Monday, March 08, 2010
Oops, I Did It Again
I opened my mouth. No, really, I guess I typed, which it should be noted I can do almost as fast as I can stick my foot into my mouth. Our school has a cop, who is paid by the district as well as by the city. The one we have now is our second. Some of you may remember Principal Stan and me teaming up to scare off a candidate once. http://edublither.blogspot.com/2006/12/puppet-master-and-his-lovely-assistant.html
We were successful. Cop number 2 is diligent, knowledgeable, and willing to be comical once in awhile, something essential when dealing with middle schoolers. I've seen him boogie for a few minutes at a yay!thestatetestsareover dance, crabwalk like MC Hammer (with the big pants, too) at a school assembly to scare the kids out of drinking, and run around our track on a sunny day in full gear to help promote a yearlong cross-curricular event in which we tried to virtually walk across this great nation of ours. He'll speak in our classes if he invite him, and he addressed our entire team of students earlier this year when we were solving the mystery of who keeps ripping the paper towel dispenser off the wall. He assisted me early in the school year when Blake, a student now studying at an area psychiatric center, informed me he'd punch me if I asked him about his homework. He's a good guy.
He's also a wing nut, according to my next-door colleague, history teacher Loren O'Donnell. Tripper has heard about Officer Stankovich's temper around town, and the officer himself told the kids that he has done some things he's not proud of. A veteran, he's uber-patriotic. These days, we all know that means uber-conservative, ultra-Republican. Loren should know. He's the last of the Catholic Democrats, or at least one of the last who will still admit it, who is not afraid of being denied the right of Communion. Loren is one of the least confrontational guys I know, but he is the most targeted at my school.
When Bush won in 2004, one of the Christians, a colleague of Loren's, came over to smile about it. What would Jesus do, eh? He has received Fox News articles and shady email propaganda (not that everyone can even tell the difference) in his mailbox at school, sometimes signed "Sorry, I just had to vent!" This year has been especially trying. "When did I sign up to be the poster boy for the Democratic Party?" he has wondered to me. He eats alone in his room, tired of hearing the occasional lunchtime debate. I don't blame him.
Besides the two of us, I think there are five other Democrats out of a staff of over 100. It gets old. Officer Stankovich, in between bathroom vandalism stings, pores over the internet, forwarding to us articles about kids who planned to blow up their schools, kill their teachers, and the like. He also sends us inspirational videos, such as the one about the young man with no arms and legs who goes around speaking to schools about not giving up, about living up to your potential, and standing on your own two feet. What bothered me recently, however, what I acted upon, was the email about the Muslims in London demonstrating.
You've seen it, I'm sure. The text reads something like Can you imagine us Americans getting away with protesting Islam in our country? Why would we ever want to make war with this religion of peace? The first time I came across it in my school email, I just moved on to the next urgent message about someone's mom's cellphone number change. I waited. I didn't want to act rashly. I went home for the weekend. I drank. I didn't go back to my school email account. I waited until Sunday, sober. Then I replied. "Hi, Steve. I would appreciate only receiving emails about school or education. Thanks so much, Chrissy."
I sent it. When I told Trip, he thought I sounded teacherly, which wasn't my intention. I wanted to sound matter-of-fact. I wanted to sound non-apologetic because I have nothing to be sorry for. I didn't want to over explain it. I won't. This doesn't mean I no longer like the guy or won't have a beer with him when we all go out. This just means that I don't think any work email is the venue to endorse that kind of propaganda-- Republican or Democrat.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to see what he'd say. He replied that the email did have to do with school and education, however he wouldn't send those kind out anymore. I'm not going to thank him for something that should be crystal clear in any workplace. When we happened to approach each other in the hall today, forty yards apart, he turned around and went the other way.
It's times like these that I really miss my dad. I'd love to pick his brain about what to do, what do say, how to approach it, what is really meant. I've never really sought advice from anyone, least of all my parents, but this makes me realize that my dad is the only one of my parents who really listened to me and was interested in my job and hearing about it, not really with giving advice or telling a story about how the same thing had happened to him and here's what he did.
This year I could really use his advice, however, with our new principal, Kyle Oldknow, who was hired by the board to replace Principal Stan. Our staff knows better. Although Stan and I had our rows, although I didn't hesitate to tell him what I thought, he listened and didn't just tell me what I wanted to hear back. Not everyone was a total Stan fan, but that was okay. Kyle is an unknown, and little by little I find I'm liking less and less of what I see of him as a leader-- though to have a few beers he's all right. As building rep for our union, I need to watch my relationship with him; I don't want to be as close as I was with Stan, but I don't want to completely freeze him out.
The question now may be What Would Dennis Do?
We were successful. Cop number 2 is diligent, knowledgeable, and willing to be comical once in awhile, something essential when dealing with middle schoolers. I've seen him boogie for a few minutes at a yay!thestatetestsareover dance, crabwalk like MC Hammer (with the big pants, too) at a school assembly to scare the kids out of drinking, and run around our track on a sunny day in full gear to help promote a yearlong cross-curricular event in which we tried to virtually walk across this great nation of ours. He'll speak in our classes if he invite him, and he addressed our entire team of students earlier this year when we were solving the mystery of who keeps ripping the paper towel dispenser off the wall. He assisted me early in the school year when Blake, a student now studying at an area psychiatric center, informed me he'd punch me if I asked him about his homework. He's a good guy.
He's also a wing nut, according to my next-door colleague, history teacher Loren O'Donnell. Tripper has heard about Officer Stankovich's temper around town, and the officer himself told the kids that he has done some things he's not proud of. A veteran, he's uber-patriotic. These days, we all know that means uber-conservative, ultra-Republican. Loren should know. He's the last of the Catholic Democrats, or at least one of the last who will still admit it, who is not afraid of being denied the right of Communion. Loren is one of the least confrontational guys I know, but he is the most targeted at my school.
When Bush won in 2004, one of the Christians, a colleague of Loren's, came over to smile about it. What would Jesus do, eh? He has received Fox News articles and shady email propaganda (not that everyone can even tell the difference) in his mailbox at school, sometimes signed "Sorry, I just had to vent!" This year has been especially trying. "When did I sign up to be the poster boy for the Democratic Party?" he has wondered to me. He eats alone in his room, tired of hearing the occasional lunchtime debate. I don't blame him.
Besides the two of us, I think there are five other Democrats out of a staff of over 100. It gets old. Officer Stankovich, in between bathroom vandalism stings, pores over the internet, forwarding to us articles about kids who planned to blow up their schools, kill their teachers, and the like. He also sends us inspirational videos, such as the one about the young man with no arms and legs who goes around speaking to schools about not giving up, about living up to your potential, and standing on your own two feet. What bothered me recently, however, what I acted upon, was the email about the Muslims in London demonstrating.
You've seen it, I'm sure. The text reads something like Can you imagine us Americans getting away with protesting Islam in our country? Why would we ever want to make war with this religion of peace? The first time I came across it in my school email, I just moved on to the next urgent message about someone's mom's cellphone number change. I waited. I didn't want to act rashly. I went home for the weekend. I drank. I didn't go back to my school email account. I waited until Sunday, sober. Then I replied. "Hi, Steve. I would appreciate only receiving emails about school or education. Thanks so much, Chrissy."
I sent it. When I told Trip, he thought I sounded teacherly, which wasn't my intention. I wanted to sound matter-of-fact. I wanted to sound non-apologetic because I have nothing to be sorry for. I didn't want to over explain it. I won't. This doesn't mean I no longer like the guy or won't have a beer with him when we all go out. This just means that I don't think any work email is the venue to endorse that kind of propaganda-- Republican or Democrat.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to see what he'd say. He replied that the email did have to do with school and education, however he wouldn't send those kind out anymore. I'm not going to thank him for something that should be crystal clear in any workplace. When we happened to approach each other in the hall today, forty yards apart, he turned around and went the other way.
It's times like these that I really miss my dad. I'd love to pick his brain about what to do, what do say, how to approach it, what is really meant. I've never really sought advice from anyone, least of all my parents, but this makes me realize that my dad is the only one of my parents who really listened to me and was interested in my job and hearing about it, not really with giving advice or telling a story about how the same thing had happened to him and here's what he did.
This year I could really use his advice, however, with our new principal, Kyle Oldknow, who was hired by the board to replace Principal Stan. Our staff knows better. Although Stan and I had our rows, although I didn't hesitate to tell him what I thought, he listened and didn't just tell me what I wanted to hear back. Not everyone was a total Stan fan, but that was okay. Kyle is an unknown, and little by little I find I'm liking less and less of what I see of him as a leader-- though to have a few beers he's all right. As building rep for our union, I need to watch my relationship with him; I don't want to be as close as I was with Stan, but I don't want to completely freeze him out.
The question now may be What Would Dennis Do?
# posted by Chrissy Snow @ 3/08/2010 01:44:00 PM 
