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Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go
into that room with all those kids and fill their
every waking moment with a love for learning. Not
only that, I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride
in their ethnicity, behaviorally modify disruptive
behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and
T-shirt messages.
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I am to fight the war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases,
check their backpacks for guns and raise their self-esteem. I'm
to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair
play, how and where to register to vote, how to balance a
checkbook and how to apply for a job.
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I am to check their heads occasionally for lice, maintain a safe
environment, recognize signs of potential antisocial behavior, offer
advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and
scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others,
and, oh yeah, always make sure that I give the girls in my class
50 percent of my attention.
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I'm required by my contract to be working on my own time summer
and evenings at my own expense toward advance certification and
a master's degree; and after school, I am to attend committee and
faculty meetings and participate in staff development training to
maintain my employment status.
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I am to be a paragon of virtue larger than life, such that my very
presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of
authority. I am to pledge allegiance to supporting family values, a
return to the basics, and to my current administration. I am to
incorporate technology into the learning, and monitor all Web sites
while providing a personal relationship with each student. I am to
decide who might be potentially dangerous and/or liable to commit
crimes in school or who is possibly being abused, and I can be sent
to jail for not mentioning these suspicions.
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I am to make sure all students pass the state and federally mandated
testing and all classes, whether or not they attend school on a regular
basis or complete any of the work assigned. Plus, I am expected to
make sure that all of the students with handicaps are guaranteed a
free and equal education, regardless of their mental or physical
handicap. I am to communicate frequently with each student's
parent by letter, phone, newsletter and grade card.
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I'm to do all of this with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few
books, a bulletin board, a 45 minute more-or-less plan time and a
big smile, all on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food
stamps in many states. Is that all? And you want me to do all of
this and expect me...
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NOT TO PRAY?
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