Random break stuff...

Haven't updated this in a long time. I'd be surprised if anyone still reads this. Anyways...

Went to the gym today, part of my routine. Up to about 60lbs lost since last June (wait for applause). But that's not what I write. What I don't get are the people who get on the subway with a guitar or even worse the people that give a sob story about their lives and want people to give them money. Don't get me wrong, I feel for them, but why burden me with your problem? Shouldn't you seek help? Aren't there enough shelters in the city where you can seek assistance? Or maybe you can get a train ticket out of NYC and find some help somewhere else if there is not enough help here. I don't know, maybe it's because I have a job and don't think of it, then again, if it were me, I could just go back upstate and figure out where to go from there. I would have a support group, so maybe it doesn't bother me. Kind of reminds me of my students, actually...

They expect EVERYTHING for free. Give me an A, I showed up. Give me a good grade, I did your work. Yeah, you kind of did, except you had your ipod out the whole time and talked while I was trying to do the lesson. So, no participation points for you. Day after the storm, class numbers were low and people expected things just for showing up. I know kids are selfish and expect something for nothing, but they need to understand that nothing in life is easy. High School is ridiculously important, and if you screw up in the first couple years, it won't be a surprise when they are on the subway begging people for change.

Of course I offer my help wherever I can. Do I ever get a response? Not usually. Rarely, even. What pisses me off most is the fact that whether or not my kids do well on these exams could be tied to whether I have a job or not. I'd love for them to do well, obviously, and I bust my ass so they have an opportunity to do well. Do they take advantage of it? No, of course not. Half of them still can't figure out that school starts at 8:10am and not 9:00am. Seriously, if you can't realize by February that you need to be at school on time, there isn't much else I can do. I can call home and talk to parents (with the little time I do have for that), but there has to be some kind of personal responsibility. We can't throw it all on the parents. Heck some of these people are probably working three damn jobs just to put food on the table. And some of them are lazy, total reflections of their kids and vice versa. Like it or not, the government is putting this on our shoulders, and maybe that's what frustrates me. I don't expect to reach everyone, but it would make my job a little easier if I had just a little hint of understanding from ObamaBush and Emperor Bloomberg.