I'm sure you're tired of me blogging about my new work site, but I can't seem to get over how nice it is to work there in vivid contrast to the previous one.
For instance, tonight we had the annual Harvest Festival. It is a big fall carnival-like thing the PTO (instead of PTA) sponsors. The teachers all must participate (we have three mandatory evening events written into our contracts). So I asked the fourth grade teachers if they'd like to do face painting since I have a bunch of brushes, palettes, and craft paint, and I knew it was fairly easy and you get to sit, too.
We were a hit. I made a poster showing the six designs we'd make (jack-o-lantern, spider, ghost, hippie flower, that "S" from the Stussie company, and a peace sign.) If you set limits at the face painting booth, then you don't get requests for the logo of every sport's team or the skyline of Paris or something else too hard. We had a crowd lined up down the sidewalk and painted our fingers off until the party ended. We were all obligated to stay until 8:30 when the whole shebang was over (including an auction of donated items) and cleaned up.
But--the PTO ordered up deli sandwiches for all of us because we had to stay after school. At the face painting booth, the VP kept coming by and plying us with water and cupcakes (which we were too busy to consume) and everyone in the whole school just had just a great attititude about helping everyone with everything. And the families who came were polite, took turns, all the parents insisted their children thank us for our work...
I love working at a normal school again! I feel sad to know that the kids who go to the school where I worked before are just a small example of thousands of kids all over our country who live in big cities where very few of them are being raised by parents who teach them small things like saying thank-you and taking turns. Instead, they are living in a world where everyone just grabs and snatches because there may not be any left if you wait a turn, and there isn't any social reward for kindness. But there isn't any reason for this attitude. In this nation, there IS enough for all and plenty of ways for it to be accessed. But if no one ever teaches you to be polite and show regard for others and gratitude then you may think there isn't enough. Sad.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
At one of the schools where I work, a teacher told of a fourth grader who announced to her that he didn't need to worry about getting a job, because he knew how to live for free. He then proceeded to name four or five resources for healthcare, housing, food, etc. There is no PTA at that school. The teachers and staff organized a "Fall Festival" fundraiser activity which took place this evening. I didn't go, but I was told that it's pretty amazing how much money is usually raised at this event when nearly all the kids are on free lunch! The children are sweet and polite (mostly Hispanic) but it is sad to see the kind of attitudes they are being raised with.
How can you tell a 9 year old who lives in a car that there "isn't any reason" for his attitude? Doesn't the reality of their lives preclude such an idea? Of course they have reasons for feeling like they do. They aren't just "weirdos" with "weird" problems. They are "people". Problems like generational poverty are far more complicated to just fob off on "bad manners" and "bad parents". Its like you are blaming the poor for being poor so you don't have to feel responsible to help or care. Aren't we all complicit in the world's problems? Aren't we all called upon to care, at the very least?
No, really, my point is that no matter what our physical circumstances are, everyone can use basic manners like saying please and thank you, and taking turns. These little things are what make us a civilization rather than just a mob. And these are skills that must be taught by adults to children because children are, by their nature, entirely self-centered. What is sad is that this small effort--being nicer to one another---could make a huge difference in the lives of many of students because it would lead to a decrease in many of the awful circumstances in which they live: crime, school failure, gangs, retaliation, child abuse, domestic violence. Being polite is contagious. I teach it as a skill by having kids act out the right way to react when someone bumps into them, or some other contact occurs. If it's really an accident then let's learn the way to let that person know you mean them no harm, then tempers won't have to get out of control. Rich people can be rude and inconsiderate too, it isn't a money thing--it's just a consideration thing.
Post a Comment