This morning my calsses went well, which is saying something because I'm teaching Algebra II/Trigonometry, and believe me, my multivariable equation with fractional radical reduction skills have eroded since I was a junior in High School. However, I let the classes teach themselves...basically let the smart kids teach the problem sets while I corrected obvious goofs, and it went fine. But Karen Vo***att, the REALLY nice woman that teaches remedial algebra next door and has helped me with Math classes many times before came to me right after 2nd period really.. VERY upset.

She had let the kids in her 2nd period class get out of their seats and stand by the door for a minute before the bell rang. Some kid threw a rock at her...not a big one, about eraser-sized, and hit her in the head with it. This is INSIDE the classroom; you get this?. It opened up a little slice in her head...and you know how head cuts are, it bled a lot into her left eye, though it's not at all a serious cut. Get his: None of the other kids would tell her who it was.

I took her 3rd period for about 20 minutes while she calmed down and went to Admin and reported it.

If I'd have been there when it happend, their ears would be burning and that class wouldn't have moved out of that room until School Security took the kids out one by one for some questioning. Karen V. is a GREAT teacher, teaches the hardest math classes in the school and has the toughest students. She's dedicated and prepared................and people wonder why teachers burn out? People blame SCHOOLS for all the problems of society? People...including people on THIS BOARD say "if I had had any good teachers I would *or wouldn't* have...blah-blah-blah."

Maybe you had ONE bad teacher. Maybe you...and the kid that threw that rock today AND the sixteen kids who know who it was but won't "snitch"...had one or two bad teachers..... of the EIGHTY or more you/they have through elementary school Jr. High and High school, yeah, maybe you had one or two bad ones.

That's a pathetic excuse. Over and over and over and over and over again I see dedicated teachers dealing with disruptive students that have checked out, don't care and are in-your-face disrespectful, if not combative. Yet those teachers come to school day in and day out, trying to make a difference, and YOUR teachers were no different. DON'T BLAME YOUR TEACHERS for YOUR decisions. If YOU checked out of school in about 6th grade, if YOU decided not to finish High School, if YOU raised hell in your school that was YOUR decision.....just like that kid today, and the sixteen that won't "snitch" made THEIR decisions today.....and physically hurt someone who devotes hours upon hours of her time to help them.

It's CRAP.