Welcome to the New Year! I have just realized that I have been stuck in the “asshole of education” for the past 15-and-a-half-years!! And by this “asshole,” I am talking about the juvenile court school system of the Los(t) Angeles County Court Schools. Yes, yes…this is the same system that the film “Gridiron Gang” was derived from (and I hope to work at that particular site soon [and ease into my retirement from education]) – but…nothing…nothing…is assured in this life – and that is why I commit these thoughts to the internet (and my hard drive [which has crashed many, many times {in fact, I had to re-write my resume/curriculum vitae for the umpteenth time today!}]).
Jack Spiegelman came to mind today. And Big Steve C. tried to talk to me today – but we couldn’t connect. They are both incredible writers. Their respective prose styles are worthy of reading. Jack is published; but Steve is not. I…I, try to publish “in this here blog/ or, website”; and, perhaps my meanderings will be read someday – but I know that no contemporary reader is ready for my thoughts (but some day, yes, some day – they just might be).
Lest I forget – I am writing about the “asshole” of education – which is THAT aspect of education that deals with the throwaways of our society: Those folks who are incarcerated and no one wishes to deal with. Yet some agencies feel obliged (and have the financing) to render services to those folks who can’t fit their “roundness” into society’s “squareness.” These folks might be placed into county probation facilities, or, group homes. And I, I have been trying to give some Life Tips to these incarcerated juveniles for the past 15-and-a-half-years.
But these guyz (and an ever growing number of girlz) tend to be schooled in the profferings of our very, very schizophrenic culture – where anything goes! Just tune in, turn on, and drop out! Actually, it is much more complex than this rather trite Learyanism – Hell! We can factor in poverty, class structure, divorce, broken families, drugs and alcohol; and/or, anything that gets in our way as we navigate this gig we call “Life.”
What does one do when stuck in the “asshole of education”? Where the shit comes flowing through daily…copiously…abundantly?? Everybody’s got a “fix”; but no one is capable of changing it. I’d be really passionate about getting things right for these kidz stuck in the juvenile court school system – if I didn’t feel a revolution coming on. And, I know from history – that when a revolution hits – no one has time for mental health shit! It’s kill-or-be-killed! So I will hold off on suggesting any particular remedies for turning incarcerated individuals into responsible, tax-paying workers who might pad my social security (and yours).
Ah well…they say the asshole controls the body – so I feel that I must return to this topic in-the-not-so-distant-future – as so many assholes are running for public office! Rip Van Winkle — I could do with one of your 20-year naps!