Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Animals are easier than Kids.

Slight off topic blog today.  I am a teacher as well as a would be (wannabe?) homesteader.  I teach in a charter school, which attracts the less traditional student.  This is not to say they are not bright (we had one of the two National Merit Scholars for our Island last year), but they are iconoclastic.  It is also true that most of the Big Island does not have door to door mail delivery, but I am absolutely astounded at the number of students in this school don't know their mailing address.  I live rural, and I can guarantee you my kids know their mailing address and PHONE NUMBERS!  One kid had to pull out his cell phone to see his OWN CELL PHONE number.  I am sorry.  This is appalling. 

It made me upset that my principal said, first, that the kids shouldn't be expected to know their mailing address because they were PO Boxes - and then when I replied that my kids did, certainly by grade three, he asked,"Do you want your kids to be like these kids?"  Again, appalling.  

It is bad enough that I need to make up all my own curriculum without benefit of text books.  That I have to buy binder paper with my own money because about 40% of my student regularly show up to school without any supplies and my school is so underfunded that they will not buy us binder paper supplies. 

Feeding and mucking out and trimming hooves, giving shots - even digging up new garden spaces is easier than dealing with teenagers some days.

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