Irene's Weblog

This year was quite tough, particularly the second semester. The students just didn’t seem to want to be there and I wanted to kick a lot of them every day. It wasn’t just me. It was happening in the entire district. So, there is always a graduation thingy for the 8th graders on the last day. This year, there was a talent show, something I didn’t want to go to, but had to because it’s my job.

I was going to write a scathing review of the talent show, but I’m tired, so I’ll keep it short. I hate poetry readings and I hate dancing. Every portion, therefore, that included either one sucked.

I also had the unfortunate luck to be standing next to the female janitor. She ran her mouth the entire time the ceremonies and talent show were going on. If you’re going to be that disrespectful, leave the fucking gym already.

The video presentation was better than last year, but there was something wrong with the transitions between photos on several of the pictures. Still, it was nice to see most of the kids in the video instead of the clusterfuck from last year that was a showcase of 10-12 of the same kids over and over.

One thing that I didn’t like was that there was no recognition, other than on paper, about the seventh graders who took the ACT test through the Duke University Talent Identification Program. There were four students who qualified for the program and one who made it to the Grand Nationals. These kids should be recognized for the great achievement they made, but, unfortunately, we live in a time where sports players are deemed more important. I don’t care. These kids are going places in life while the sports stars will just get fat and old and no one will care what they’re doing.

They’re begging for crumbs from the table. Despite the fact that Nebraska’s education performance, as well as teacher pay, is abysmal, the Gering teachers eagerly clamored for the crumbs that were offered to them.

“It’s (contract negotiation) a planning process, it’s stressful,” Hague said. “As a district Gering is doing great stuff and teachers are the front line. We want people to be adequately compensated.”

Until you put your money where your mouth is, it’s all rhetorical bullshit.

“They approved $850 to be added to the base of $30,000 for a total of $30,850,”

If teachers only worked 40 hours per week, this works out to be a $0.44 per hour raise for new hires. Apparently, this is adequately compensated. I’ve had bigger raises working in fast food.

Nebraska is last in the nation – 50th – in the percent of state revenue supporting public schools. Nationally, 47 percent of the funding for public schools comes from state government revenues while Nebraska state government provides 31.4 percent.

Nebraska teachers rank 42nd nationally in average salary at $44,957, lagging the national average by more than $9,375. Just three years ago, Nebraska was ranked 38th.

In Nebraska, teachers make 21 percent less in weekly wages than their four-year college graduate colleagues, and more than $6,000 less on an annual basis.

Teacher pay continues to drop, yet, at least teachers in Gering, continue to accept the lower pay or move on to better paying teaching jobs. If this continues, you will see a further reduction in quality teachers in Gering and those that are just “happy to have a job” will take those positions.

The average starting salary ($29,067) for Nebraska teachers in 2008-09 ranked sixth when compared to average starting salaries paid in contiguous states. Nebraska trailed Wyoming ($40,658), Iowa ($35,508), Kansas ($32,094), Colorado ($30,799), South Dakota ($29,987), and ranked ahead of only Missouri ($28,960).

You are not going to lure high quality teachers to a position that pays far less than the national average. Those that are teaching in Nebraska will end up moving to districts in other states that pay more and have the same relative quality of life statistics. It’s not that hard to recognize.

The problem, however, is that many in the state are happy to see the teachers leave. They don’t care if class size increases and they don’t care what educational programs are reduced or flat out eliminated.

If you want to do something before it’s too late, Think Smart Nebraska has made the job of writing to your elected officials an easy task. You can write a letter or sign a petition. But you must act now, before it’s too late.

It’s a fact that the Gering teachers union isn’t going to stand up and make a fuss. The teachers in the district demonstrated that by approving the latest budget. While not all the teachers voted for it, there were enough that compromised that shows they won’t stand up for what matters. Next year, when the budget takes until April to be settled, you can be assured that the Gering teachers will, again, let everyone walk all over them and accept the measly crumbs that are tossed their way.

This morning, we had a sheet of ice covering the roads when we got up.  Paul and I left five minutes early so that we could avoid the morning traffic.  Our normal twelve minute commute took thirty-five minutes.  We spent most of the drive doing 5 MPH.

On the way, the local radio station contacted the guy in charge of roads for the county.  He said that he was stuck at home in Mitchell and had not spoken to anyone from his work yet, but he assumed the roads were just as bad in Gering and Scottsbluff.  This was at 7:05am.  This guy even had the balls to say that he might not put salt on the roads if he thought the salt trucks would be in danger. Meanwhile, everyone else in Gering and Scottsbluff was on their way to work, trying not to wreck their cars.

Well, isn’t this just fucking nice?  I pay taxes so that my city will be safe, but, you don’t want any trucks damaged so the rest of us can go fuck ourselves.  This is the city’s job.  They are supposed to be out before anyone else gets up, ensuring that the roads are clean and safe to drive on.  Instead, I got to witness three spin outs, one stop sign runner, and two cars slide up onto the sidewalks.  None of these cars were speeding and I doubt they were doing more than 10 MPH.  The roads were just that bad.

Once I got to work, I discovered several things.  The buses were late as well.  Several buses had to stop because the roads were so bad.  One bus slid into a fire hydrant.  The last bus arrived just before 1st period ended at 9:05 AM.  Teachers were talking about how bad the country roads were.  Most of the country roads are unpaved and were worse than the paved roads in town.  This is because the ice was on the gravel on the road.  There’s nothing like trying to drive over icy pebbles without flipping your car.

More injury reports came as well.  One teacher slipped outside her house and fractured her skull.  She’s being kept in the hospital at least overnight.  Another teacher slipped and fell down his front steps, causing him to injure his back and several fingers on his right hand.

As of 8am, none of the roads had been cleared.  The city, most likely, will use the jackass excuse that the sun had started to melt the ice by then and that’s justification enough for not putting the salt trucks out.  The superintendent should have called a two hour delay.  It would have been totally justified.  He didn’t though.  I suspect it had something to do with the rumored contest between the Scottsbluff and Gering school superintendents over who is going to blink first and cancel or delay school.

So, we got to have a morning where thousands of lives, many of them young school children, were placed in danger so the city could save a few bucks.  The excuses will abound.  They’ll all be bullshit.  They always are.

Four days ago at work, I was in study hall helping a student. This particular student asked me if I had ever been in a situation where I liked a guy and a very good friend liked a guy. I told the student I had. She asked if it sucked and I told her that it did indeed suck. She asked me which side I had been on and I said I had been on the side of not being the one to eventually date the guy. She said she was currently on the other side and didn’t know what to do. That’s when things pissed me off.

I managed to get out a, “Well…,” when the teacher in the room, rudely interrupted me. This is what the teacher said.

“You should just go home and pray over it. If you pray, God will tell you what to do and if it’s meant to be, then you’ll stay with this guy.” The student was stunned by the response. I’m not sure if it was the rudeness of the fact that the student was talking to me, not the teacher, yet the teacher butted in anyway, or if she was shocked at the advice. The teacher continued. “Just pray over the matter and God will sort it out. Your friend will be okay if it’s God’s will for you to be together with this boy.”

I was livid. I really wanted to say what was on my mind, but I thought better of it. I can’t afford to lose my job, but I was angry at being shoved aside as if my opinion didn’t matter, despite the fact that the student chose to speak with me, not the teacher about it. I was angry because telling a student to pray about a situation and not give any useful advice is reckless, especially given the fact that the teacher just assumed the student’s religious beliefs. I was also angry as this places me in a hostile environment in which to work. I was angry because speaking about religion in such a manner is not permitted in an educational environment.

I already know that I cannot go speak to my boss because I will not be supported in this manner. I was extremely uncomfortable about the entire situation from the point the teacher butted into the conversation until I removed myself from the classroom.

I chose instead to simply walk out of the room. Yet, a weekend has passed and I’m still irritated by the entire course of events. Did I do the right thing? I’m not sure. I still have a job, but I hate working with this particular teacher more than before and I have to work in this classroom every day. I may just have to make a request for a move to another building next year or see if there’s a way to not work with this person.

I know I should just let it go as ignorant people shouldn’t be worth my time or getting angry over, but it does bother me that people are allowed to say such things without repercussions or consideration of others.

I work with homophobic and close-minded people.

The public school system is tolerant of everyone, except gays.  This allows the myth that there is something wrong with gays to be perpetuated.

I can’t speak my mind as freedom of expression and opinion aren’t allowed unless administration agrees with it.