Back to Work

Coming back to work today after only one week of working and then one week of paid time off (for spring break) was not as bad as I anticipated. It was actually quite enjoyable and low-key. Probably because many students from each class were not quite done with their spring break and decided not to show up.

While helping a student with his biology questions, I found it interesting that the review sheet nicely summed up the evolution of species and then gave a one liner at the end about how humans, too, underwent this same process with ancestor species serving as evidence in the fossil record. It made me stop and think about the large jump in logic and reasoning it is to lay out a whole mechanism for animals of various kinds, and then just throw in at the end that humanity followed in essentially the exact same way. You'd hardly catch the assertion unless carefully read and pondered. Such a shame that this lie continues to be assumed as truth and mindlessly taught to students. Education can be so limited, lacking critical thinking or the call to actually examine the facts. Because there are no such human ancestors in the fossil record that prove intermediate stages of evolution in man. But it's stated there, as if it were.

It was also cool to get to talk with the student about different subjects, college, jobs and career goals. One of his questions struck me, "Why do you want to work here?" And it's a good one to ask, especially seeing how in flux the teacher and educational support body is at this school. Nothing seems stable or certain. Just last week we found out a beloved security officer is no longer going to be here because he's been offered a job teaching. It's a difficult place to work I can imagine, and the changing of personnel doesn't go unnoticed by the students. I told him I believe it is a good thing what they have here, giving kids another shot at getting their high school diploma and graduating. Sure, there are the behavioral problems that never cease, but in spite of that, there is great potential to see them succeed and to be content with having played even a small part in making that happen.