Dreamland

One of the interesting things about my job is that I get to go to school.
What I mean is, I get to sit in class and learn along with the students.
I also get to see what the other kids, the non general education kids do.
Not every classroom is jammed packed with boisterous, eager kids; some are quite small with a student teacher ratio that would surprise many.
My assignment for instance includes a class with only eight students.
If you are following along at home, that's eight to one, not counting my presence.
Add me in, and well, you can do the math.
Or can you?
I won't make that assumption.
See every public school is required by law to provide what's known as FAPE.
Free Appropriate Public Education.
We cannot turn away kids, no matter what.
The cold truth is that not all kids belong in or are able to achieve success at the high school level.
Not every student leaves here with a high school diploma.
So instead, the curriculum involves learning skills that will help them transition into adulthood and beyond.
These students are not on track to graduate with a diploma, they simply cannot earn the needed credits.
So the school tries it's best to send them off with the basic skills needed to exist in the outside world.
Survival training.
A sort of school within a school, if you will.
Most of the tax paying public never hears about this facet of what schools do.
We read about test scores, graduation rates, teachers salaries, and budgets.
Rarely is the pubic given a glimpse of what I think of as Area 51.
Dreamland.
Not because it's secret or anything, it's just that for the most part, very few know just what's going on and the department is federally funded.
I consider it a privilege to work with these kids. It involves a whole different skill set that, to be honest I'm still acquiring.
They may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they are the hardest working.
What makes them different?
I've thought about this and could only come up with one reason: they know they have to try harder and they want to succeed.
After spending time with these students, it is sometimes difficult to go back and deal with "regular" kids.
It's sometimes difficult to reconcile that here are kids that seem to want to get through school with the least amount of effort while at the same time, there are kids trying their hardest and not receiving the same recognition.
I feel a greater sense of accomplishment working with these students, knowing that they will probably move on with the same work ethic and be contributing members of society.
Rather than handing the kids their diplomas because they showed up and sending them off with a sense of entitlement.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not becoming jaded; I'm far too idealistic for that to happen.
I mean I didn't get into this to become an old indifferent boring dude recycling the same stuff year after year.
Though it's easy to see how that happens.
Unless you work with these kids.
Then I don't see how you cannot be inspired.
It's a different ballgame here in Dreamland.

First Day Back

Today was the first day back at work.
Okay, technically it was the second day, but I don't count the first day for nothing really happens and there aren't any kids yet.
Actually, today shouldn't really count either for I don't have an assignment yet and as a transitional orientation thing, only ninth graders were on campus.
Well there were other students on campus to guide the freshman around so again, that's not really true.
About only having ninth graders on campus I mean.
Sorry no pictures, for that that's like illegal or unethical or breech of the collective bargaining agreement.
Or something.
I did notice though, how peaceful, almost serene the campus was today. Being populated by wide eyed does getting their first taste of the big leagues helps.
Well it was sort of quiet(there I go again!) for the students had an assembly and had to run a gauntlet of made up of upper classmen guides chanting "good good morning!"
I was reminded of my kindergarten teacher on first day.
Not that I remember my first day of kindergarten, though I do remember my teacher.
It was interesting to watch these green peas start to stake out their territory.
Each grade level tends to gravitate to fixed locations; protection in numbers is my guess.
Poor things!
Little did they know that the hallway they had chosen to congregate in is always populated by seniors.
Thankfully, we have a large campus so they won't be homeless for too long.
As part of the freshman initiation, I mean orientation, the school drama club does it's thing and presents a sort of how to act/how not to act show.
Mostly it's "this is high school, grow up" and "avoid seniors and juniors at all cost!"
Valuable advice.
I worked ninth graders when I first started and to be honest, they seem to learn quickly that they are not in Kansas anymore. Whatever sense of entitlement they had back in intermediate school no longer applies so they adjust and walk softly.
Most of them.
There's always a few that want to stick up like nails waiting to get hammered down. I feel like I should advise and inform, but mostly those are the kids who don't get it until they, well, get it.
There is a new regime on campus too; the former principal retired last week and we're expecting a new administrator in a few months.
No easy task for the school is one of the largest in the state, surrounded by public housing and low to middle income families, with a large population of immigrants.
The good part is that most of the kids are good, they just don't know any better.
I guess that's what we're there for.
I enter this year with apprehension.
Don't get me wrong, I like my job, I just look forward to doing something different.
Last year I felt like it was a challenge with very little rewards.
The phrase "spinning my wheels" comes to mind as I felt like there was very little progress made.
Help me Rhonda if I get stuck doing the same thing as last year.
Part of the good stuff is that every year brings different challenges and the chance to make a difference.
In many ways, first day back for me is a lot like first day back for the students.