A Spooky Day in School

On Halloween, 31 October 2018, I went (on my bicycle, as usual) to Cascade High School to substitute for the Family & Consumer Science (Home Ec, rebranded). The mid-morning health class was 15 or so students, to whom I read the sub notes-- answer 4 questions and then begin watching & taking notes on a film they would finish the following day. 

The first students finished clearly hadn't proofed their work. I handed them back, wrote corrections for the main errors on the board:

1.      “your” is possessive, “you’re” means you are

2.      Check spelling of ex(c)ercise

3.      Caps, periods and commas

A student protested, “Ms. McDermott, this is Health class, not English.”

I protested back, “Every class here is English. English is your native language. . .here I noticed a student who might be a Spanish speaker and said, “or maybe it’s not. . .”

            She cut me off screaming, “You’re such a RACIST!”

            Meanwhile, a student began videotaping me. I continued passing back papers, insisting everybody check their sentences for errors, meanwhile, the Screamer hollered, “Fuck you!” and said she was going to report me to the principal. Which she did. Mr. Vander Lugt and I had an amicable discussion about it later in the day.

            On the 19^th of the month I received an oblique letter from him informing me he had “visited” with the students and informing me he was taking me off the sub list. No rhyme. No reason. I phoned and requested a meeting to discuss it.

            In that meeting he told me I a parent had come to him with a videotape that students were sending around as a way of ridiculing me and he “didn’t want me expose me to it.”

            I agreed I was not interested in going into a classroom where students have cell phones. He also revealed that I was removed from the Epworth sub list but no reason was given either when it happened or then.

Clearly, what I am guilty of is 1) teaching English, 2) being a standards’ bearer and 3) coming from the 60s. There is much palaver about tolerance and diversity, but what is not tolerated is a 60s-style teacher who does not befriend kids, but sees her role as upholding standards. American students score behind many developed nations. Business is crying for H1B visas, 1 in 6 doctors in this country was educated abroad and no one seems to question any of it. I will be asking the W.D. Board about (see the following post for questions) all of it.