I guess it’s official: a convict teacher is lower on the food chain than a liberal-hack journalist. Jeff Gerritt, our previous prison graduation speaker, aired his opinion in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press. He basically stated that we’re doing an inadequate job educating prisoners. I doubt that he’ll return to our facility any time soon, and if he did, I’d challenge him to a job swap. He can teach the unteachables and I’ll make the next deadline for whatever words need to be thrown on the liberal dung heap.
I should’ve known my blood pressure would rise the minute I saw the headline: “Give prisoners a chance to learn.” What does he think I’ve been doing for the past 18+ years? Building roadblocks? Our policies force inmates to attend school; which, in turn, mean we have students that are angry and disruptive. In short: THEY DON’T WANT TO LEARN. It’s a constant battle. How about this for student-teacher interaction: A colleague, a grandmotherly type, was held hostage and sexually assaulted; another teacher (first year on the job), was sucker-punched. You want funny? A substitute teacher had her shoes stolen in my classroom. Need I go on?
The Michigan Department of Corrections continues to provide academic and vocational programs, regardless of the uphill struggle, not to mention, budgetary crisis. Another teacher, after one year, had this to say on his way out: “No matter what programs you put in place, there will always be prisoners that will find a way to turn them to shit.” Everyone knows that one rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch. How about stolen speakers from headphones used for a reading program? How about new reference books missing pages? How about a world globe torn apart for its shank-making materials? (I haven’t even covered the social aspects of prison school.)
Let Mr. Gerritt cultivate the rotten apples, let him make a tasty apple pie, and I’ll criticize him in a public newspaper, I’ll tell him how crappy his recipe is, I’ll serve it up real nice, I'll do it from a safe distance.
10 comments:
Yeah, it's easy for people to criticize who aren't in the trenches. They don't even know the real story, of course, and they can't imagine what the real work would be like.
I'm with Charles.
So easy to criticize when you don't actually have to do the work.
Such lovely, well-written articles in, say, the Atlantic or Harpers.
But few of the authors there have actually had to do the sludge work and legwork that is day-today journalism So easy to comment; so hard to write history on the fly.
Much easier to send an apprenice down into the hole. Ever see a PhD in english try to work on his car?
Sad thing is he is supposed to know the story before he writes it. Like many of his articles that one was poorly researched(if at all) and reads like it was written to meet a deadline.
It is nothing more than drivel. The man can't do your job let alone the one he has JR.
Enjoyed the read. MW
Hallelujah brother. I'm glad to be one of the ones who got away. The problem is not just the idiots in the classroom, but the idiots who wear spikey hair and collared shirts with ties. Wish me luck on my Assistant Principal interview in in a couple of weeks. It is so nice to finally have teaching experience that "counts". It is so encouraging to be told over and over again that prison teaching is not real teaching, so doesn't count as experience. Again people speaking from their rectums. Stay strong.
Hey WW, For only working in the prison system a year, your insight was "spot-on." I hope you didn't mind my referencing you for this post. Good luck with that interview!
Hey MW, Last year at our graduation Mr. Gerritt was late because he forgot his identification (driver's license). I had to walk down a hot back corridor and inform the troops to relax. They were in rare form, standing around in those cap & gowns. Guess my hostage negotiation skills came into play afterall.
Hey Charles & Ivan, I don't mind the criticism if it's coming from someone willing to help. Words are cheap; but not yours.
I agree. I just read the article online, and I smell an agenda on his part. I wonder if he even bothered to sit in on some of the classes or spend time around the inmates. I doubt it. He moderated a panel at a conference, so he thinks he's an expert on the subject.
The journalist also says that food service, horticulture and custodial maintenance certifications are "largely irrelevant in today's job market." Irrelevant? What planet is he on?
Don't feel bad, JR. You do matter, regardless of what some suit says. Maybe you could send him a link to your blog and educate him.
Hey Julie, I gave him a nice introduction at last year's graduation ceremony. Researched his background beforehand. Least he could've done was apologize for being late, but then again, maybe he did--to the Warden; No need talking to the lowlife convict-teachers.
I wish I could remember that graduation. Oops, that's right, I called in sick that day. Cough cough. Our large blonde friend was not happy. Ironically I was.
Mr. Gerritt's clearly a complete ass...and I'm being KIND when I say that.
thanks for your feedback on my blog. nice to know yours is out here, too. i'll bookmark it and try to keep coming back. glad you enjoyed "cave-in." ~ks
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