Fall Break? Who's watchin'?

Some teachers and staff in this great country of ours get a break about now. In our district its called "Fall Break" because it happens-you guessed it, in the Fall; although, Fall in Phoenix just means you can try to switch over to your evap cooler.

People make comments about teachers. "Oh, you're so lucky, you get nine months off in the summer and ten weeks off at Christmas (staying politically correct and not wanting to hurt any of those Tibetan Buddhists who have converted to Judaism but still pray five times a day, we now call it 'Winter Break') and now you guys get a week off in the Fall and one in the Spring. Geez, I wish I had your job." Yeah, well, we wish you had our job too sometimes. What do teachers and support staff do with all that time? We do a lot of the same stuff you commoners do. We see our therapists wishfully, while we're at some cheap happy hour.

Some of us teach your kids that still, in high school, can't read or write beyond a fifth grade level. Whatever we do, we've got to get them to pass the state graduation test-in their tenth grade year. Yep, that didn't make any sense to us either. Oh, and if your child is SPED (receiving special education services) they have to take the same test. But don't worry, they don't have to pass the test, but the teachers and school will be taken over by the state if they don't. Teachers are accountable for the child taking and passing the test just like the rest of the regular kids. Wait, it gets better.

The refugee kid that happens to be old enough to be a sophomore but yet, might never have seen a school, let alone the English alphabet or shoes, guess what he has to do-yep, pass the test his tenth grade year. The kid that can say "Okay Joe, waddya know? Want tickets to the picture show," when asked to write an essay explaining what he would change about the American way of life? He's the head of his class. in the mean time, what did we do with that kid who talked to us about his family being evicted and he has to work the late shift at Fry's to buy Top Ramine to feed his little brother and cousin?

First of all, we don't get nine months in the summer, its only eight and the Winter Break is only two weeks but we get tickets to fly anywhere in the world. But the breaks at both ends, nope, don't see them.

NOW, shut up and pour. I can still feel my lips.