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Right now, as I type this, I sit in the Communist Factory otherwise known as KIPP. One of the leaders (or so he believes) teaches Government. The level of annoyance he produces daily is unreal. He constantly violates personal space and has a lack of social intelligence. He carries around a miniature composition book scribbling away names and check marks as if anyone really cares. The situation now is that two of the six students in his government class (notice this is a small number because everyone else would have rather taken Sociology than his class any day of the week) turned in a rough draft to a stupid essay. Two weeks passed, and these essays were not given back. Finally, today he has found one of these students essays but couldn’t find the other one, which is so awkward because both of these students turned in their essays at the same time on the same type of paper. And he refuses to take responsibility for losing the essay and instead expects the students to rewrite the entire essay.
It’s teacher like this that intensify students’ hatred for KIPP. Not only do we have to deal with a fake high school but we have to deal with fake teachers. And when I say fake, I don’t mean what you call the girl who ‘stole yo’ man’. I mean fake as in high school and teachers shouldn’t be this way. The way our school is and the way the teachers act is so far from the norm that it doesn’t deserve to be called a high school and these people who reign over the classroom definitely don’t deserve the title of a teacher.
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Anonymous asked: What do and don't you like about your school, KIPP? I am a concerned parent, that would like to put my children in KIPP. Do you feel KIPP gives you the feel of a really high school? Do you wish you could attend another KIPP school? Are there other schools, that you have visited, that you would rather attend?
 thedeltachronic replied: KIPP is obviously unlike any other highschool. We don’t have an actual highschool building, rather we attend school in “modular buildings” or trailers as most students call them. And even besides that, the highschool experience at KIPP differs vastly than any other school. Some of the teachers are not really qualified. The lunches are pathetic. The students can be unruly at sometimes. And overall the school is just ridiculous with its strict rules.
When it comes to hiring teachers, KIPP seems to value where the teacher graduated from more than whether they actually meet the criteria needed to become a teacher. Thus, the teachers come off as not really caring about the students, rather they care more about getting their loans from undergraduate school paid off so they can continue with their careers.
It’s actually kind of sad because KIPP used to have some of the best teachers who actually knew what they were teaching but slowly these types of teachers became extinct and were replaced with these other generic teachers (if you can even call them that).
In this town that I’m in, my high school options are limited. It’s either KIPP or Central. Enough said.
I just wish everyone in my high school could get the real high school experience. Maybe then, they’ll change their close-mindedness. Maybe. |
Q:So, what are your thoughts on the amount of power given to teachers.
A:Honestly, the teachers have no power. Unless you mean how they relentlessly hand out detentions or pester over small issues like uniform, there’s really no power to be had as a teacher.
I think the teachers do usually take these small privileges they are given to an extreme but I think that stems from them not actually having any powers so what better way to feel powerful than to take advantage of the little things they’re given than to over use them. I know in Anatomy, at least 30 detentions are given out each day and the teacher of course thinks ‘Oh, if I give them detention, they’ll see I’m serious and listen to me.’ But actually, it shows a sign of weakness. Rather than send a rowdy child to the office to be reprimanded, the teachers constantly threaten students with detentions.
What teachers fail to understand is nobody really cares. Literally, nobody cares! And the fact that they think we do, is laughable.
In all high schools, I feel like there is a totem pole. At KIPP the totem pole is as follows: Mr. Shirey at the top, then Mr. VanDeWalle, then Mr. Dixon and Ms. Graham, the teachers and finally all of the students. The teachers aren’t given much power, seeing as how they are directly above students in the totem pole. But the way they see it, they may not be at the top, but they’re still above us, so why not show everybody that by yelling at students for not wearing the correct color socks or missing a button on their shirt or for laughing at a joke that the teacher probably laughed at too.
There lies the problem. How do you deal with all of this abuse of power even though there’s really no power? That, my friend, is something you must find out for yourself. But you can find comfort in the fact that you will graduate very soon, so shout to the heavens singing songs of praise! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we’re free at last!
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“We are born in an unjust society and we are determined not to leave it as we have found it”AICUF (Source: offlineblog.net)
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Anonymous asked: What are your thoughts on allowing upper-classmen to dismiss early? Even if it was only one day a week, I feel that upper-classmen should have the priveledge to leave campus early! Thanks!
thedeltachronic replied: Hey there! :D
We totally agree with you on this end at the very least we believe that the upper-classmen should be able to leave school even if it is just once a week. Why? Well because most of them happen to have study halls last period anyway and only continue to stay at school because they’ve been told leaving would be counted against them.
A ridiculous rule in our opinion but what can you do? The administration says they’ve enforced this rule because grades are low and students should use the time to finish work and get better understanding on things that give them trouble. We retaliate, how can we do this if we have silent study halls and aren’t allowed to leave or ask teachers questions? It makes it impossible.
As a student that waited for their senior year with so much anticipation to not even be able to use my seniority and leave school when appropriate I feel as if I have no privileges at all. So in a nutshell MOST DEFINITELY!
-The Chronic |
Anonymous asked: My friend is openly gay and he touches me sometimes at school. Mr. Dixon does not allow him to hug or touch me, however. He is not interested in women, so why is he not allowed to touch me?
thedeltachronic replied: Buenos Dias!
From your question we’re going to assume that you’re a female and that is where your problems lies.
Currently at the K.I.P.P. we have a no touching rule in affect, whether you agree with it or not unfortunately it is a rule. So it’s actually not that Mr. Dixon believes that your friend is attempting to touch you inappropriately but rather that he doesn’t want him touching you at all. Whether he’s gay or not has nothing to do with the issue.
If you recall there have many incidents where heterosexual (“straight”) males have touched males perhaps in passing or greeting. Though it was completely innocent they have still been reprimanded by the establishment; and don’t think that it’s only with guys, girls receive the same treatment. Even I have a story of a female friend and I simply walking around with our arms linked. Scolded we were; and told to stop touching immediately.
But then who knows maybe he’s just jealous your friend has female friends and he doesn’t :D
-The Chronic |
Anonymous asked: Hello guys. I currently attend this prestigious school and I have always wanted to ask one question. This question is…. Why do the teachers, staff, and some students prey on the innocent bystanders students and incriminate and literally destroy them?
thedeltachronic replied: Hello there!
First of all, let me say that I believe the word “prey” is a bit too much for the context that you’re using it in, but beyond that we understand what you’re essentially asking.
Of course we don’t fully know the answer to this question, but we believe that it’s due to the strictness of KIPP’s rules at the moment. Though many teachers have expressed their concerns with having to administer punishment for rules they themselves don’t believe in, what else are they to do?
In a sense, dear anonymous, it’s almost like slavery. Just as slaves were brainwashed to fear their overlords, they believed that they could make no change towards their own betterment. This is exactly what’s happening here. The teachers [slaves], though aware of the ridiculousness of their situation, carry out the administrators [slave masters] wishes because it is their job and there is really no way they can turn down their massah’ without being ‘whipped’.
Thus they incriminate and destroy the students they came to serve. Maybe you should talk to some of them about how you feel. Even if it causes no change, at least you’ll have gotten these things off of your chest.
-The Chronic |
