I'm slowly building my patch work cape.
The one I will wear when I am super-woman-avenger-of-all-wronged-children.
Got my degree.
Taking meaningless courses that rack my brain.
Moving to Australia to earn one more piece of paper.
All Patches.
Come back and start my crusade
To stop all these kids from getting screwed up
By a system that chews them up and spits them out.
Everywhere I turn.
Something new to piss me off
Some days I want to take all the patches
And throw them away
Move to PEI
Live a simple life
Raise a family.
Forget the crusade.
Feist wrote a song "mushaboom"
Paints me a picture, a dream..
That I want to rip off the wall
And climb right in...
Helping the kids out of their coats
But wait the babies haven't been born
Unpacking the bags and setting up
And planting lilacs and buttercups
But in the meantime
I've got it hard Second floor living without a yard
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay
Old dirt road
Knee deep snow
Watching the fire as we grow old
I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done
How many acres how much light
Tucked in the woods and out of sight
Talk to the neighbours and tip my cap
On a little road barely on the map
Old dirt road
Knee deep snow
Watching the fire as we grow old
Old dirt road
Rambling rose
Watching the fire as we grow
well I'm sold
The one I will wear when I am super-woman-avenger-of-all-wronged-children.
Got my degree.
Taking meaningless courses that rack my brain.
Moving to Australia to earn one more piece of paper.
All Patches.
Come back and start my crusade
To stop all these kids from getting screwed up
By a system that chews them up and spits them out.
Everywhere I turn.
Something new to piss me off
Some days I want to take all the patches
And throw them away
Move to PEI
Live a simple life
Raise a family.
Forget the crusade.
Feist wrote a song "mushaboom"
Paints me a picture, a dream..
That I want to rip off the wall
And climb right in...
Helping the kids out of their coats
But wait the babies haven't been born
Unpacking the bags and setting up
And planting lilacs and buttercups
But in the meantime
I've got it hard Second floor living without a yard
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay
Old dirt road
Knee deep snow
Watching the fire as we grow old
I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done
How many acres how much light
Tucked in the woods and out of sight
Talk to the neighbours and tip my cap
On a little road barely on the map
Old dirt road
Knee deep snow
Watching the fire as we grow old
Old dirt road
Rambling rose
Watching the fire as we grow
well I'm sold
4 Comments:
This weekend I had dinner with a friend who is a first year elementary teacher in a tough school district. After hearing about ten-year-olds being expelled from school, I can imagine how tough it would be. I mean, EXPELLED?! I can see a ten-year-old having discipline issues but I can't wrap my head around such a young child doing something so bad they would be booted. Please don't give up on your super-woman-avenger-of-all-wronged-children cape.
do it for the kids and karma will get you your house. it will work out.
As melliferous said, it IS hard to wrap your brain around a 10 year old with such extreme behavior, but, they're out there. I taught elementary one year, 7-10 year olds, and some had some behavior that is hard for anyone to imagine. And this was an out of district placement, so they had already been removed from the public school. The thing that I find unfortunate is the fact that in 99% of the cases, all it took was a 30 second conversation with the parent to see why the kid was as out of control as he or she was.
It's not an easy thing that you're doing. I lasted 5 years, then I was done. Like, DONE. The being stabbed thing was it for me. I had made my living as a performer for a number of years, and still performed in Atlantic City while I was teaching during the day...I just felt so blessed that I wanted to give back a little. That's one of the reasons I taught special ed. We were also foster parents for a while, I worked as an advocate for at-risk teens to help them function better in a dysfunctional family, and I tutored mentally retarded adults who were in an independent living program. I don't do any of that anymore. Done.
Now, I teach voice and acting, perform, and work as an advocate for a group in NJ that helps parents fight for their rights in special education. I advise people of their rights, what services their child is entitled to have, and help make sure that everything is included in the IEP that is needed and provided by law. Still a way to give back without being stabbed and burnt out at the end of the day.
I give you all the respect on the planet. I know how hard your job is.
Miss Knit, if you try to save everyone you'll wind up disillusioned and disappointed. It's like trying to fill a seive with water.
You have to learn to be happy with helping the few placed in your charge.
Also, you can only do your best. It's not all your responsibility and you can't force them to improve.
I worry about people in the helping professions experiencing burn-out because the problems seem so overwhelming.
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