I Hate Working

I discovered last week that my position will not be renewed for next year.  The assistant principle pulled me into his office explaining the situation and how there will not be enough kids in the program to justify having me on board for the next school year.  This really did come as a shock to me as I was told not 3 weeks ago that I was secure in my position and there wouldn't be any issues as far as that is concerned.  But last minute changes were made on the District's end of things which forced them to make some decisions beyond their control.  So the hunt in on once again for a full time job.

It is a relief to me in a way though, I was getting rather tired of the kids I deal with on a day to day basis.  But the sad truth of it all is I never quite grasped the behavior model that was to be utilized by the SPED teachers and myself.  Now there is about 60% of the behavior modeling system that I completely disagree with as a Sociologist, but the other 40% that I took no issue with never stuck in my brain.  I constantly found myself reverting to old habits which have always worked for me in the past and have helped to build relationships with the students I've been around.  The Behavior Modeling system didn't allow me the opportunities for that type of relationship building that I have successfully built into my subbing career in the least.  I have a sneaking suspicion that my inability, or unwillingness, to perform the aspects I disagreed with played a major part in the decision of my non-renewal.

However, if I were to look back on the whole experience of this school year, I would have to say I was excluded more than I was included.  My boss, Sarah, did her best to keep me updated and "in the know" with each of the students on her case load, but even she neglected to keep me informed of everything.  I was only included in one meeting which was at the beginning of the year.  After that, things constantly occurred that I never knew about until a week or two after.  I can't count on my two hands how many times we've had kids bump up and down in levels and how many times our kids had different IEP goal changes that were never relayed to me.  But worst of all, I found myself constantly interrupted by the two teachers I work with when I was processing with a student on their behavior.  While I still was used by both teachers in dealing with students, I equally felt belittled and constantly disregarded during behavior interventions.  I think that conditioning might have had something to do with my inability to use the behavior model effectively. 

While it sucks that I have to find a new job, I'm actually quite relieved that I don't have to do this again.  When you have two very qualified teachers who are so driven and motivated, it's really hard to do anything for them as they are always striving to do the very best in what they do.  I certainly hope the Para they find for the next school year is the match they are looking for within their team.

Keeping Up

As an attempt to keep my "personal" blog a little more alive, I have a goal which I'm calling the "twice a week thing" where I post two times each week.  Hence the name "Twice a week thing."  (wink)  I became so enthralled with my comic book and movie blog that I began to neglect this one.  Well no more my friends!  Random Incoherent Jargon is back in business!

As a celebration of this "born again" status of my blog, I would like to reminisce on my very first post, "I Believe In Nothing."  It caused a lot of turmoil within the family.  Apparently my Aunt had read it and became immediately offended by the entire post and began to tell the entire family about it.  The news had traveled all the way up to my grandmother who became so upset that she cried over it, coming to the conclusion that I "hate them."  My sister had gone to visit them in East Texas where they spent a good chunk of time talking about the post since Granny apparently needed to talk about with her.  I heard so much news about the post from my mother, my sister and my father that everyone in the family has been talking about with everyone else and was incredibly upset by it, concluding that I'm ashamed of them and my post was uncalled for and unloving.  All of this was being said to everyone...except me.

Now I understand completely, It's hard to talk to your loved ones about such heated topics, especially when it's within your own family.  But why they felt the need to talk about it with everyone else, but not me is beyond my imagination.  My aunt did make some comments about it on Facebook a few times, but she never tried to call or even send me a message attempting to dialog with me about the post.  I attempted to call my grandparents and my aunt but the phone was never picked up, and I never received any calls back.  If they had tried to contact me, I might have been able to clear up any confusion on their part as to the implications of the post and how wasn't an attack on the family, nor was it me portraying any type of embarrassment of them. I think they read certain phrases and decided they knew what it was trying to say when in fact they got it completely wrong.

However, I do need to clarify that I am not sorry that I wrote it.  If there's one thing I took away from growing up with this family, it's this...None of them will hold anything back!  We all speak our minds, and we do it ever so abruptly and without mercy.  We don't worry about what people think of our opinions, whether they be individual or collective, just so long as we are heard!  What prompted the specific blog that apparently caused such a fuss within the family was seeing so many of my Church of Christ friends on Facebook making Facebook statuses and/or comments that talked about the "other" religions (that are Christian none the less) and how their belief structures are wrong.  Sociology has been one of the best things in my life, but has also caused a lot of frustrations, especially when it's with my own family after seeing such cultural insensitivity and an unwillingness to understand a religious society and portraying a very false image of God in general.

Growing up in the Church of Christ, I was never truly exposed to other Christian belief systems, nor were most other Church of Christ goers.  Yet week after week, they would go to church where they would sit and agree with sermons which focused on how the Church of Christ has it right, and everyone else is wrong.  Topical sermons like "Are instruments in worship godly?" or "Who are the people of God?" or (and this is a real sermon which I heard at the Church of Christ in Crane Texas) the very abrupt sermon "Why God hates people outside the Church of Christ."  Going to college and becoming someone who studies cultures, these anti-cultural focuses within church hurt me more than enriched my understanding of Christianity and it's history.

I find it silly as well seeing as how the Church of Christ hates on everyone else, but the other Christian churches could care less.  It's as if it's assumed within the Church of Christ that it's voice echoes throughout the world, being heard by millions, even though the Church of Christ is truly only predominant within the south, a part of the U.S. the majority of Americans have little respect for anyways...especially Texas.  My point is, the typical Church of Christ has a very conceited aura about them, as if they have this monopoly on what the "truth" is and they are the hope and future for all those outside their church walls.  I would argue that the Church of Christ has one of the most (if not THE most) culturally insensitive belief systems I've ever encountered.  I can't be apart of that church ever again because it goes against my sociological education and moral convictions.  I don't think it's an evil church, I just disagree with almost all of its teachings and practices. I'm especially against they way it attacks other religious sects without considering the fact that they themselves are sinning by condoning such behavior within their church.

Summer Training Classes For Men

Saw this on Craigslist.com and found it hilarious. This is for sure a joke, but still funny to think there are probably men who struggle with these things....

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
by Friday,June 5th ,2009
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM

Class 1
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 2
The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?--Group Practice.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5
Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM

Class 6
Loss Of Identity--Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.
Help Line Support and Support Groups..
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Learning How To Find Things--Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.
Open Forum
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch--Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health
Graphics and Audio Tapes.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost--Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined

Class 10
Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live--Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife.
Online Classes and role-playing
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 12
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion
Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques..
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy--Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14
The Stove/Oven--What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.

Can Men Wear Skirts???

So, on my sisters blog she posted a video about feminism. What she particularly enjoyed about it was how inclusive it was. typically when we think about feminism, it's partial to women because when we think of the concept of feminism, or femininity, we place it in a category that only applies to females. Which makes sense to a certain extent. And what I appreciate about the video IS how inclusive it is. But the whole point of the video is not about truly about feminism, it's about men and women being equal and throwing out the gender separations of who is strong and who is weak. It's all about equality.

However, There is one question that has been bugging me, one very important question that eats and nibbles at my brain like a vampire all strung out a caffine. We say everyone is equal, or should be. We constantly try to break down the gender barriers so that neither side is greater than the other. And both have been trying to to say "it's ok for a women to work in construction" or "it's ok for the man to stay at home and take care of the kids while the wife is at work." Traditional gender roles are becoming not so much gender roles anymore. But still the question haunts me and tears away at my soul! That question that defines the very nature of the issues surrounding the arguments pertaining to your sexuality and your gender....Can men wear skirts?

Now of course, thanks to people like Michael Kugler, the answer is of course yes. But of course, the correct term is "kilt." But the question is not so much about the specific item "the skirt," rather the issue of what is acceptable. Yes it is acceptable for men to be feminists, but it is not socially acceptable for men to behaive like women in their mannerisms and the way they carry themselves.

Take, for example, the professional setting. Say a group of people at a business firm haold a meeting and it is appropriate, or even required to dress professionally. So this would mean very sharp looking clothing like business suits or dresses. Now here we have the issue! Men would come in Suits. Women would come in either business like skirts , dresses or even suit pants and suit coats. (Specifically designed for women of course.) Now what would happen i, say, a male decided to come in a skirt with high heels, like something you might find a woman wearing? Would it be deemed appropriate or inappropriate? And lets say the male is honestly dressing this way not to make a spectacle of himself, but because he honestly feels like this is a nice way to dress and is business like atire? Still, this male would be looked down apon and would probably be asked to go change cloths, or to leave the premisece and not to come back. yet the women there who are wearing what the men might be wearing are told they "look nice" or "look professional."

Im not trying to say that men are oppressed like women are, nor am I saying that a dress is something that interests me. Rather Im trying to point out that men have this "unstated" standard that we try to live up to or maintain. Women have moved themselves up the ladder by being able to do the things that men do, which include havig the same type of work, dress, and attitude and it be socially acceptable. However, because we are men, it is looked down upon us if we start behaiving and doing the things that women can do. In the case of attire, men truly can't dress like women without being called a "cross dresser" or a "homo." It is a sign of weakness for crossdressing men, but when women dress as a man might, it's not looked upon as anything but NORMAL.

Why is it Women can reach the standards of men in all areas, but Men are unable to reach the standards of women? Why is the phrase "be a man" equated to strength, but the phrase "be a woman" (as little as that phrase is heard or spoken) is equated to something completely different? When we are speaking to men and we say "be a man" means to be tough! But when men are weak we say "you're a woman!"

It's very interesting to me to think of this issue like this. All we have focused on is women fighting the gender barriors, women pushing themselves foreward, women becoming great contributers to society, women doing everything that men can do and much more....but why haven't we been pushing men to be like women? Why is it that Women have had to climb the ladder to reach the level of men, as if the standard MEN have set is the standard that everyone should reach? Is it this standard, the standard of men, that is what is at the top of the ladder? Why can't the men shoot for the standard of women, in all areas? Why can't we say "be a woman!" in the same sense that the phrase "be a man!" is used?

I think women have done things throughout history that have change the way people think. Women are the ones have actually been setting standards of how to live for hundreds of years. And all men have done is sit down on our ass and watch the women do great things. It's the women who have been perservering, the women who have been trying to reach the level that men are at. This is the mindset, for women to do what men can do. Why can't it be turned around? Why can't men strive to do what women can do? When are we going to take out the notion that being feminine is weaker than being masculine?

So I ask again, can men wear skirts? Only when the answer to this question is "yes," and it isn't a sarcastic, or negative, or still not considered normal type of "yes," will I feel that gender equality has finally reached it's goal!

My Secret Love For Wonder Woman

I remember sitting in my room reading the latest issue of the Jutice league of America when I was but a wee little middle schooler. My mom yelled at me from down staris, "Jimmy, are you enjoying your comic?" And to my dismay, I could not lie to her. "No I'm not, Wonder Woman isn't in this issue!"

yes, tis true, I have had this undeniable love for Wonder Woman since I can remember. She is without a doubt the female heroine that defines the comic book female. Strong, powerful, willful, and unrelenting. The respect she holds in the DC Universe has yet to be measured. I can't in anyway possibly express how awesome she is. As I look back on the girlfriends I have had in the past, I always compare them to Wonder Woman......and none of them even come close. Everytime I got a new girlfriend, I always saw Wonder Woman, deep within the pages of my comics, giving me all sorts of looks that showed disapproval, jelousy, hatred, etc etc. Wonder Woman, or Diana, would always win the battle. She always won me....

However, I did meet one woman that won my heart, she is now my wife. I had to really fight my feelings deep in my gut. The question I constantly was asking myself was, "Should I stay true to comic book fantasy girl, or move on and be with Clarissa. Clarissa ultimately won out. The days leading up to Clarissa and my wedding was a brutal one. I was still torn between Clarissa and Wonder Woman, and it was a tough battle. And on the day of the wedding, I was reading issue number 5 of the current run. I looked down at the first page and I swear, I saw Wonder Woman crying. Tears ran down her face, and her arms were extended outward, hoping for that chance to embrace me in her arms. And in that moment, out from that pages of that issue, I swear I heard her say "Don't leave me Jimmy, I can't live without you."

It broke my heart to hear her, in these last moments before the wedding, make a plea for me not to abandon her. but I had made a commitment, I was not going to abandon Clarissa for an imaginary female. I said to her, "Diana, I have to leave you."
and she replied, "Will I ever see you again?"
I say, "of course, once a month."
She said, "Do you promise?".
and as she roped her lasso of truth around me, I reply, "Of course, nothing could break the bond that you and I have."
She said, "I will always cherish the times we have had to gether."

And I close the issue and tuck it away in it's appropriate bag and board and slip it into the comic box. I was proud of myself that day. And even though Wonder Woman and I don't really have they same connection we used to, even though we don't converse in the same manner, even though we do not take time and frolick (is that spelled right???) in the fields of dandelions and tulips, When I open the pages of Wonder Woman every once in a while I'll see her wink at me and smile, as if she were saying, "Hey, if it doesn't work out with you and your wife, I'm always here."

So There you have it, my secret love affair with the amazon princess and super heroine. It was a tough battle for me but I believe I made the right decision in who I married. I don't feel that anything could break the bond the Clarissa and I have, NOTHING!!

Wait a minute, oh no! Powergirl issue #1 is coming out this month! WHAT?!?! of dear! she a powerful, strong woman and almost compares to Wonder Woman! oh great Hera, give me strength............