Ms. Jackson if ya nasty

Music has always been a tremendous presence in my life and is what I call mental clothing. 

Whatever I'm listening to usually has a reason or emotion behind it. If anyone is ever at a loss for how I feel check my lastfm account. 

I've been playing a lot of Janet Jackson lately. She represents, to me anyways, sexual power and not having to feel incomplete or sad that you don't have a significant other. 

Ariana Grande speaks to the middle school/ high school John who was robbed of a lot of normal social moments and events because I went to a school that tolerated and accepted ignorance and bullying. I'll never know what it feels like to go to prom with your boyfriend, holding hands down the hallway or cutting class to have lunch together at a restaurant but artists like Ariana lets me feel like I know what those experiences would've felt like on a small scale. 

Beyoncé makes me feel powerful and is someone I usually only play when I'm feeling confident and in control. To me Beyoncé is the epitome of power and having it all. 

And Missy? Just cause she's fun. There is honestly no connection of a emotional nature with her music. I just like it and when I play her censored versions of her songs which barely have to be censored because she isn't swearing every other word or describing her female parts. 

I play a plethora of music in my room for the children to hear. I won't lie. 90% of the time I don't think they are even aware that any music is playing the background until I hear a child singing a song I play that isn't on the radio. Then I have a wow moment. 

Music is important on so many levels but diversity of music that is played in the classroom is the key and if you are someone who only listens to country or only listens to rap and can't expand your horizons someone else should be in charge of music. 

I play a lot of different genres. Classical, pop, rap, country, Broadway, opera. 

I don't believe that ANY CHILD SHOULD BE FORCED TO LISTEN TO A PATRONIZING CD THAT ONLY SINGS ABOUT BARNYARD ANIMALS, LETTERS AND NUMBERS. 

There is no educational or cultural value in constantly playing the wiggles or Dr. Jean. 

I believe there is a time and a place for that kind of the music and it shouldn't be on repeat all day. 

So many teachers miss the mark when it comes to musical education. Music can be harnessed to reach out to so many subject areas and can bridge so many intellectual, cultural, and societal gaps. 

I hear all the time “you play RAP?” 

Yes…yes I do. I have students where rap is part of their culture and I enjoy it myself.  Am I playing unedited Nicki Minaj and encouraging the children to twerk? No. There are always going to be artists that no matter how censored they are still wildly inappropriate. 

What I've noticed as the new trend in parenting when it comes to music they are judging it's worth based on how it sounds, not the lyrics. 

Worth It by fifth harmony was over played all summer and the message behind its ok for men to see you as a sex toy if the money is enough. 

I play Paramore and get raised eyebrows…

To teach their own. Personally I don't think children should be limited when it comes to art so long as the parent is a participant and can act as a fair filter. 

Happy thanksgiving! How many native Americans are still living?

I don't celebrate thanksgiving. I don't believe anyone really should given how ignorant people are about the real first thanksgiving because they were never told what actually happened and continued handing down misinformation, like the school system also teaching children partially or completely incorrect information regarding dinosaurs. 

When thanksgiving rolls around I utilize that time to celebrate native Americans. I wish I could I teach them the true story but that would inevitably blow up in my face. Americans in general are so attached to the idea of the symbiotic picturesque first thanksgiving that, when challenged they become irate, treat you like they suspect you of treason or terrorism and can usually only hear every other word you speak/type/ what have you. 

I fully respect other families’ choice to celebrate thanksgiving. Especially when the focus is on what we are truly thankful for.  It's a good spin on a horrific holiday. 

I also fully appreciate the people who could care one way or the other and just utilize the day as an excuse to excess amounts of food. I think the entire portion of the country that isn't in a state of poverty should rethink the eating excess part and instead donate food to shelters and the like. 

Someday, when I know I'm finished with teaching I will tell the truth about the first thanksgiving. I already have to reteach dinosaurs which truly puzzles me. 

How can you tell children information about animals that lived millions of years ago when it contradicts every fact scientists have been able to find. 

Dinosaurs are far from being figured out. Fossils can only tell a person so much. But, until I delved into the world of dinosaurs independently that I found out no one has any clue what color they actually are but I was taught they were colored with earth tones. It seemed plausible so I never questioned this “fact” I was given until I thought about what my teacher had said. Not only did we apparently know what color dinosaurs were but they were all the same color….*crickets*. …*blink blink* wouldn't we need preserved skin to tell us that? And considering skin doesn't fossilize how could my teacher possibly know what color they were or anything about them for that matter. 

I was slowly beginning to realize if I wanted real answers about real things I couldn't take my text book or teacher’s lessons as the absolute. I couldn't trust that, and not in malice, my teachers had the right answer on anything. 

As I'm sure you can imagine this got me its trouble quite a bit with teachers and peers. 

Jurassic Park had come out and on a weekend my mom took me and my brother to see it. I loved it. Still do. But the movie is not scientifically sound. I noted the changes the author of the book, the director, the writers, and the visual effects made. 

I was so excited that when I went into school that Monday I instantly wanted to talk about the movie. 

Well that feeling was quickly deflated when I explained the raptors were grossly enhanced for the fear factor. In the eyes of my peers a movie couldn't be wrong but I sure could!

Many years later I'm still a dinosaur nerd and I finally get to teach children about them and how they are still so much a mystery that scientists have millions more questions than answers. That's what makes it fun. The not knowing and making an educated guess. 

Let me steer this back to thanksgiving. Like I said, I don't practice it. I can't practice something that never happened. But I can teach children about native Americans, their traditions, their appreciation and devotion to nature. If I were to teach about the pilgrims what could I honestly say?

“Well kids some very white people with a sense of entitlement used the native Americans to figure out how to live off the land and once that was mastered decided murdering them, sending them back to family members to be used as slaves, and raping the women the best next course of action. Then, once we thinned out the herd we took everything from them including any and all land so the very white ignorant people could continue to produce more ignorant entitled beasts”

And don't even get me started on Christopher Columbus who's only talent was getting really lost and claiming land that he had no right to and mislabeling the native race. 

Your so gay and you don't even like boys

After many years in the workforce and having watched my fair share of low budget, poorly made videos I have finally been sexually harassed. 

No, not by someone I work with. I work with all women. By a parent, and a female parent to boot!

I'm fairly oblivious when a guy flirts with me and even if I do catch on I usually doubt myself and don't engage. So I'm sure you can see a very obvious homosexual male would never even think a woman would hit on me. But and sadly it happened. 

I so wish I could say this was a joke or that I'm doing anything I possibly can to get attention. But I'm not. 

I was asked out on a date by a female parent of a student that I don't teach. She had it all planned out and told me she even had a babysitter.

Naturally I panicked after it hit me that she wasn't playing a joke on me and my brain quickly shot back with “Oh I'd love to but my boyfriend is getting home from the city and we’re going to spend the weekend together!”.  I'm sure it came out sort of howler monkey sounding but I didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her feel embarrassed that she couldn't tell I'm gay. 

I hold no dilutions about people being able to tell I'm gay. I don't even have to bat an eye lash and people know. I fall into several of the stereotypes: loving Babs and Cher, my favorite color is pink, I wear skin tight pants…I could keep going but I think you get the picture. 

Well I thought I had dodged that bullet until the mother took a small issue and used it as a way to scream at me and almost hit me in front of children. 

Then the texts started coming. 

Not the kind you'd expect either. 

She sent me text after text about how I wasn't actually gay and was pretending to be and what a horrible person I was. 

I didn't respond. I simply sent them to my boss. 

Our Halloween party came and went and, once again I thought the issue was put to rest. 

Wrong!

She sent me more texts like the first one and then started sending me inappropriate pictures of herself. 

Now I wait. I wait for this clearly unstable young woman to call the state on my school and fabricate stories that will be investigated and come to nothing other than a waste of everyone's time. 

Which brings me to another issue I hadn't really considered until today. Why is it that in the field of child care you are guilty until proven? Why do parents always have the upper hand and teachers like me are at their mercy?

Yes I'm aware that the children belong to their parents and by no means am I saying or implying that a parents isn't entitled to their opinion. I'm just baffled by the inequity. 

The way our country handles accusations with teachers is ridiculous. 

If a child should go home and talk about their day with their parents and the child says something that could be interpreted as something reportable why don't parents speak with teachers and care givers first? 

I've been working with children for years and any intelligent parent would talk to the teacher first. 

I've always loved working with children but their cognitive ability to verbally recount the day is usually non existent. For example, every morning I ask the children what they had for dinner. Out of the group one can remember. They now know that I'm going to ask this question yet still don't have the ability to remind themselves to commit to memory their meal. This is age appropriate. 

I guess I'm lucky in a way. It's been a very long time since I've had a parent loath me. I just wish this particular parent had let myself and the educators fully do our job. We are suppose to be a support system for them.

This entire situation is beyond words.  

I will say that if she calls the state on where I work I will destroy her. Where I work now is one of the best schools I've worked at. I know if she does call the state anything she says won't be able to be taken seriously and all we be unfounded. But if you're going to poke a tiger be ready to be pounced on