The Joys of Teaching

I should have known that the day was going too well. My Biology class was great and we had a really wonderful conversation about spiders. Then later in the day I had a problem with a student who kept interrupting other students. After several warnings the child spent some time in my office so the rest of the class could finish their lesson.

I almost always get great parent support so when I called the student's parent I expected to be backed up when I asked her to talk to her child about the student's disruptive behavior. Instead of this, she tore into me verbally, repeatedly accusing me of putting her child out of class because the student was black. She had no reason or evidence to support this but it did not stop her. Her voice quickly rose to a near scream as she said that her child was a great student and I didn't care about the education of minorities.

I have always prided myself on treating all students, no matter the sex, ethnicity, religion, or any other differences equally. I told her that I didn't care if her child was black, green, white, or purple. I was calling her for support concerning this student's behavior today which was keeping other students from learning. She kept yelling that I was doing this because her child was a minority. I calmly repeated that color had nothing to do with this, I told her that I actually liked her child and that the child in question was very bright and capable but that I could not allow the type of behavior this child was displaying because it was impinging upon the rights of the rest of the class to learn. At this point she yelled that she was going to call the principal about my actions and if I ever did it again she was calling the school board. She then yelled "I hope you have a wonderful day!" and slammed the phone down.

I discussed the incident with an assistant principal so he would be aware of what had transpired in case she called. Frankly, I have been teaching too long and too well to have to put up with behavior like this from a parent. If she persists I will simply state that if she feels this strongly that this student should be immediately removed from my class.

This parent appeared, at least to me, to have no concern about the effect her child was having upon the learning of the rest of the class. She only seemed to care that her child was, as she put it, 'being deprived of an education' based upon race. The fact this student has a good average in my class is, I suppose, the result of my being so prejudiced against the student due to race. Maybe she was having a bad day or perhaps she has her own issues here but class discipline is a part of my job and I will enforce all rules that have an impact upon the class learning. I kept my professional demeanor throughout though it raised my blood pressure a lot and cost me my lunch time. Most parents thank me for taking the time and caring enough to call. I have always been a firm believer in working with parents to correct behavior. I suppose this will not be one of those cases where it is successful. On days like this I ask myself why I didn't become a bricklayer instead of a teacher. It has its rewards but the rare incident like this one really leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I had to work extra hard the rest of the day to not let it affect my interactions with the other students. It is hard enough to be a creative, dynamic instructor without having these types of roadblocks thrown up along the way.

The St. Johns County, Florida Police

Hello all,

I'm sitting here watching a Queen in Japan concert on DVD and I feel a lot calmer than I did a few days ago. I was going home from work last week and I made the mistake of trying to pass a bus that was moving slowly and stopping every minute to let off kids. There was a double yellow line coming up so I sped up to clear the bus just in time to have a deputy drive towards me. I was pulled over and was courteous as he wrote me a ticket for $88. It was stupid on my part to get caught that way since I know the police around here are doing all they can to hand out tickets. They have speed traps everywhere and trail cars on the busier roads here constantly. Thank goodness I have never needed the police recently because they all seem to be out trying to make money for the county. Anyway, I sent in the money for the ticket the next day. Two days later I got my check back from the county clerk with a letter thanking me for my promptness. It followed this up with the statement that my check did not cover the fine because the deputy had "inadvertently put the incorrect amount on the ticket. It seems that the fines have doubled since 2006 here. This wonderful piece of information was followed by the usual threat that my license would be suspended if I did not pay the fine in a timely manner.

I sent in the check with a letter expressing my disgust with the clerk's office, acting in conjunction with the sheriff's office, in this matter. Even if the fines have doubled, which to me is a blatant attempt to get as much money as possible for their coffers, the act of an officer who has been apparently writing erroneous tickets for the past year and the utter gall of a clerk's office that would respond in such a manner is the height of idiocy. Since 9/11 we have given away many of our rights and have allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of by officials who could not care less about us and who have little ability or desire to "protect and serve". This mild mannered teacher was finally pushed by this incident to complete outrage. I rarely get angered but the few times in my life that I have, there has been hell to pay.

I sent an email to the sheriff's office basically saying the same comments I sent the clerk. A sergeant responded formally to me that the state sets the fines, the clerk can not change that, and the officer's mistake would be discussed with him. He sent copies to his superiors. I imagine they get a handful of letters like mine every week so I am not satisfied that anything will actually be done to rectify this. I am out an additional $80 dollars and the officer in question will probably never even hear about this. If I had done something of this magnitude I would possibly be out of a job and at the very least would have to apologize for my stupidity. What do you think the chances are of me ever receiving an apology? Less than that of me becoming a millionaire. This guy has possibly been doing this for the past year since fines were increased by the same greedy state bureaucrats that, Lord help me, I elected.

Since I received my ticket I have on three occasions been trailed to and from work by our illustrious local police. They rode up on my bumper within 5 feet each time and followed me over 10 miles. When I slowed down by 10 mph they would not pass on an empty road but stayed right on my rear. Gee, do you think they knew I had gotten a ticket recently and wanted me to panic at the closeness they were driving to me and speed up so they could pull me over and give me another ticket? How cynical you all are! Of course they must have had excellent reasons for trailing so closely with no lights or siren and not passing. I added this to the email I sent to the sherriff's office and received the response that it was illegal and against office policy for them to do this (sure it is!) and that I should get a car number and notify them so they can take corrective action. I believe it is just another sign of the complete and utter disregard with which the local police in my county view citizens. They see us as just money machines they can milk at every opportunity for as much as they can get. Now I guess I am the one being cynical but after the "mistake" that doubled my fine and after the additional harassment I have received I think I have a right to be just a little bit cynical.

I believe that when one makes a mistake one should atone for it. I did this in good faith only to find that the idiotic mistake and actions of others has cost me more. You know, it's not even the money as much as the principle of fairness they have violated and the feeling I am being taken advantage of by a petty government that does not work for me but against me. The further attempts of their officers to get even more money through obviously dubious means just heightens my complete lack of respect for them.

I have been naive over the years. I usually felt that the police were there to protect the people and not to gain as much money as possible. I was stupid. I was so naive and shocked that I did not even think to get a car number when these incidents occurred last week. More stupidity on my part. If anything, I was more ignorant and unthinking than the officer, the clerk, and the entire bunch of officials whom I am upset with. I have been passively allowing this type of garbage to happen until it hit me between the eyes. No longer will I be silent. I intend to post letters to the editor in the local papers and to show the world through a video on YouTube and other means just how we have let these people attack our values of freedom and democracy.

You might ask why I do not go to court to fight this. For the same reason that most people don't. It would cost me much more to adequately prepare a case and take off work than the value of the fine. The police know this and that is why they can be fairly certain their "mistakes" will not be challenged. I already have to take off one day to visit the cardiologist and one day for the regular doctor. I will not cheat the kids out of teaching just to satisfy my passion for seeking individual redress, though I could probably win. I think I can do much more to attack this issue of fairness and justice by attacking the sources through legal means of expressing my views in print and on video and informing others to wake up. Someone has to stop this and I am willing to do my small part. I was wrong to speed, in spite of the circumstances and the probability that he was looking for an easy ticket to hand out, but I have been even more wrong to be silent as outrages like this one take place every day.

I know you are possibly wondering what this has to do with you. Well, your own police forces, airport security officials, local politicians, etc... may be doing similar deeds. If so, get up off of your butts and do something about it! We pride ourselves on honesty, integrity, and freedom and we are letting groups trample on all three of these values. We dare not say anything because of being "unpatriotic" or of being cowed by authority and afraid of retribution. In my email to the sheriff I told them that if they wished to continue their harassment on the road exactly where I would be and the times. Next time I will do better than get a car number. My video camera will be with me at all times and the local news staffs will get copies of our wonderful police in action.

I know there are some police out there who are sincerely honest, intelligent, considerate, and who are actually trying to help others. Unfortunately our systems seem to drive most of those people out of professions such as law enforcement over time so they can maintain a sense of integrity. It is much the same way in education where we have our own types of stupidity. When law enforcement pressure officers to increase their ticket quotas (though of course they will deny this every time) this is not consistent with the morals and sense of ethical fairness of some officers and they leave if they can do it financially. It is the bureaucracy that promotes these types of actions that I despise and that I will fight from this point on. As one of the Silent Majority I will be silent no longer.

Also, if you ever come down to our beautiful town of St. Augustine and travel through the area, please be advised that speed traps and overzealous ticket givers abound. Travel at your own risk and don't expect too much in the way of competence if you ever do deal with these people.