Merry Christmas from the right-wing teacher

The Right-Wing teacher has been in a bit of a malaise since the election, but things are looking up. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and Healthy, Prosperous (not over-taxed) New Year! Look for more posts in 2009!

Only in America

Only in America, can public school teachers who have job security, great benefits, and multiple weeks of vacation... complain.
Only in America, can a guy whose biggest claim to fame is helping Saturday Night Live get dismal ratings... stand a chance at representing Minnesotans.
Only in America, can a war veteran who risked life and limb protecting our freedoms in Vietnam... be criticized.
Only in America, can pro-abortion candidates...adamently oppose the death penalty.
Only in America, can a guy who orchestrated bombings of the Pentagon & New York City Police Headquarters be friends with the President-Elect.
Only in America, can a candidate whose campaign accepted millions of dollars directly and indirectly from a Public School Teachers' Union openly "diss" a school staffed by said teachers and choose to send his own children to a private school... and not be criticized.
Only in America, can a young, inexperienced, largely untested, albeit good-looking man with positive qualities like: great public speaking ability and likability...run for and WIN the Presidency of the United States, position of the Leader of the Free World! Only in America. . .

Tough Week in Review

This is how it went for the right-wing public school teacher during what was (quite possibly) the toughest week of 2008.

Sunday
Started the day with church, 8 a.m. if memory serves. Prayed selfishly for a McCain victory, but made a deal with God that I would respect the victor, whomever that might be. Also asked God to hold our country in the palm of His hand, safely, during any time of transition. Offered up prayers of thanks for my health and the health of my children. (See Tuesday and Thursday)

Monday
Went to school with a spring in my step, convinced that the rest of the electorate would take the next 24 hours to put their heads on straight, decide that they didn't want to be called "selfish" for desiring to keep their hard-earned money, and would be overwhelmingly leaning my way by Tuesday. Went to bed on Monday night suspecting middle child had something wrong besides a low-grade temperature.

Tuesday
During breaks in between teaching, bounced down toward the office to and from my mailbox (in my sporty "Elect to Give Blood" free shirt from last blog) several times to reassure myself that the VERY conservative community in which I teach had a good turn-out. Polling place is in our entrance hallway, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the young, 20-something female poll watcher. I knew she would report any fraud that ACORN might throw our way. During the aforementioned breaks, was able to turn on the Chinese-made radio in my room to Rush, and other local conservative talkers. This gave me mixed signals, as exit-polling data had not yet hit the wires.

At home later that night, dealt with the now VERY sick child diagnosed with a treatable yet nasty throat ailment. Somehow managed to hear the words, "Fox News is calling Ohio for Barack Obama." I then became sick too.

Wednesday

Took the day off for the many ailments of said child and said mother in her clinical depresssion. Pulled myself up by my bootstraps realizing that luckily my profession is quite recession-proof. Offered up thanks to God for that, but realized that if our new President-Elect still plans on raising taxes, if he plans on redistributing to people like me, I want no part of it. I'm already riding on the coattails of other hard-working Americans. With a nice set of vacation days coupled with a helluva retirement package, not to mention Cadillac insurance plan.

Thursday

Wept when I heard that "Marty!" from Sean Hannity's show had passed away. Thought the itch in my eye was from the tears, but unfortunately, realized it was the beginning of pink eye. After 24 hours from the election fall-out, realized that my building had gone back to being non-partisan, non-political, and avoided the few radicals with whom I share no values, for fear they would stop me at the water cooler and lead with, "So how 'bout that election?"

Received two emails from old friends, both male, who have such deeply held religious views. Now THIS my friends, was a radical "change". They both sent such reassuring and comforting words regarding this all being part of God's plan. They reminded me to offer it up to God. This released a heavy burden off of my shoulders.

Friday

Medicines kicking in in the house.

Surmised that this MIGHT be just what conservatives have needed to be conservative again. The "kick-in-the-pants" if you will. It gives Sarah some time to polish her politics of reform perhaps outside of the great state of Alaska. It gives us two years to let the American public see just how much things will change for the better by being taxed to the hilt, regulated, and talked down to. Finally, it lets the new faces we will see on many local and state levels have two years to try to radically impose their liberal left-wing agendas. All the while, the public will be screaming for a change back in the right-wing direction. The American public is paying attention and taking notes, are you?

You Callin' ME "Selfish"?

I'm REALLY steamed! How dare Barack Obama call the likes of me, "Selfish". In one day, yesterday, I did more acts of charity than his running mate did the last 6 fiscal years!

I started by setting my alarm on a non-teaching day at 5:50 a.m. in order to make it to the blood center to give blood at 6:30. I then, selfishly, went to get a haircut which I had put off for 3 weeks due to making sure it was in a subsequent pay-period so my kids could eat.

Next, I stopped at the post-office in order to buy more postage for mailings I needed to get out for a charity sporting event I am organizing in early 2009. That was 6 bucks I'll never see again.

By 9:45 I returned home to rake the neighbor lady's lawn since the house of the 86 year-old has remained vacant for the last six months. This begins the seasons of upkeep. My husband will resume his regularly scheduled "shovel-everyone-else's-property-like-there's-no-tomorrow" routine when the first snow flies too.

Then, I realized that if the stats are correct, Joe "I'm so damn condescending" Biden, had only given about $600ish bucks to charity last year! Next, I flipped on the tv to find tape of "The Messiah" being played back and him spouting off something about how if I'd like to keep my money and THEN decide where to charitably give it, I am practing, "The Virtue of Selfishness"???? GIVE ME A BREAK! My husband and I gave over 5x more than "Joe the politician" last year, and I am certain our income was easily 5x less! These people should stick to what they do best: hang with their friends at free-trade coffee shops and read the NY Times. Get out of the rest of our ways!

My Nerves May Get the Best of Me

Long time, no blog.
I've been known to have a rather Type-A personality. My family sees it, my friends see it, my students, Lord knows, see it frequently.

I am not sure why, but lately, I'm more keyed up watching my nighttime docket of political pundits than I am teaching prime and composite numbers to kids who still haven't learned their multiplication facts.

I am trying to find some sort of balance this weekend with a steady diet of Corona Lights and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups thanks to my kids' trick-or-treat buckets.

If I could just take my mind off of the election while at home, life would be so much less stressful. I hope that work will remain status-quo... on Monday. This means that no one will broach the subject of politics. People will exchange Halloween party stories, and smile and giggle. This might be a good thing to calm my nerves. Monday night I may be sent into full-blown panic mode... and well, Tuesday night... there are always Corona Lights.

I Know How Joe Must Be Feeling

The final Presidential debate produced a new star, Joe. He's a plumber, in case you hadn't heard.

When beginning my blog about a month and a half ago, I DID think about my desire for anonymity, fear of being "found out". Occasionally, I might be critical of fellow faculty or administration here.

Poor Joe, he called out good old Barack on his socialist views the other day, and now his world is being turned upside down. My impression is that Joe can take it. I hope so.

I don't know if I could. I'm pulling for you Joe! When it gets to be too much, just start a blog on which you can vent-like right wing teacher did!

Phone Calls: Short and Sweet

I'm going to make this short and sweet on this beautiful, crisp, fall day in America.

I've been up since 5:15 due to little ones tossing and turning in their cribs, but also because I've been thinking of student "C". Student C comes with a past history of academic and behavioral struggles. In terms of behavior and participation, he's actually off to a great start, and I truly enjoy him.

Academically with responsible follow-through is another story. Well, last week, or was it two weeks ago, word broke (from him) that a parent is dying of cancer and has 2 years to live. Now, as that parent, wouldn't it behoove you to actually PHONE the school yourself and mention something like this: "Hi, this is Mr./Mrs. C, I just want you to know that I've been told I have a short while to live, and you might see a change academically and/or behaviorally in student C." ????

I thought that might have been a good idea, as I am still wondering how truthful C is being to our support staff. But I digress... three examples of lack-of-follow through occured yesterday. I need to make a quick phone call to let Mr./Mrs. C know about it today, a sunny, mild, crisp autumn day.

After sleeping on it, waking up to it, I'm ready for what might be an eye-opening phone call. In a public school, it takes all kinds.

A Tale of Two Types of Schools

I teach in a public school... this you know.

One of my children does not attend a public school. This is due in large part to my own history of schooling as a child. This is also due to religious convictions. Said child will attend a public high school soon enough.

In the meantime, I am left constantly comparing child number one's experiences in school with my own daily happenings.

Last week, things really got interesting. In an off-school-grounds-but-close-enough location, a sizable mob of kids at my school decided to beat the living daylights out of another student. By this, I mean that one student was doing the physical, and the angry mob took care of the emotional. So traumatic for the victim, but also for me. I was the lucky one to stumble upon it as I tried to drive home. So you can imagine my tasks.

What horror, how disturbing! I haven't been able to let it go.

Compare that with eldest child's experience today. A mixed-age group went on a supervised field trip. Ages 14 on down to 4. My husband was fortunate to have chaperoned...by fortunate, I mean for him and for my son. He came back with tales of two schools: At said field trip, the sometimes-sassy 8th grade boy was hanging out with nicest 6th grade girl, while all were looking out for the well-being of Junior Kindergarten rambunctious boy. This pattern continued as he observed the inner-dynamics of the kids from this school.

How refreshing... how sweet, nothing disturbing about it. If only my school day last week had been that innocent.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

Now that the crazy days known as the "beginning of the school year" are mellowing out a bit, and I've had time to think.

I've got that "to-do" pile almost "ta-done". I'm generally ready-to-go with a plan for the next few weeks of teaching. I'm caught up on emails.

Emails, that's where I've done some thinking. Just before the first week of meetings, paperwork, and directives, an email was sent to me from an acquaintance co-worker.

She's nice enough, but a militant lefty. I mean militant! At work, she generally doesn't have a great track record of attendance says the rumor mill. But we all have faults, and mine tends to be a lack-of-caffeine induced short temperament, so I can look past others' imperfections if they can live with mine.

But in catching up with email, I recalled one of the particularly busy days that I was deleting and reading messages like a mad woman. I had received one from the co-worker, but didn't take the time to decipher if it came from her external/home account or from inside our place of employment. If it were the latter, holy smokes, she could have been frying herself!

The email went on and on about how "moveon.org is so great", they're looking out for my best interests, blah blah blah. Something about how horrible it would be for peoples' birth control to not be covered under insurance or something like that type of dribble.

First, I thought to myself, "Boy, she's assuming my political leanings and taking a real chance that I sympathize and agree with her." Apparently the gossip grapevine doesn't stretch to her end of the building. She hasn't yet caught wind of my party affiliations.

Second, I was burned up that someone would have the balls to be so bold to my work account. This is irregardless of whether she emailed it from home or her classroom!

Finally, I weighed my immediate need to "cleanse" myself of junk email vs. "Is this the hill I'm going to die on?" type of mentality. Did I want to "nark" on a co-worker for this? What if the shoe were on the other foot, and I was emailing the staff about my "Pro-Life" legislation? Something tells me a little birdy would mention it to the powers that be, and I'd be exercising my Weingarten rights faster that you can say "Sarah Palin."

I'm disappointed once again in myself, I shoulda fought the battle. Had the timing been right, I woulda, but regardless of the conditions, timing, and situation... I really coulda. There's really no excuse I can offer up.

As a conservative, in a liberal's world...there are a lot of battles I can (could) fight daily. I guess one small victory today was in telling these "powers-that-be" that I think a particular field trip we are forced to go on each year is a waste of time and money. I was looked at like my head was spinning around, but I did it!

It will take a lot of these little battles for me to stop kicking myself for not calling out the leftist emailer though. I'm finding that I need to take on each and every battle if I want any chance in hell of winning the broader war: the war against allowing liberal thought to go unchallenged daily.

We Were "Clinging" Alright...

Barack Obama turns his nose up at people who who cling to their religion. Well, I was fortunate to be among the "Clingons" tonight.

I am already dreading the day that is sure to come soon. . . the day I will walk into my teachers' lounge only to meet face-to-face with some sort of Obama '08 poster on our union bulletin board. In one word, "eek"! Or is it "ick!"

A few months back, Barack made some snide remark to a San Francisco audience about small town people clinging to religion and guns. Words to that effect. It bothered me at the time, but since I no longer consider myself to be "small town", it didn't get as under my skin as it should have.

Well, tonight, it's official, I'm fired up! Our extended family faced a sudden death of a close family member, and I dragged two of the little ones up to my hometown, feeling a sense of obligation to pay our respects.

The deceased had lived a changed life the past few years. In her early days, she loved the sailors, a good party, and was a real rabble-rouser. Two husbands and four children later, her ailing physical state landed her in this same small town to be near grandchildren.

How did her change come about? She looked to the Latter Day Saints Church to help her in a grave time of financial and spiritual need shortly before saying goodbye to one of her own children during his own health issues and subsequent, all-too-early death. The outpouring of support from these perfect strangers changed her.

I learned a lot tonight. About her, about the goodness of people, and about my own, flawed self.

She lived with little means for a long time. In fact, she relied on government assistance for health care. I found myself harboring a sort-of grudge about this lately. I did not "see" her "doing" things to "earn" this benefit, so I resented that my tax dollar paid for it.

Things changed when her friend spoke this evening. A long-haired greying woman in a conservative dress humbly spoke of her dear friend's outreach to those in need of spiritual guidance. She told us about how in the LDS church, teams of women visit and make certain that fellow women are taken care of spiritually, emotionally, and physically. The deceased was doing what she could while on earth to minister to others with needs different from her own. I, of course, didn't SEE this, so I didn't BELIEVE it was happening.

There were dozens of friends from varied lifestyles & walks-of-life whom she had touched, but there was not a dry eye in the place as she was eulogized by three heart-warming speakers.

Although very active in my own faith, the LDS exemplified those who truly cling to their religion, and, in the case of the deceased, sort-of saved her. No, they really saved her. And, in turn, she probably saved others relaying her own past life experiences.

If that's what happens when people stick to their "guns" (pun intended) on religion and faith, then I say, "Hallelujah to ya!" The good done in our fine country has a lot to do with the type of person who isn't flashy, lives among a semi-rural population, might not wear the latest trends, but listens to one's heart and acts in a selfless manner.

God-forbid he become our next president, I hope Senator Obama will realize that he needs to represent them as well. He had better start respecting them soon. There are a lot more small towns that huge metropolises!

Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Teachers' Lounge

A strange, strange thing happened last week.

One of my "union goons", as I call them (not to their faces of course), stopped me in the hallway and inquired about my past association with the teachers' union.

See, in the past, I've been all sorts of things: President of my university's student Education Association, building representative to our union, member of the negotiating team for the contract, and then "Fair Share" member.

I'm sure that this caught fellow teachers who saw me check that little box off guard. After all, I had been the advocate they had relied upon for many years.

Now, by checking that one little box, my status (as I understand it) moved to "protected by union and paying for what I need to" status. In reality, I really never saved money or paid less in dues, but felt a heck of a lot better letting the NEA know I object to things it stands for like giving money to Planned Parenthood.

Every year that I checked the little box declaring my "Fair Share" status, I received a packet of legal documents outlining budgets seemingly larger than Fannie Mae or Freddy Mac. I'm a mom and a teacher, a wife and a volunteer. Apparently I was expected to wade through the numbers and let them know exactly which expenditures I objected to. To be honest, I was unable to wade, unwilling to devote the time... ran it by a tax attorney friend, and he was equally disenchanted with the absurdity of it all.

Back to the co-worker. He asked me what my position was all about. Did I save any money? What did my status exactly mean? etc. I filled him in on what confused me, what my reasoning was, what I had the patience to actually do about my positions (to this day, a personal failure as a conservative). He was all ears. Said he agreed with me on so many of my political convictions.

I am still in shock. The NEA nor our local associations do not advertise the fact that many of us object to their platforms. Of course not. Without our money, their anti-school choice, pro-dump money on teachers candidates would not win elections. If anyone has any help, any names, any organizations that give me guidance on fighting this David vs. Goliath type of battle... I'd gladly take it! Right now I have to go correct papers, pack lunch, and check that little box on my registration form.

The "Elephant" in the Room

I'm the elephant in the room. I'll admit it.

Most of the people with whom I work know I lean way right. Many of the people I work with agree with me on many of my convictions and principles.

The problem is that these same people choose not to engage me in conversation on such matters, but to talk about inane topics such as sitcoms, party plans, and their kids' sports. BORING!

Thank goodness, a former colleague in the same district shot me a quick email today: "Does 'Palin' in Inuit mean, "What glass ceiling?" Thank God for her! Wish there were more like her.

What a perfect week to raise a hoopla about being a conservative in a liberal's world! With the likes of Sarah Palin, rising star in the Republican party, telling Barack Obama off in not-so-many-words...how can this not be watercooler talk? Oh, that's right, one would have to turn off the sitcom and get out of the mini-van in order to watch the hoopla during the week.

Coming Out of the Closet

As a public school teacher in a blue state, it is assumed that one's politcal leanings are left of center.

This blog will chronicle frequent if not daily stories of the reality that is being a conservative in a liberal world: the microcosm of a public school.

In my college days, I leaned WAY left. I even have a picture of myself with my arm around Al Gore. My husband always threatens to use it on a 40th birthday cake someday. Things turned around for me once I began to work in the public school setting. I saw that as long as no one in charge of you was inconvenienced by you, you were left to your own devices.

My phrase for many years to quantify the lack of supervision and oversight into my daily job by my superiors: "I could be on my fourth week of my 'Devil Worship' unit, and not one person would know." It's almost scary how much power we can wield from our positions, so I take it very seriously, and make a concerted effort to do a good job educating kids, always.

Part of the motivation behind this blog came yesterday. I bumped into a student whom I taught 15 years ago this week. He was the eldest, a nice enough kid. . . from a really crummy dad. The poor mom was doing her best to hold it all together. In subsequent years, I taught another younger sibling of which there were four.

I saw this young man yesterday, working! He was smiling, productive, seemed happy enough. He knew me, I knew him. We caught up a bit. I expressed to him how truly happy I was to see him looking good, doing well.

These small, infrequent success stories are what keep me going. It most certainly isn't the majority of uninformed, liberally indoctrinated grown-ups who either work alongside or work as my superiors. I am "out of the closet" on my political ideologies with most of them. This makes those with opposite views treat me as a sort of joke. They kind of laugh me off. That's fine.

Now don't get me wrong, because there are others like me. They just haven't come fully out of the closet yet. They prefer to not get involved in partisan bickering, in debate. I understand. On top of the day-to-day work of education, such debate would further drain an already nearly empty gas tank.

My husband is to blame for me "coming out". It is he who was patient with me during the lefty years, but he must have seen promise. He knew that I would eventually come around.

After we lost our first baby, I came to some conclusions: 1) This is a sad time. Everyone is expressing their sympathies to us. 2) If this is sad, why is it not sad, bad, and wrong when women do it on purpose ?(abortion) The emotion of this pivotal event in our lives stirred up some deep-seeded right wing convictions that my upbringing instilled in me, but I had ignored during those college years.

Shortly after this event, lots of other work-related, social, and other personal experiences helped convince me that at-heart I was a true conservative. I believe in helping hands, not hand-outs. I believe that hard work and determination can carry you through tough times, but that excuse-making and indifference will not. It is these principles that I carry to the classroom.

At this blog, you will read about how that goes for me.