Medical Termination and Hawaiian Immersion School

Ah... the words "Medical Termination," so bittersweet, bring slushy and somewhat acid-reflux sensations to my innards.

I thought it was all working out okay, the poverty cycle, the return to work, the endless amount of busywork being handed off to me... but right when I started to feel sure of it all, I got these pains in my neck. Literally. It would suffice to say that my boss helped bring them on, as I believe it may be attributed to my extended bedrest and "work from home" arrangement with my laptop on my stomach for hours on end. Apparently having your chin on your chest for 12+ hours a day can result in serious neck problems.

Alas, I was medically terminated from the govt. job and relieved of my worldly duties at the college. It was not a bitter ending. I was glad to do it. Unfortunately I'm still having trouble with my neck, but after living through one quack of a Chiropractor and then landing into the safety net of a new one who knows what he's doing, I can safely say that I am on the mend. I will be back to my old self in no time.

My main concern is the new job that I have taken on. Opportunities abound in the fingerpainting art world as schools K-8 have eliminated art from the curriculum. They eliminated music, too, which surprises me... but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. After all, "art" and "music" are really just aristocratic luxuries done by the bored and lazy, right? Well, at least the educational system knows that they are the poorest industries and therefore shouldn't foster them. What concerns me the most is that due to a complete elimination of such things from education, thousands upon millions of kids that are not math and science inclined are going to slip through the cracks. They'll be lost and struggling, and not know why they feel that way. I can't imagine having gone through school without them. That's what I was good at. If I had only the subjects that made me cry and frustrated me to no end, surely my self-esteem would have plummeted. Surely I wouldn't have gone on to college.

Even more sad is that now "art" is replaced by coloring in a cartoon with crayons or colored pencils. This change is now directly upon me, as I have begun to "teach" after school art. I have an hour and a half to work some magic. I don't know where to begin.

I have also begun tutoring at a Hawaiian Immersion school, with even more disturbing curriculum than regular public schools; they don't learn English. It was nuts... I felt like I was in another country. Kinda cool, the whole idea behind preserving a culture... but let's assess this for a second. Sure, I've heard of language camp and magnet schools where a second language becomes the focus... but NO English? How will they ever get into college? I've only gone to tutor one day and really don't know much about the structure of this school... but my kneejerk reaction is that this is a HUGE disadvantage to every student enrolled. Hawaii is already last in the nation for education. How the hell will this help students catch up? They won't even be able to write an application essay.