“Here, why don’t you have one,” he said, pushing one of his assorted tote bags toward me on the conveyor belt. “My wife has so many of them we can’t fill them all.” I demurred. He insisted. Grocery Shopping Husband (GSH) struck up a conversation with me in line at checkout in way that felt so Old Normal. It’s been years since any interaction felt so normal.
I'm so glad you write. Your show is a pleasure to watch in part because you're so good at it, but these periodic doses of your mind into my inbox throughout the week are their own special source of blessing. Thank you for writing.
I almost hate to ❤️ this because the school content makes me steam! What utter crap! It hasn’t been good for awhile, but this is pure abandonment of the mission.
Wow. When I was in High School, anyone who dared to assault or even threaten a teacher would only be given "wiggle room" by the cops who arrived to arrest them if the cuffs they applied had been clamped too tightly around their wrists. I did actually see a male student who threatened a female teacher at the beginning of my final year there being arrested, too. They never set foot in the school again.
As someone who has worked as a teacher's aide at my local primary school I heard several horror stories about life as a teacher in the US. I think that the fact they are paid so poorly is largely to blame for the indoctrination problem you now have, because so many of the people attracted to the profession and post to social media now seem to come from an upper middle-class background - real Great White Saviour material. I can tell that many of those sanctimonious libcuck types come from an ultra-privileged background. They feel a literally religious devotion to spreading the "good news" about their Gender Jeebus. An understanding of mathematics is largely learned early on in a child's scholastic career, as I'm sure you are aware. Looks like esoteric religious beliefs have been the chief focus in far too many public schools for quite some time.
Teachers are very well paid. They throw money at us to put up with all the problem kids they refuse to expel. Teachers leave anyway because no amount of money justifies abuse.
Correct. The Vermont schoolteacher I know best earns almost exactly the same salary I do. As she gets better benefits and summers off, she in fact is paid a great deal more for each hour of work. And the state paid for her master's degree.
Oh, okay. Sorry. My mistake. I will be sure to politely ask any ex-teachers who make such assertions how long it's been since they were last in the classroom in future!
It would appear to be an assumption some may not have cared to correct me on in the past (for whatever reason).
The last 80 + years of Marxists dreams and plans for the evolution of their global ideological ed necessitates removing the “sage on the stage” from the classroom. While “educators” Are being simultaneously propped up as narcissistic demi-gods, they are also being made unfit for purpose via SEL/DEI policies. As a rule, their narcissism inhibits them from seeing how they are being made superfluous.
Fomenting narcissism among the ‘educator’ population is deliberate. ( Fomentation of narcissism everywhere is a 100 year plan , it relates to the study of the Authoritarian personality and Frankfurt School, but that’s a topic for another day.)
The Marxists long term goal is to render teachers a thing of the past so that “ educators” become “ classroom facilitators”. Mere warm bodies that distribute the laptops to children in the classroom so that the closed loop algorithmic curriculum can safely indoctrinate w/o fear of any human interference.
Im so glad you had the sane interaction with the GSH. I had a similar experience at the dog groomers yesterday. The staff were so kind and friendly I left thinking I should have tipped even more than I do and next time Im bringing them cookies too. LOL. Its amazing what a little courtesy and kindness can do for the soul.
I can relate to both jobs referenced in this post. First off, I was one of those teenage clerks, and I learned a LOT about how people want to be treated and how they don't. I will always be grateful to my first job for teaching me how to count back change correctly, and for my second grocery clerk job which taught me what true customer service is.
Secondly, I have been describing these exact school horrors for at least two years to people in my life. A lot of people really don't believe kids can get away with what they can get away with, unless they see it with their own eyes. Districts refuse to hold students or parents to any sort of behavioral standard, so academics are an afterthought. Rather than requiring punctuality, respect of authority, and follow-thru on assignments, public districts bend over backward to accommodate families who care not one bit about education, and use the school system as free babysitting.
I hope to God this kind of lunacy, no....mistreatment..abuse in schools is not happening to my grandchildren. I honestly don't know if it is but every time I bring up questions regarding their schools I get happy talk about how great the kids are doing, and how much they love school and their teachers.
Occasionally I share videos or articles with them about the deplorable state of education, and my concerns about the rampant sexualization and forcing deviant life-style choices, like transgender and all the LGBTQ etc inclusion junk, in the classroom. I get nary a response. Before the oldest started school, I tried to convince my son and d-i-l to homeschool, but they wouldn't consider it. Fortunately, they take their parenting responsibilities very seriously so I think they have a good understanding of what is going on in the kids classrooms. I don't believe they would stand for the kind of behavior you describe, and I read a lot about, in the classroom and still choose to have the grands in a government school. The fact is, they probably are pretty well insulated from a lot of the crap going on primarily because they don't dwell on the internet, social media or t.v. and they aren't heavy socializers. Jobs that don't dominate every minute, home and family are their primary pursuits.
I like hearing about your experiences in the world of human interaction. I just wish the unpleasant ones were not so darn typical. We are a culture in decline, though, and most of it is intentional, brought to us by the hard-left progressive ruling class takeover of the government, corporate, educational and cultural institutions. They want total control over us, and they've nearly succeeded. Conservatives seem willing to endure until the only option left will result in a destructive backlash. We can't run away from the sickness of the world.
In the 6th grade, we had a male teacher that was conducting a sexual relationship with a 12 year old boy. There were not enough math books for even half the students in the class. That same teacher spent $3000 dollars (1975) for a giant ball that was made in West Germany. He also had the school buy expensive audio-video equipment that there was no use for and would take it home with him to use on the weekend. That teacher had a strong personality and dominated all the other teachers and the kids thought he was really cool. Absolutely nothing was learned in that school as it was a circus every minute of every day. There were some nice working class Catholic families that sent their children to that school that had no idea what was going on. Probably, couldn't even imagine it. I did school refusal and never finished the 6th grade. I got my education at the library.
You need to be watching like a hawk. You need to go down to the school and meet all the teachers and while being polite make sure they understand you are watching like a hawk.
Awful! It makes sense that schools would be a magnet for people who prey on children, especially when teachers unions protect the teachers at all costs at the expense of the children. You are absolutely correct. Parents must be involved and vigilant with an understanding that they are sending their children into zones of risk at all levels. Make unexpected visits to the school/classroom at random times of the day, and become a known presence so that teachers and staff know that you are watching.
At 17, I went into Job Corps and they sent me to Montana where I was able to get my GED. For years I never talked about what happened at that school because I thought it impossible for anyone else to understand. I figured it was a lower socioeconomic, white, rustbowl, 1970s Massachusetts thing that no one would believe.
Over the past decade or so, it has become apparent this sort of thing was going on all over the country during the 1970s and 1980s. I live in Hawaii and some of what has come to light here is really extreme, with some of it happening at expensive private schools. Big bucks have been paid out over it but it is never explained how something like this could go on as it did and people did absolutely nothing to stop it. Time and again people did nothing to stop it and that’s what bothers me the most.
I admire your courage in going through the checkout line, Josh. I have used only self-checkout for as long as they have existed. Those computers are stupid too, but at least they can be overridden.
I do remember a number of times going through checkout and having the person say some incorrect number. My response was always, "That can't be right."
"How do you know?" they ask.
"Well, this is $3, that's $4, and the other things are $2 each. So the total need to be near $11, not $20."
"Oh. [beat] I'll run it again."
Occasionally they would argue with me. But mostly they had no confidence in their mental abilities. Whenever I'm asked "How do you know?" in one of these situations, I'm tempted to respond, "How do you *not* know?" My late father called this "number sense". Some people have number sense and some people do not. This might partially be a response to their education and might partially be innate. Similar to spacial awareness. My Dad and I navigate by maps. We loved maps. We'd pour over maps together. If my Mom or my sister were lost and had a detailed map with an X marking where they were and another X marking where they wanted to go, it would be hopeless, like Egyptian hieroglyphics.
You *could* help the situation with the young cashier. Rather than offering instruction on how to do the math or whatever, you might just offer a cheerful stress reducing remark. eg "ugh, I always screw up the math when I try to do it in my head. I sympathize.", or "Don't worry. I'm just trying to get out of the house for a while anyway. No rush."
This is not a "I teach you arithmetic" moment. It's a "you and I share humanity" moment.
This has actually been going on for a while. The first time I saw a student hit a teacher was in 1973 in the 4th grade at the Dyer School in Whitman, Massachusetts. I was completely flabbergasted. The first three grades, I had gone to other public schools and had excellent teachers. A few years later some kids set that school on fire and burnt it to the ground. That sort of thing is largely a reflection of what is going on in the home and varies a lot by community as birds of a feather flock together. I think it has become much more widespread over the years. 1970s Massachusetts was a harbinger for many of the ills that afflict modern society, particularly in the lower socio-economic rusted out towns.
I'm so glad you write. Your show is a pleasure to watch in part because you're so good at it, but these periodic doses of your mind into my inbox throughout the week are their own special source of blessing. Thank you for writing.
I almost hate to ❤️ this because the school content makes me steam! What utter crap! It hasn’t been good for awhile, but this is pure abandonment of the mission.
Wow. When I was in High School, anyone who dared to assault or even threaten a teacher would only be given "wiggle room" by the cops who arrived to arrest them if the cuffs they applied had been clamped too tightly around their wrists. I did actually see a male student who threatened a female teacher at the beginning of my final year there being arrested, too. They never set foot in the school again.
As someone who has worked as a teacher's aide at my local primary school I heard several horror stories about life as a teacher in the US. I think that the fact they are paid so poorly is largely to blame for the indoctrination problem you now have, because so many of the people attracted to the profession and post to social media now seem to come from an upper middle-class background - real Great White Saviour material. I can tell that many of those sanctimonious libcuck types come from an ultra-privileged background. They feel a literally religious devotion to spreading the "good news" about their Gender Jeebus. An understanding of mathematics is largely learned early on in a child's scholastic career, as I'm sure you are aware. Looks like esoteric religious beliefs have been the chief focus in far too many public schools for quite some time.
Thanks Lida. Yeah, it's bad here.
One correction, and it's important.
Teachers are NOT "poorly paid." This is NOT true.
It's something we all repeat because "it's always been true."
The same way we still reflexively repeat the idea that "nurses are poorly paid."
This is objectively, factually, not true.
This matters. This is NOT because "we don't value teachers enough to pay them."
Most US teachers make a comfortable middle class salary. My teachers, in my generation, were underpaid.
Not these ones. Do not believe this.
Teachers are very well paid. They throw money at us to put up with all the problem kids they refuse to expel. Teachers leave anyway because no amount of money justifies abuse.
Glad you made that correction. I was going to but you beat me to it.
Correct. The Vermont schoolteacher I know best earns almost exactly the same salary I do. As she gets better benefits and summers off, she in fact is paid a great deal more for each hour of work. And the state paid for her master's degree.
Oh, okay. Sorry. My mistake. I will be sure to politely ask any ex-teachers who make such assertions how long it's been since they were last in the classroom in future!
It would appear to be an assumption some may not have cared to correct me on in the past (for whatever reason).
The last 80 + years of Marxists dreams and plans for the evolution of their global ideological ed necessitates removing the “sage on the stage” from the classroom. While “educators” Are being simultaneously propped up as narcissistic demi-gods, they are also being made unfit for purpose via SEL/DEI policies. As a rule, their narcissism inhibits them from seeing how they are being made superfluous.
Fomenting narcissism among the ‘educator’ population is deliberate. ( Fomentation of narcissism everywhere is a 100 year plan , it relates to the study of the Authoritarian personality and Frankfurt School, but that’s a topic for another day.)
The Marxists long term goal is to render teachers a thing of the past so that “ educators” become “ classroom facilitators”. Mere warm bodies that distribute the laptops to children in the classroom so that the closed loop algorithmic curriculum can safely indoctrinate w/o fear of any human interference.
Im so glad you had the sane interaction with the GSH. I had a similar experience at the dog groomers yesterday. The staff were so kind and friendly I left thinking I should have tipped even more than I do and next time Im bringing them cookies too. LOL. Its amazing what a little courtesy and kindness can do for the soul.
I can relate to both jobs referenced in this post. First off, I was one of those teenage clerks, and I learned a LOT about how people want to be treated and how they don't. I will always be grateful to my first job for teaching me how to count back change correctly, and for my second grocery clerk job which taught me what true customer service is.
Secondly, I have been describing these exact school horrors for at least two years to people in my life. A lot of people really don't believe kids can get away with what they can get away with, unless they see it with their own eyes. Districts refuse to hold students or parents to any sort of behavioral standard, so academics are an afterthought. Rather than requiring punctuality, respect of authority, and follow-thru on assignments, public districts bend over backward to accommodate families who care not one bit about education, and use the school system as free babysitting.
I hope to God this kind of lunacy, no....mistreatment..abuse in schools is not happening to my grandchildren. I honestly don't know if it is but every time I bring up questions regarding their schools I get happy talk about how great the kids are doing, and how much they love school and their teachers.
Occasionally I share videos or articles with them about the deplorable state of education, and my concerns about the rampant sexualization and forcing deviant life-style choices, like transgender and all the LGBTQ etc inclusion junk, in the classroom. I get nary a response. Before the oldest started school, I tried to convince my son and d-i-l to homeschool, but they wouldn't consider it. Fortunately, they take their parenting responsibilities very seriously so I think they have a good understanding of what is going on in the kids classrooms. I don't believe they would stand for the kind of behavior you describe, and I read a lot about, in the classroom and still choose to have the grands in a government school. The fact is, they probably are pretty well insulated from a lot of the crap going on primarily because they don't dwell on the internet, social media or t.v. and they aren't heavy socializers. Jobs that don't dominate every minute, home and family are their primary pursuits.
I like hearing about your experiences in the world of human interaction. I just wish the unpleasant ones were not so darn typical. We are a culture in decline, though, and most of it is intentional, brought to us by the hard-left progressive ruling class takeover of the government, corporate, educational and cultural institutions. They want total control over us, and they've nearly succeeded. Conservatives seem willing to endure until the only option left will result in a destructive backlash. We can't run away from the sickness of the world.
You want to know how bad things are? Josh is very enlightening on the subject, living it and fighting it, but this substacker also gives a good run-down. https://thesaxoncross.substack.com/p/you-know-how-bad-things-really-are
In the 6th grade, we had a male teacher that was conducting a sexual relationship with a 12 year old boy. There were not enough math books for even half the students in the class. That same teacher spent $3000 dollars (1975) for a giant ball that was made in West Germany. He also had the school buy expensive audio-video equipment that there was no use for and would take it home with him to use on the weekend. That teacher had a strong personality and dominated all the other teachers and the kids thought he was really cool. Absolutely nothing was learned in that school as it was a circus every minute of every day. There were some nice working class Catholic families that sent their children to that school that had no idea what was going on. Probably, couldn't even imagine it. I did school refusal and never finished the 6th grade. I got my education at the library.
You need to be watching like a hawk. You need to go down to the school and meet all the teachers and while being polite make sure they understand you are watching like a hawk.
Awful! It makes sense that schools would be a magnet for people who prey on children, especially when teachers unions protect the teachers at all costs at the expense of the children. You are absolutely correct. Parents must be involved and vigilant with an understanding that they are sending their children into zones of risk at all levels. Make unexpected visits to the school/classroom at random times of the day, and become a known presence so that teachers and staff know that you are watching.
At 17, I went into Job Corps and they sent me to Montana where I was able to get my GED. For years I never talked about what happened at that school because I thought it impossible for anyone else to understand. I figured it was a lower socioeconomic, white, rustbowl, 1970s Massachusetts thing that no one would believe.
Over the past decade or so, it has become apparent this sort of thing was going on all over the country during the 1970s and 1980s. I live in Hawaii and some of what has come to light here is really extreme, with some of it happening at expensive private schools. Big bucks have been paid out over it but it is never explained how something like this could go on as it did and people did absolutely nothing to stop it. Time and again people did nothing to stop it and that’s what bothers me the most.
I admire your courage in going through the checkout line, Josh. I have used only self-checkout for as long as they have existed. Those computers are stupid too, but at least they can be overridden.
I do remember a number of times going through checkout and having the person say some incorrect number. My response was always, "That can't be right."
"How do you know?" they ask.
"Well, this is $3, that's $4, and the other things are $2 each. So the total need to be near $11, not $20."
"Oh. [beat] I'll run it again."
Occasionally they would argue with me. But mostly they had no confidence in their mental abilities. Whenever I'm asked "How do you know?" in one of these situations, I'm tempted to respond, "How do you *not* know?" My late father called this "number sense". Some people have number sense and some people do not. This might partially be a response to their education and might partially be innate. Similar to spacial awareness. My Dad and I navigate by maps. We loved maps. We'd pour over maps together. If my Mom or my sister were lost and had a detailed map with an X marking where they were and another X marking where they wanted to go, it would be hopeless, like Egyptian hieroglyphics.
You *could* help the situation with the young cashier. Rather than offering instruction on how to do the math or whatever, you might just offer a cheerful stress reducing remark. eg "ugh, I always screw up the math when I try to do it in my head. I sympathize.", or "Don't worry. I'm just trying to get out of the house for a while anyway. No rush."
This is not a "I teach you arithmetic" moment. It's a "you and I share humanity" moment.
This has actually been going on for a while. The first time I saw a student hit a teacher was in 1973 in the 4th grade at the Dyer School in Whitman, Massachusetts. I was completely flabbergasted. The first three grades, I had gone to other public schools and had excellent teachers. A few years later some kids set that school on fire and burnt it to the ground. That sort of thing is largely a reflection of what is going on in the home and varies a lot by community as birds of a feather flock together. I think it has become much more widespread over the years. 1970s Massachusetts was a harbinger for many of the ills that afflict modern society, particularly in the lower socio-economic rusted out towns.