Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Carlsbad Village Academy Closure

   Today I continued my multiple-day guest teaching assignment for a Carlsbad Village Academy (CVA) teacher on bereavement.  This is an alternative high school for students who are expelled for violence, drug dealing, academic nonperformance, etc.  Since I've taught there as a guest teacher occasionally for 5 years and many of the students are my former summer school math students, I was requested for this opening.
    The day started at Carlsbad High School in the new buildings in which I've never taught.  I was teaching ROP beginning computers in a pristine computer room.  The teacher for the class before me looked at me with wide eyes and said, "There are a lot of behavior problems in your class.  Most of these kids are heading to CVA.  They're worse than CVA students, too."  She tried to take roll for me as I went around and got students' attention for her.  She handed out their final, not telling me that the semester grades were already input---it was a dummy final.
    Once I got the class to myself, I continually walked around redirecting students. 

"Your teacher will not give you a good grade on the final if you insert a picture of surfer girls wearing G-strings.  Please take that off and chose a more school appropriate picture."

"The final is an individual activity.  You are acting like a codependent.  It is a kinder thing to let your friend solve his own problems." 

"I hope that you're a good talent scout.  Identical wrong answers are a dead giveaway that you're cheating!"

"The cut and paste letters might not go over well.  If your teacher is a stalking victim, you'll get a bad grade.  It's hard to read, too."

"Stop biting the computer screen.  That's disgusting."

"If you're going to use your own poem, you need to make the words socially acceptable."  The student changed bitches to beaches, for example.

"Let's not, and say we did."

    Fortunately, my classes were at CVA the rest of the day.  Two of my former summer school students are about to graduate.  One told me yesterday that he was trying really hard not to give up, but he works at a grocery store and kids with college degrees are working right next to him.  He didn't see the point in going into debt with college loans, if he wasn't going to be able to get a job.  I told him that I could see his point.  I had $45,000 of student loans to become a math teacher and never got a long term contracted teaching job.  Substitute teaching and selling my home cleared up that debt.
    Today I gave him a signed bookmark telling him to never give up.  He had no idea that I was an author now.  He immediately had me pose with him for a picture while holding the bookmark.  "I've never known a real author before!  I'm sending this to all my friends!"
    "Well, all these years that I've been a misfit math teacher that only guest teaches, I had time to write my book, 'The Romance of Kilimanjaro.'  Sometimes our paths aren't mainstream paths.  They are more awesome!"
     I also gave my other former student a bookmark.  When I first had him as a freshman student during summer school, he had no passion.  His poorly-repaired cleft palette ruled his self esteem.  His first after school assignment that I gave him was to decorate his room.  By the following semester he had finally found some inner passion and told me all about his posters.
     Now he is a senior, has purple hair, a pleather-spiked jacket that he made, a lip piercing, and bright yellow pants.  Over the years I've loved his custom jean designs that he created and encouraged him to pursue clothing design.  On his bookmark I wrote, "You must get Hot Topic to buy one of your designs.  Reach for the stars!"  He shook his head that he would.
     After school I tutored my regular math student for his final and found out from him that they're closing CVA due to the budget crisis.  I thought of my students who would just graduate beforehand and was relieved for them.  I thought of those who would just land in Juvenal Hall without CVA---no academic purgatory with teaching angels.  I thought of the beautiful new Carlsbad High School buildings that would be damaged by some of the former CVA students who make colossally bad choices.  I thought of the future classroom disruptions caused by these students and how normal teachers wouldn't be able to teach as effectively.  I thought of the mainstream students and the influence some of these former CVA students will have on them.  I thought of all the students who will give up and drop out of high school without the nurturing, yet crusty teaching environment that CVA provides.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

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