DEAR ALIZARIN: Highly qualified in gloves and scarf

Supporting beginning teachers receives a lot of money in the school system. Too bad it comes at the beginning of the third year. Two years ago, assigned to a room in the top furthermost corner of the school, as a new teacher with no student teaching experience, not one person, except my students hell-bent on breaking me in the hard way, stepped into my room. Now, after a year and a half of university classes and two years of figuring it all out on my own, I am told I have to sit in a four-hour seminar to help support me as a beginning teacher. I am told to be quiet and polite, as they have paid some excellent speakers. Despite my yoga training, I boil with frustration as I am forced to ‘listen’ to a PowerPoint presentation going over the minimum information about special education in my classroom – information I live each day and paid a good amount of money to learn about in a university course required to get my credential. I went to work at 6:45 am, taught 6 periods of classes, drove an extra 15 miles, and then had to suffer glares as I impatiently waited for the presenters to condescend to us about how important their presentation is for us beginning teachers. Paid speakers and dinners.

Meanwhile, back in my classroom, I am told that the air conditioning cannot be turned off and my thermostat on the wall is for the heating system that will be installed in March. March is still spring, even in Los Angeles, you know, that season AFTER winter. Two years ago, when I was in that building wearing a hat, a scarf and gloves while teaching, I was told that the heating system would be installed in March. Huh? Already, my students are freezing each day. Average temperature in our room is about 70 degrees. Many of my students do not have (or are too hip to wear) proper winter attire. Regardless, I wonder if Arnold or George has to work all day in non-heated buildings in winter. What about you, Alizarin, how do you like writing and reading when you are freezing cold?

I am glad that as a culture we hold education as a high priority.

Lychee