Overheard in the Classroom

I have to write this before I forget it:

Last Friday, the bell was about to ring and the lesson was over. The students were chatting by the window and I was getting a standardized test ready for the next period when I overheard a tidbit of incorrect sex info. Of course, I pounced on it. I asked the students (9th grade girls) what they were talking about. One brazen one said,

"Miss, if your boyfriend comes in you and you stand up immediately and go to take a pee, then you won't get pregnant."

And THIS is why we have six. pregnant. freshmen. S-I-X.

I stopped the whole class and clarified that your urethra, where your pee comes out of, is a DIFFERENT hole from your vagina, where you have sex. Therefore peeing does NOTHING to "wash away the sperm" (as another student mentioned) and prevent pregnancy.

Their response: "No, Miss, you're wrong."

God help the children of those children.

Doctorate Irony

A friend on facebook posted this article entitled "The Long-Haul Degree," a lamentation about the worthlessness of doctorate degrees, particularly in this economy. Word.

Any of you who know me know that I am constantly wrestling with my doctorate--and not even in the "Oh sh*t, I have to finish this!" type of freak out but more in the vein of "This has been an exercise in futility and now we're hopelessly in debt...." kind of agony.

As much as everyone claims my doctorate, once earned, will open doors for me, blah blah blah, I just don't see it. If I could go back in time and erase it (and the 40 grand of debt I accumulated getting it) I would in a HEARTBEAT. That said, I am a much smarter person and a better teacher because of it, but when folks say you can't put a price on education I beg to differ. You can. And it's expensive. And it keeps you from buying a place to live, and saving for your kids' college, and vacationing until, um, the year 2017 when you will have paid it all off. Oh, and did I mention that as a doctoral student in Education (or another Humanities area of study) that you're never really going to make any money. I am truly hoping that my doctorate work does not end up being what financially f*cks us (my now family of four) for all eternity. No joke.

Bitter much?

But the best part of this diatribe sparked tonight was that in reading the above mentioned article in the New York Times, who should advertise their overpriced institution but Teachers College, Columbia University, the school that will one day (hopefully a year from now) be my alma mater from which I will have received my Doctorate in Education and all this additional stress. I had to take a screen shot of it b/c the irony was too too thick not to share with the world.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at it all to keep from crying.

Freaky Friday

Alexandra is very much into dressing herself lately. She is also prone to throwing herself on the floor in a demonstration of sheer frustration with heaping sighs, singing along to her new CityStomp CD at top volume,and "reading" her books with various character voices...She is a riot. All drama, all the time. That's my girl.

Above was her outfit today. Nico's truck pants (made by Bethany), one leg warmer on leg, one leg warmer on arm, owl shirt, and her cat hat from Halloween. Freaky Friday indeed.

Love that baby girl!

Girl Fights, Sex, & Homelessness

Now if that title doesn't get pique your interest, than I don't know what will. If read this blog then you probably know that those three topics pretty much summarize my school year this year. The ninth grade girls fight like feral cats. If they aren't beating the bejesus out of each other, they're either having sex in the stairwell (no lie), getting pregnant (we have six pregnant freshmen), or talking about sex. And, lastly, there are a large number of students who are currently homeless, or, also orphaned and being fought over by siblings for the social security check that comes with a minor who has lost a parent. It's intense.

I have never worked so closely with a guidance counselor as I have this year, and thankfully our ninth graders have the best guidance counselor our school can offer. But, one woman is not enough.

With all these issues in mind, I have created a unit around the book pictured above that deals with all these situations of adolescence in a forthright manner. I keep getting asked questions that pertain to sex, fighting, loyal friends, bad friends, dead parents, etc, and it takes up class time. While I'm not a stickler to sticking to the curriculum when I feel the students need a topic addressed, it would be nice to have a few books that deal with these issues.

So I wrote a Donors Choose grant here. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give money so I can get these books for my students and conclude their final year with a unit that will hopefully give them a forum to discuss, read, and write about some serious topics young people face.

Many thanks.