Missing Parts

I decided to seek some solace on one of our area lakes this weekend. After all, fishing is a social-distancing approved activity and there is no “Fish Flu” yet. In preparation for this outing, the trailer needed some work so I headed down to O’Reilly Auto Parts to pick up some light bulbs.

An older gentleman stood between me and the checkout. He wanted his parts. He wanted the clerk to order them. He needed them. Yesterday. The clerk at the counter told him he didn’t know when they could get those parts in because eight of their stores in the Cities had shut down as a result of the protests and riots around the killing of George Floyd.

“Fucking Niggers!” the customer spat. “I don’t have time for them.”

My jaw dropped. The clerk looked at me and I looked at him. He didn’t know what to say and to my shame, neither did I at that moment.

I felt shame because I didn’t say anything. Of course, there is probably no way that I would be able to change that man’s mind about much of anything, but the two clerks there should not have had to listen to this kind of hatred as they were probably fearful of losing their jobs if they were to speak up. I wouldn’t have changed this asshole’s mind, but at least I wouldn’t have let that kind of vitriol hang in the aisles of that O’Reilly Auto Parts store unchecked. At least I could have addressed that the protests in the Cities are just a glimpse of the bubbling anger over the unnecessary and horrific killing of George Floyd. In broad daylight, on a city street, with citizens recording the entire thing.

I’ve always known this kind of racism existed, but I thought it was held in check by some kind of invisible contract that confined it to the history books. We had moved beyond the type of outright racism that evokes dark images of the past showing signs that read “Whites Only” and lynchings that inspired songs like “Strange Fruit.” I thought.

The worst part about the whole situation is that this man, who must be one of the most miserable son of a bitches I have ever come across, felt like he was in a safe space to say such things. And I let it happen.

Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.” He also said, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” I had a chance to speak up and I didn’t. I wasn’t ready and I didn’t know what to say to that kind of ugliness. I remained on the sidelines. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Here in God’s country of the northern part of Minnesota, it is easy to sit back and look at the Twin Cities with a long lens. We are far enough away to be relatively untouched by what is happening a mere two hours away. I will never forget that at that moment, one man’s anger at not being able to get a part for his car was more important than the fact that a man was killed while three officers looked on and a crowd of people pleaded for the fourth officer to take his knee off the handcuffed man’s neck.

April Fool

The top line in Canvas, the program where my students go to find their assignments for the day, reads like this:

Infinite Campus Master Grade Login *DO NOT SHARE WITH STUDENTS!

It then links students to a Web page that reads:

Your Infinite Campus ID has been logged with AITKIN HIGH SCHOOL.
​
MR. PAUL KARELIS, PRINCIPAL will be contacting you shortly.

If students scroll down far enough, they are met with an April Fools’ Day image.

I don’t know if this is the most important thing I have done. After all, I have students journaling, reading a book, answering daily questions, and interacting with their classmates in a Daily Discussion that usually involves jokes or something else lighthearted. The prank isn’t all that elegant and students should quickly ferret out that it is a joke, but hopefully it will add some excitement to their day with the fear that they were caught trying to infiltrate the AHS grading system. Or at least it will get their hearts racing for a bit (Cross-curricular instruction with Health and Phy Ed)! Even if I wasn’t planning on changing any grades, I would have a hard time resisting the urge to see if the teacher really screwed up THAT badly.

As could be expected, things are different. During a normal school day with students, there are times either during lunch or prep when I shut my door simply to have a quiet moment to gather myself and prepare for the barrage of questions that can often come our way. As I sit here in an empty classroom doing this thing called Distance Learning, I would gladly welcome students and their questions into my room. I miss the energy they bring. I miss the interactions and conversations. We are trying to replicate that as much as we can using all of this technology at our disposal with some success, but it is different.

The questions now come in the form of e-mails. Students who have avoided using e-mails (it’s what OLD people use, like Facebook) are finding that it is a handy way to ask questions, get information, and send files. I spend much of my morning answering e-mails and reassuring students that I will work with them to make sure their work will get to me and will count, whether it is done digitally or in paper. Interestingly enough, our students who are native to the digita

l world oftentimes prefer to do things in paper. While many enjoy the convenience of reading a book digitally, most prefer reading a physical copy. Anyone who has ever thought that young people should spend less time on their phones just might get their wish after we get through the trials and tribulations of Social Distancing and Quarantine.

I am one of the teachers going into school every day because I need the routine to keep grounded. I think our students feel the same way and many of them seem to relish the opportunity to do something with a purpose. I also think they appreciate the opportunity to interact with their classmates, not just their friends, that they wouldn’t normally interact with outside of a classroom setting. I can’t wait to have a Google Meet with my classes to find out how many of them got suckered in by my prank. I think my students might feel the same way. So maybe my April Fools’ Day prank is the most important thing I’ve done.

Our children are watching us

Aitkin High School looked like a desolate wasteland on my way in today. Plenty of parking in a lot that has shrunk substantially thanks to the piles of snow tipped me off that this is going to be a slow day with very few students. The long walk along the brick wall to the North Doors of the school still concentrated the wind and provided a bite before I thankfully reached the doors and hustled into school, unsure of what the day would hold.

That uncertainty seems to have permeated all aspects of life, but many things are the same. My co-workers still have the same sense of humor despite all of the weirdness that surrounds us. That is probably good and presents some sense of normalcy to the few students who are here, but nothing is really normal. Our directive as teachers is to have a “normal” school day today. That’s hard when there were three students in my first period and zero in my second period. We watched The Mandalorian just to give us something to do.

I wonder why these students are even here, but really it doesn't even matter. Whatever the reason, we will do what our students need because that is just what we do.

Yesterday we spent some time in classes that were half full talking about what has transpired and what is to come for students. They seem to be taking things in stride, though it is abundantly clear that they are watching us. They see how we are responding as adults and are looking to us for guidance in how to act, though it may not seem like it. They are aware of people hoarding toilet paper and other goods, which sparked some discussion in class. I conceded that I bought toilet paper I didn’t need, causing some raised eyebrows that seemed to say, “Et tu, Henke?”

I then explained that a good friend of mine who takes care of his elderly mother and son was down to his last two rolls and the hoarders had cleared the entire Brainerd/Baxter area out of toilet paper. After suggesting that was because Brainerd people are idiots unlike the calm and reasonable folks in Aitkin, I offered to pick up a pack at our well-stocked Paulbeck’s County Market and deliver it to him. My friend would do the same thing for me.

These are the kind of stories I think our children need to hear at a time like this instead of the ones about the people driving up to Aitkin from Elk River and Princeton to buy out our grocery store because the ones there have already been ransacked. They should hear about my mother who returned from a cruise to the Bahamas. Upon returning, she stopped at a grocery store in the Cities to pick up some food only to find two half-gallons of milk left on the shelf. My mom took one of them in case someone with small children would need the other. A woman with four half-gallons in her cart walked up to my mother and gave my mom one of hers.

I have always said that times of stress brings out who we really are, but I was referring to tough competition in relation to sports. I think it also applies here. In this time of stress and uncertainty, what type of people will be revealed? Are we going to be toilet paper hoarders, or are we the kind of people who will take care of others, especially the most vulnerable among us? Will we be kind to each other and realize we are all in this together, or will it be every man for himself? Are we willing to profit by buying out hand sanitizer and baby formula, or will we prepare for social distancing in a reasonable manner?

Our children are watching and learning from us.

The Unofficial and Unwritten rules of teaching at AHS:

1. Any food left on the table in the teacher’s lounge is fair game, though how long it has been sitting there is unknown. The refrigerator is off-limits, however, and may require a hazmat suit to clean at some point during the year.

2. After you finish grading a large assignment, at least five students will produce the work to be graded. They will then ask if you have graded their late work almost immediately after turning it in.

3. School lunches will vary between excellent and inedible. Sometimes it is all you got, but make sure to plan around Terry’s Pizza, Ham Tortellini, Tacos, and Chicken Wild Rice Soup.

4. The way in which you are supposed to take attendance will be up for debate at the beginning of every year and will take up at least a half-hour of an all-staff meeting. Ultimately, we will continue doing it the way we have always done it.

5. Wearing a hat in school is the greatest form of rebellion.

6. There will always be a colleague who will bring up the “what-ifs” that only apply to themselves and their classroom with the whole staff present. Teachers are required to roll their eyes and mumble amongst themselves when this happens.

7. NEVER, EVER be the person causing eye rolls and mumbling!

8. The best humor can always be found in the beginning of the year videos that the administration intends to be motivational.

9. You will get to learn about Bloodborne Pathogens every year just to find out that you STILL shouldn’t touch blood or other bodily fluids.

10. Parents will ask if there is any extra credit to bolster their child’s grade even though there are several missing assignments. They will seem puzzled when you suggest taking care of all the missing work first.

11. Do NOT go No. 2 during passing time!