top three adjectives
okay everyone, here is a little assignment for you. Come on, it's the least you can do after having all this reading pleasure for a over year. I sincerely need your help.
Please write down your top three adjectives that describe me. Please be honest, do not worry about hurting my feelings. Once you have written the adjectives, continue reading. remeber, first impulses are the best.
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I have been attacked (in the form of a very angry letter from a parent) as being IGNORANT, full of HATE and BIGOTRY. Do your adjectives compare with these words? Not so much, right? Exactly. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Honestly, I think HATE is something I have moved so far away from in my life that it is hardly a word in my vocabulary.
Bigotry- really? Is this the same person we're talking about? Who was friends with whatever kids were an "ethnic minority" in suburban Saskatoon? Who never even noticed the difference of skin colour? Or if she did, did not think twice about it being a barrier between people? Who wrote cheesy world peace poetry when her 14 year old peers were writing cheesy love poetry? Who will step in to argue when people express prejudice against other cultures?
And as for ignorant, shouldn't be teaching anyone except perhaps people who think the same way I do? Whatever.
I have never seen my principal so angry or my vice principal so concerned about how I am doing. Today I will give the child (who happens to be African-American) a letter of response for his parents. It basically states I am sorry for saying YO in class and making a JOKING reference to the HOOD and I believe my character was unfairly attacked. I taught this same kid and his older sister last year. I had no real problems with them and now all of a sudden, based on ONE HOUR, I am a horrible person.
When I received the angry letter, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. So absurd.
So please, for my little ego, if you could respond with your adjectives, I would appreciate it. It's been a rough couple weeks with this letter and a change in our unit plan formats we have to submit to admin (which means a lot of time copying and pasting). Not to mention Shane being killed by a suicide bomber. AHHHHHHH!Thank goodness the weekend is starting soon. I'm going to the beach after school today.
Please write down your top three adjectives that describe me. Please be honest, do not worry about hurting my feelings. Once you have written the adjectives, continue reading. remeber, first impulses are the best.
***********************************************************************************
I have been attacked (in the form of a very angry letter from a parent) as being IGNORANT, full of HATE and BIGOTRY. Do your adjectives compare with these words? Not so much, right? Exactly. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Honestly, I think HATE is something I have moved so far away from in my life that it is hardly a word in my vocabulary.
Bigotry- really? Is this the same person we're talking about? Who was friends with whatever kids were an "ethnic minority" in suburban Saskatoon? Who never even noticed the difference of skin colour? Or if she did, did not think twice about it being a barrier between people? Who wrote cheesy world peace poetry when her 14 year old peers were writing cheesy love poetry? Who will step in to argue when people express prejudice against other cultures?
And as for ignorant, shouldn't be teaching anyone except perhaps people who think the same way I do? Whatever.
I have never seen my principal so angry or my vice principal so concerned about how I am doing. Today I will give the child (who happens to be African-American) a letter of response for his parents. It basically states I am sorry for saying YO in class and making a JOKING reference to the HOOD and I believe my character was unfairly attacked. I taught this same kid and his older sister last year. I had no real problems with them and now all of a sudden, based on ONE HOUR, I am a horrible person.
When I received the angry letter, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. So absurd.
So please, for my little ego, if you could respond with your adjectives, I would appreciate it. It's been a rough couple weeks with this letter and a change in our unit plan formats we have to submit to admin (which means a lot of time copying and pasting). Not to mention Shane being killed by a suicide bomber. AHHHHHHH!Thank goodness the weekend is starting soon. I'm going to the beach after school today.
posted by Granola Girl at
10:41 PM
6 Comments:
Poor Ramona!
That is really unfortunate. I hope your letter sorts everything out for them. Wow. That is scary.
Okay top three (I can't guarantee that these actually are the top three)
1.Enthusiastic/giddy/excitable/giggly
2.Hard-working/devotedtoherstudents/loyal/loving
3.Perpetuallyworkingforthebettermentofself.
Was that okay. I can work on it!
Loads of Love, Jen
By
Anon, at 11:31 AM
Thanks Jen. You win first prize for making me feel better, though I am mostly over the accusation, just needing affirmation.
By
Granola Girl, at 12:37 PM
Ramona -my sweet friend!!
It has been too long since I've been on blog!!
Top Three Adjectives, in no particular order!
1. Silly-serious
2. Sincere
3. Gorgeous
I spent a bit of time with an Australian woman a few weeks ago and she used the word gorgeous in the sense that when a person said somethin hilarious/honest/revealing she would say "Oh you are just gorgeous!" I think you fit this use!!!
Yo, Ramona, I don;t know where those parents are coming from?!?! You grew up in the hood with all sorts of homies, listneing to folk music on a ghetto-blaster! Are you to deny your heritage?
Just jokes. It is amazing how words and intentions can be so misinterpreted. THe world has enough problems already... why do people look for more?
Love your palio,
Susan
By
paisleypalace, at 9:30 AM
Thanks Suse! My Australian friend Dee always calls people gorgeous as well. I love it.
So...are you coming this way in winter????
By
Granola Girl, at 10:28 AM
THis Austrailian woman was named Dee too!
And I am sad to say that neither Larry nor I are headed your way at Christmas. Larry feels insecure about travelling to that half of the world! and I agreed with him! Typical Saskatchewanites. Boo, I know, its not a big surprise is it.
It's Lar and Ger's 40th wedding anniversary next month. We want to send them holidaying, but its hurricane season... we'll see.
luv, S.
By
paisleypalace, at 12:05 AM
Hi, it's Matt from Vancouver.
How's it going, eh?
So I'm not going to write down three adjectives because I think it would just end up selling you short. I would not, however, add bigoted to that list (obviously). I'm mostly just writing to express my sympathy for an episode that has obviously bothered you a great deal. Hopefully you've had some time to reflect on it, and have chalked it up to an oversensitive parent.
Unfortunately these things happen and they're not fair; they are, in my humble opinion, the by-product of an almost pathologically P.C. culture that constantly, and artificially, modifies language in order to make all communication "positive". This way of thinking is minimally effective in creating an atmosphere of tolerance, and it necessarily turns otherwise benign words offensive. Ultimately, it makes us far less tolerant. It's stoopid!!!
So, in this case you were the victim of a hypersensitive way of thinking that devotes all its energy to nit-picking over diction, while completely ignoring intention. Oh well it happens, and everyone who knows you knows that you’re no bigot. Take it with a grain of salt.
All the best,
-Matt
P.S.
If it comes up, you might want to remind the parent that “yo” entered the white vernacular in the 1970s, and “hood” in the 1990s; heck, we’ve even been saying things like “f’shizzle m’nizzle” for going on five years now… well, maybe not us specifically.
By
matthewrisling, at 2:08 PM
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