Don't Lean On Me

***Disclaimer: The names of people and schools have been changed.***

So my Mom will lose her job next year and so will everyone that she works with.

Let me tell you something, the school she teaches at is BAD BAD BAD. The kids are BAD. Picture Lean on Me but ten (10) times worse and in middle school. Those kids are horrendous. The parents are worse and the community is worse than the two combined. TRUST ME. I grew up there. I know.

Anyway. This school has been bad for a long time. It has been progressing, slowly but surely. They BARELY failed the testing last year but not for the lack of killing themselves just to get that far. My Mom has only been there for three (3) years. And she is an ESE teacher. Each year getting a little closer to finally passing that test.

The Superintendent of Schools thinks he is Joe Clark. Joe clark HE IS NOT. So I will refer to him as Mr. Wanna Be Joe Clark. WBJC if you will.

For a school that must have TWO armed police officers on staff and six (6) others on call, with locked gates and various other things. Not to mention, it has more fights and threats than any other middle school, let him get a new staff. Trust me. It's not the staff. My Mom has been punched, knocked down, slammed against walls, spit on, bit and called every name in the book. Her purse has been stolen, her cell phone has been stolen more times than I care to think about and various other random crap. Not just by ESE kids either.

Those that know about ESE kids, they need consistency. Change will freak them out.

Here's are some excerpts from the newspaper article that my Mom sent me.

A Giant EFF YOU, TO Mr. Wanna Be Joe Clark (WBJC).

A new day has dawned for WMS
MAY 3, 2009

On Wednesday, WBJC announced wholesale staff changes for the middle school next year.

And the man means wholesale.

WBJC already has advertised for a new principal and announced the school will have new administrators, new teachers, new counselors and new coaches. Nearly all of the 80 staff positions will be filled with new people next school year. ***WTFever***

The action is a result of the 850-student school being one of 11 in Florida that failed to meet state and federal standards for student learning. As a result, the new school administration will report directly to WBJC.

As for the fate of WM, WBJC has proclaimed that it will become a "district turnaround school.'' ***Translated as: Alternative School. Now we can have bad kids and NOT be considered a 'real' school.***

It is good that WBJC sees opportunity where others might see despair. We believe WM can become a school that redefines how our children, those who might not come from the best economic backgrounds, are educated.

While we realize there are many (too many, some might say) rules and regulations from **our states capital** on how students are taught, we hope and trust that WM will become a center for innovative teaching. How can WM parents become more involved in their school? What can the community do to increase reading scores? How do we establish and sustain high standards and high expectations in children who might not be familiar with such a culture? How do we lure the best teachers to WM?

****Basically they are saying, hey lazy crackheads, put down the pipe and get involved with your children. Hey community of ignorants (yes, I know that's not a word), get involved with the kids. Hey bad ass kids from crackhouses and the ghetto, yes, you are stupid, but hey, we are going to change everything down to your level so it's okay to be that way, we will make it to where you can pass. something. And how can we LURE. They used the word LURE and said "how can we?" WMS is in the GHETTO. It is filled with gangs, drugs, violence and a shit load of kids and parents that don't give a iF YOU SEEK (C&K). Best of luck. *********I AM NOT CALLING PEOPLE STUPID. NOR AM I SAYING THAT PEOPLE FROM THE GHETTO CAN'T RISE ABOVE.**********

---Back to the article---

It certainly would be easy to sit back, point fingers and assign blame for how WM became such a problem school, at least in the eyes of the state. We have heard the same accusations as you: teachers who didn't want to teach, students that didn't want to learn and a community that didn't want to care. Unquestionably, it is a tragedy that WM has reached this point.

But we remain optimistic because WBJC is optimistic. ****Oh yeah, because he is WBJC after all. Didn't you see Lean on Me? It worked there didn't it? Maybe they will learn a class song and everything.****

"This is an opportunity,'' WBJC said, "where we can step up and do something pretty bold and significant for our students.'' We can't wait to see what's in store.

****Yeah me either.****