Pinellas County Florida has uniformed cops flaunting weapons as they patrol the halls. They are stationed in the high schools where they operate out of an office that looks better than anything I ever had as a teacher. What I find most offensive about this is that they have usurped the responsibilities of the counselor.
When I was a high school student, we had hall monitors: not cops. When I was a teacher, there weren't cops in the schools. There should not be any now. Involving law enforcement into a behavioral problem was always the last resort. Bobby Todd brought a starter pistol to class, I sent for a counselor. The problem was quietly solved. It is usually that easy.
If you routinely allow law enforcement for function within your schools as counselors then there has to be negative long term consequences. They are not counselors any more then they are medical doctors. If a student has a personal problem, then that problem should be taken to a counselor, teacher or the school nurse. They will know if law enforcement should be involved. Otherwise, law enforcement should stay out of it.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Teacher or Educator?
According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses). To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
There are teachers.... And then there are EDUCATORS
There are teachers.... And then there are EDUCATORS
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The War Prayer
Mike Mirra, teacher, wants you to think about this.
This is from "The War Prayer" by Mark Twain.
God sends an visitor to a church congregation that is praying for
victory. The visitor says that what they were really praying for
needed to be put into words. He does as written here.
He, in his way shows them how UnChrist like they are.
He then tells them "You have prayed it"
____________________________________________
O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broke! n in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it--for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
Christ said that he who lives by the sword shall perish by the
sword. He said that when the people live according to God's law
they would beat their swords into plowshares. He also said
that the peacemakers are to be called the children of God.
Even the old 'eye for an eye' old testament has God saying
"THOU SHALT NOT Kill"
This is from "The War Prayer" by Mark Twain.
God sends an visitor to a church congregation that is praying for
victory. The visitor says that what they were really praying for
needed to be put into words. He does as written here.
He, in his way shows them how UnChrist like they are.
He then tells them "You have prayed it"
____________________________________________
O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broke! n in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it--for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
Christ said that he who lives by the sword shall perish by the
sword. He said that when the people live according to God's law
they would beat their swords into plowshares. He also said
that the peacemakers are to be called the children of God.
Even the old 'eye for an eye' old testament has God saying
"THOU SHALT NOT Kill"