Tonight, after school, I took the first load of kids over; I had five. These are kids who hate school, really don't have typically good adult interactions, most have criminal records, and in general, aren't kids most adults like nor approve of. WELL!!! My kids totally ROCKED!

They were polite and worked so very hard. They did everything they were asked with very little screwing around, and NO bad attitudes. They stocked the food pantry today and they did as they were told: lugged and hauled food, stocked shelves, cleaned, organized, cut up card board to recycle... I am so proud of them. They used manners (and I didn't even have to give them the manners pep talk) and were very respectful. I am so proud of them. I couldn't be more pleased.

We have five more days to go of this and if each day goes this well, it will be more than worth it. They were phenomenal. I think they deserve monstrous kudos.

And they deserve to be freshmen next year. Hands down. Today reminded me why I like teenagers, and why I don't like school policies.

Michael J Fox- Always Looking Up

Oh.My.Goddess. And warning... this post may ramble... and have split infinitives.

Okay, I know I have a book blog where I keep a list of books I've read this year (to date 56) and I've tried to refrain from posting book reviews here on "shoes/purses" because not everyone is the bibliophile I am, but... there's always a BUT.

I'm listening to the new Michael J. Fox memoir Always Looking Up and it is incredible. First I want to say that everyone should do this. And as an English teacher at heart, I canNOT believe I'm going to say this, but you must must must LISTEN to it on audio rather than read the paper version. There, I said it. Hang on, I need to chug some of my Cosmo before I continue...

Yes, you must listen to it on audio rather than read it- buy it, check it out from your local library, iTunes it, whatever, but I first say listen to it on audio. Fox himself reads this memoir and that adds to its incredible-ness, I think. And I know I rant and rave about the evils of audio books and that yes, I am experimenting with the concept myself this year- and Fox's book makes it all WORTHWHILE!!!!!!!!!

This is inspirational, funny and charming. It's real. The focus is on his family, faith, work and politics. He talks about his Parkinson's in a real way, matter of factual. He's strong and his story is moving. He's human. Since he was 17 years old he's been in Hollywood and when he talks of his friends and family, they are Hollywood people. He does name drop but not to emphasize his importance as a Hollywood player, but because that is the life he's lived. And he looks at his experiences that fame has allowed him and is still humbled by many of them. He has his own heroes- Lance Armstrong, Christopher Reeves and Muhammad Ali, to name a few.

He started a PD foundation and the goal is/ was to not be an endowment, but to spend every damn dime to cure PD. That's it- he makes no claims to be a scientist or an expert or anything as such, but he wants to have a cure and that's the goal and purpose of his foundation, which I think is amazing.

I'm only about a third of the way through the book, but I want to say how moved I am, how touched I am. I've been a fan of Fox since I was a kid. No, I didn't have a TV crush on him, but I just liked to watch him on screen. Even though he was the annoying Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties and I didn't like his character, I still liked watching him on screen but as a kid I never knew why. I've admired his career, the twists and turns it's taken through TV and film and back and forth. And I cried when I found out about his PD. I read his first book Lucky Man, and have since followed his career with a more keen eye- I admire his jump into politics and for taking the bull by the horns to fight for a cure to a disease that affects him, as well as millions of others. He doesn't use his fame as a bully pulpit but he does tell it like it is.

So, listen to him read his book. There is something special, the lilt, the uncanny ability to strike the right chord, the tonality that conveys more than just words or a message, the sounds of the pages turning as he reads, the crackle in the voice or the rushed speech- it's real. BUT, and there's always a but... there's a spirit of a lucky man who is Always Looking Up.