My letter to the NYT and WP...open letter to GWB...want my vote? DO THIS

[greenbriar]

President Bush,

The question has been asked; how can George W. Bush earn your vote? Do you really want to know? I am more than happy to tell you. I am a schoolteacher. I teach in a school with more than 80% on free or reduced lunches. WE have multiple gangs thrust in my school and daily we have to purge the walls, desks, and textbooks of graffiti. We have multiple gang fights daily. Kids don't care about school in fact, when they do come they see it as opportunity to further advance their gang cause. Just yesterday I had three gang symbols carved into my tables, a pot plant drawn on my door and a member of the gang Crips tell me he wasn't my fuckin puppy when I asked him to pick up the trash he had thrown on the floor.


Our building was built in 1953. It is all brick and most of the school has no air conditioning. With four fans in my classroom and all the windows open, the indoor thermometer indicated the temperature was 124 degrees at 2 pm. Kids can not concentrate in these situations.

You want my vote? Come teach in my classroom for three day with no secret service to protect you should you have the need to step in the middle of two 200lb members of opposite gangs. Follow my script to meet the standards you are so proud of. And since each teacher receives only one box of copy paper to last the year, you have to bring your own if you plan to just give them worksheets. It is better to have interactive lessons, but you have to keep them quiet because it is so hot in our rooms we all have to keep the doors open.

Do the hallway duties required to prevent someone getting murdered. Just yesterday, a little scrawny boy was slammed into the corner of an open locker and bled down 2 hallways and required 15 stitches in his head. He will not name names, so we have no idea who did this to him. Passing period is quite exciting. I am sure your hawkish attitude will enjoy it.

If at the end of those three days, you survive and actually agree to fund schools better, or even find a way to provide just my school with air and better supplies, and do so on a national level, you might have my vote.





(never in my wildest dreams would I even think he would do this. He will never get my vote, but hey its a cool concept. He would NEVER last...he would shit his drawers and run)

[rfranklin]

1. He practically wet his pants at the convention when that woman...

jumped up and started yelling at him. He looked more scared than a gray squirrel trying to cross I-80 at rush hour.

[napi21]

Very good letter! Doubt they'll print it though.

Would you please tell me where you teach? What State? I've certainly heard some school environments were bad, but I never heard this bad.

[greenbriar]

4. kansas

.

[delete_bush]

5. Surprised to hear the Crips

are in Kansas. Which city, if you don't mind?

[RoBear]

6. I taught 2 years in middle school

in Wichita (Hadley). Worst experience of my life!

[greenbriar]

7. why do you say that???

I can't see middle school being as bad as high school

[yardwork]

2. Excellent letter! I hope they publish it.

[clydefrand]

3. My heart goes out to you.

I taught for 32 years, but I've never had to teach under the conditions you describe except the heat and humidity before the school finally got air conditioners. I know there must be similar situations as you describe in the city nearest me. The children and teachers are cheated while the rich can send their children to the best schools in the country. And they don't give a damn about whether the masses get educated so long as they get what their money can buy.