Reality.

[Joga]

I've been quiet these last few months. As some of you may already know, I've been student teaching since January. My first 8 weeks were at a suburban middle school - mostly white kids, lower-middle to middle-class families. Really good kids. I taught 7th and 8th grade language arts. I loved those kids. I miss them every day.

Then came the high school placement.

I started at a high school in northwest Nashville three weeks ago. It's 90% black. 50% of the kids have been suspended. A boy and girl recently beat another student ( a girl) so badly that they are suspended until April 7th, pending trial to get kicked out of Nashville's school system altogether. Metro Police do random searches of cars at least once a week.

One girl today told me that her dad has 13 children by 12 different woman. I have a pregnant 10th grader, a 20-year-old senior (with two children), a 19-year-old ninth grader...the list goes on.

We have an AP English class. These are all seniors. These are the "brightest" kids at the school. They averaged an 18 on the ACT. EIGHTEEN. You cannot get into most colleges with an 18, and these are the smart kids. One of these kids got shot in the chest at a party two weekends ago.

And the gangs. Jesus, the gangs. There is a 10th grader who dresses head to toe in navy blue. Every day. He wears a Lance Armstrong bracelet and another rubber bracelet that's blue (Crip colors are blue and yellow). He has gang tattoos. Soooo many of these kids have tattoos that are shoddily done, no doubt, by gang members. There is one kid who wears all red and black (Blood colors) and has a "B" tattooed on his cheek, under his right eye. He is in 9th grade. A mom came to pick up her daughter the other day. The daughter was 14. The mom was 28. The mom had a CRIP PURSE on one arm. Made out of leather. It had gang insignia sewn all over it.

I took these pictures in the bathroom today - for reference, "Crabs" are what Bloods call Crips derogatorily. "Slobs" are what Crips call Bloods derogatorily. GD is a subsection of Crip Nation. A six-pointed-star is a Crip symbol, as is the crown-looking pitchfork thingy. Any symbol with crosses/arrows above it or through it is common gang language:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/jogaspace/DSCN1161.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/jogaspace/DSCN1162.jpg
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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/jogaspace/DSCN1167.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/jogaspace/DSCN1168.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/jogaspace/DSCN1169.jpg

It is scary. It's scarier that I immediately recognize this as gang language now. It is scary that I, this little white girl, timidly walk into a building every day with my cardigan and my lunch box, surrounded by a sea of red and navy blue, praying that nothing will escalate with me in the middle of it. It's scary to know that there are undoubtedly guns, knives, and razors in the same building as me every day, and I just have to hope that no kid gets angry enough to use them.

I will not go so far as to say that every kid is bad, because that would be untrue. There are some hard workers, there are some sweet kids. But they are the minority.

It sucks that I have to do this for another five weeks.

So this has been my year so far. Fun, huh?

[sneakypete]

oh geez, joga, be careful!

My neighbor taught inner city middle school and her student tried to stab her. Luckily, my neighbor was a mean ole bitch that doesn't take shit.

seriously be careful, usually this is where I would chime in with my frustration with the black race, but I don't think it is necessary. Stay alert and don't cross their path. Try to help, but don't go all "The Substitute" on them.

[Bruce]

Yes, be careful Jess-Jess.

And, no. Don't go all "The Substitute" on them. Go all Samuel L. and "187" and them asses. :up:

[Joga]

The worst part is the well-meaning friends of mine who are like "Oh! You should watch Dangerous Minds!"

Oh yes. That would be so totally helpful in this situation.

[sneakypete]

hahaha...as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look a my life and realize theirs nothing left. :what:


the sad thing is...not one of those kids would know that song or where it was from. well, maybe that one 22 year old senior, but only him.

[Jonesy]

Wow, that sounds scary. I hope everything goes well for you over these next five weeks. Keep us informed if you'd like.

[greg]

fuck that noise

srsly

be careful, jess :hug5:

[bleuMadonna]

That's some scary stuff. Hang in there and stay safe.

[jazz]

i have a bad feeling about this, jess.

they just placed you in a different school? you had no say in that decision? :shame:

[Pun'KinG']

Go in blackface and start chucking erasers full of chalk at them until they give you your mad props. :what:


Or just disregard any advice that I ever give and cower under a desk until the bell rings. :hide:

That's what I'd do. :hug2:

[Joga]

i have a bad feeling about this, jess.

they just placed you in a different school? you had no say in that decision? :shame:

Nope. You get 8 weeks in a middle school and what works out to be about 7 weeks in a high school. Beyond requesting a county, you cannot request/avoid certain schools. I suppose the only time I'd be allowed to be re-placed would be if I had a family member at that school, or if a threat was made on my life. Other than that, I'm just out of luck and have to get through it.

[MojoFearsSatan]

Could you ask the Crips why they think pretending to be Jewish in their symbols makes them look tough?

[sneakypete]

bloods use the star. cause they are stupid niggers and each point stands for something stupid.

[... Scott]

I would not even like to guess at any of them.


Jess take care and I hope your remaining time at the school passes quietly and your next placement is a lot better. A school should not double as a war zone and I find that pretty sad. It must be hard work teaching some people who obviously do not want to learn anything but I hope the ones that do make up for that in a small way.

[Joga]

bloods use the star. cause they are stupid niggers and each point stands for something stupid.

The Crips use the six-point star, Bloods use the five-point star. They've even made up little acronyms for, like, every clothing brand, athletic shoe brand, sports team...it's ridiculous.

[sneakypete]

:suicide3:

[Pun'KinG']

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2sYXHRFeJNk/SJUDB2dJnbI/AAAAAAAADdQ/VqoFyOrpHv8/s400/School+War+Poster+1944.jpg

[Joga]

Well, things have officially gotten worse.

A sophomore was murdered on Tuesday night.

He was a Crip, and the guy who murdered him (a 19-year-old former student) is a Blood. It has escalated to full-on retaliation, in the form of an eye for an eye. Yesterday at school we had 20 fully-armed, uniformed police officers at the school to "keep things under control." A girl who is not in a gang walked into school this morning, excited because the guy who had killed her friend was caught.
The suspect's girlfriend was in the same class, and is now out to "take out the bitch" who talked about it. Unfortunately for the first girl, in this case, she's not in a gang, as she now has no protection or back-up from the suspect's girlfriend, the leader of a Crip sub-group girl gang. The girlfriend has a brother and TWO UNCLES who also go to our high school, all Bloods, who are in full-on retaliation mode now too, angry that the girl's boyfriend is going down for murder.

We have high-ranked gang members of both Crip and Blood in our school. A teacher pleaded with them both this morning, separately of course, to keep it out of school. One of those guys has been suspended 64 times. I'm so sure he'll take it seriously.

I'm trying to decide what my course of action should be. This is new territory. On the one hand, I feel that retaliation while in my particular class is unlikely. I wonder, though, if that's honesty talking, or if it's naivety. I kind of innocently think that these kids are inherently good, even in the face of an event that demonstrates a dark world that a lot of these kids are into pretty deeply. Is it totally stupid for me to stay quiet and focused? If it were you, would you try to get out of it? I'm not sure. For some reason, I still feel like I'd be letting some of these kids down.

[Ryan]

I would have been outta there the first day tbh.

[sneakypete]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8LpaxjOPv8I/R__099TkQqI/AAAAAAAAAIw/2-5T2jBV6qQ/s400/1205_how_reach_kids.jpg
How Do I Reach These, Keedz?!


sorry joga, I don't know. I really don't think I have any suggestions. This situation is fucked, these people are fucked.

[Bruce]

Do you have a license to carry concealed?

[greg]

christ, jess, get the fuck outta there. seriously, it's just not worth it.

[Bruce]

I concur. They shouldn't force you to work in an environment when your personal safety is a constant concern.

[Keith Moon]

:gulp:

[paygee]

oh my, which school are you at? i didnt see anything on the news about this. i would so be outa there. it really sucks that some of these kids are good and you should be able to stay and help and teach them without being afraid for your life. and why in the fuck can a kid be suspended 64 times and not be kicked out of school? way to go public school system. :up:

[Bruce]

No child left behind, Paige. Unless they've been shot. :picard:

[Ryan]

/e/

[Joga]

oh my, which school are you at? i didnt see anything on the news about this. i would so be outa there. it really sucks that some of these kids are good and you should be able to stay and help and teach them without being afraid for your life. and why in the fuck can a kid be suspended 64 times and not be kicked out of school? way to go public school system. :up:

I'm at Whites Creek High. It's up at Old Hickory Blvd and I-24 (north of town). It's a combination of poverty-level black kids and redneck kids from Joelton.

[Capt]

how much longer are you going to be there?

thats pretty scary. has there been anything good non-gang related that has happened since you have been there?

[Pun'KinG']

If it were you, would you try to get out of it? I'm not sure. For some reason, I still feel like I'd be letting some of these kids down.

I would probably leave, but it's a dilemma. A part of me acknowledges the danger and is concerned for my own safety; yet another part begs me to just live life and not worry about everything no matter the circumstance. This is your career. This is something you want to do. So, I say embrace the experience and press forward. Of course this rationality only applies due to the fact this a temporary placement.
Fuck long term or permanent under these conditions. :ontome2:

[Capt]

just think about how tame normal bratty children are going to seem after you are finished with this

[phi]

Take care Joga. This is seriously scary shit. Reality, as you said. I understand your dilemma, and I honestly don't know what to suggest. I guess try do what you can while you're there and while you can. Just please take care and protect yourself.

[Joga]

Today I was monitoring the hall/locker bay before 2nd period when the principal came over the intercom and said "Teachers, get students into the classrooms. This is a Lockdown. Repeat, this is a Lockdown."

Lockdowns were put into place after Columbine...whenever there's a security threat, they call Lockdown. Sometimes they'll do drills, but of course I couldn't hope for that at this school.

No, it was a gang fight. 15 Crips jumped one Blood. They beat him to a pulp. Broken bones, hematomas, etc etc.

We were locked down for 90 minutes, and then Nashville PD were there again, patrolling the building for the remainder of the day (I believe).

[paygee]

does your classroom door lock?

[KenKill75]

Does your desk drawer come stocked with defensive weaponry?

[Joga]

We keep the classroom door locked during class. Anyone who comes in late has to knock to be let in.

I got updated on the fight from yesterday. All 16 kids involved, including the one who was beaten, were "staffed out" today, meaning they've all been expelled.

The main instigator of the fight was escorted into the main office by an officer right after it happened, and I guess he had a smug, satisfied smile on his face. Disgusting.

I was also told that the kid was beaten so badly he shit himself in the process. Jesus.

[Ryan]

I was also told that the kid was beaten so badly he shit himself in the process. Jesus.

lmao

[sneakypete]

:lol:

[... Scott]

:what:

15 Crips jumped one Blood.


At least none of them will be at the school again Joga, I was wondering if the school or the kid that was beaten filed charges with the local police as just being expelled from school is a laughable punishment for the assault that was committed.

I hope the kids that are worthwhile to teach continue to be so and the other ones all catch some sort of disease that makes their genitals fall off ...:huh2:...



Ryan ... http://dumb-shit.net:8085/mike/crap/jesusCum.jpg

_:lulz:_

[Joga]

So today during first period, one of the kids started singing "we're brothers..." and the rest of the class chimed in singing "we're happy and we're singing and we're colored!" And I laughed hysterically. A whole class full of black kids happily singing the Wayans theme song at 7:15 in the morning was too much.

[jazz]

the things you have to do to make a buck.

come here, jess :console:

[Joga]

Yeah...thanks Jazz. I hate the fact that I'm paying roughly $5K to sit in this school all day long. Good times.

[jazz]

Yeah...thanks Jazz. I hate the fact that I'm paying roughly $5K to sit in this school all day long. Good times.
so not only do you have to deal with this scum, you have to pay $5k to sit in that school on top of that?

wow. :shame:

:smile2:

[Capt]

happy thoughts happy thoughts happy thoughts

[... Scott]

Pictures of dogs have the power to generate lots of them.

http://koorikoala.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/koala2_1013041.jpg

Take care Joga.

[Joga]

Recently, the auto mechanics teacher had his digital camera stolen from his room. He uses it to take pictures of leaks and stuff like that so the kids can compare broken things to working things, or whatever.

Anyway, on Friday, at the beginning of class, one of his students came in talking loudly to some of her friends. She set her belongings on his desk, including a camera that looked identical to the one that had been stolen. The teacher picked the camera up, and the girl was like, "don't touch my stuff." The teacher ignored her and continued to look at the camera, so the girl grabbed the teacher's cell phone, which had been on his desk. She said "get your hands off my stuff!" and when he refused, she snapped his phone in half and threw it on the floor. He called the security officer to remove her from the classroom, and she started beating on the teacher. He didn't fight back, and she's in out-of-school suspension pending expulsion for assault against a teacher.








Oh, and it was the teacher's stolen camera.

[Bruce]

Anonymous always catches their man. :wink:

[sneakypete]

:shame:

this thread title should be changed to, "lets prove stereotypes are true and shameful."

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2688/shameu.jpg


I am so sorry joga, bless your heart for your patience. I would just walked out or more likely been on the news with jesse jackson attacking me because I would have spoke my mind, which some people would call ignorant and I call 100% observant.

[Bruce]

She never made mention of the girl's race. :whistle:

[bleuMadonna]

I'm trying to decide what my course of action should be. This is new territory. On the one hand, I feel that retaliation while in my particular class is unlikely. I wonder, though, if that's honesty talking, or if it's naivety. I kind of innocently think that these kids are inherently good, even in the face of an event that demonstrates a dark world that a lot of these kids are into pretty deeply. Is it totally stupid for me to stay quiet and focused? If it were you, would you try to get out of it? I'm not sure. For some reason, I still feel like I'd be letting some of these kids down.

It's really hard to decide. I can see you want to believe these kids have some good in them, but they come from such harsh places and having not experienced their world, it's hard to fathom how awful it can be. I see it in Philly, on a less nasty scale, depending on the neighborhood. I have a high school about three miles away that's had several lockdowns in the last few years. The most recent was a gang-related fight that involved 20 girls. I walk by that school all the time and I actually try to get in my walk before the kids get out of school. I've had to walk through large groups of them who refuse to make any room for anyone walking by. They are rude little bastards, imo. But, I don't know their lives, and to be honest, I just keep my mouth shut and walk through as best as I can. Years ago, I might have asked them to move so that I could get through. If I did that now, these kids would likely hunt me down and beat the crap out of me or shoot me. I don't trust most city kids, and that's sad.

[sneakypete]

how are things holding up?

[greg]

smells like updog in here

[sneakypete]

:wah:

[greg]

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/574/byodood.gif

[sneakypete]

:lol:

[sneakypete]

http://www.encircling.us/forums/showthread.php?t=9888