Every Thorn Has its Rose

Guest post by Jacob Gutnicki
See part 1 of this post at The Unspoken Promise

Outside the district office there were 5 media vans parked. The local media wondered why the Superintendent was calling a press conference for 9 AM. Did it have anything to do with the state wide testing scandal? Perhaps he was going to address the rumor that low performing students were being deported to an annex school out of the country. Maybe the superintendent would address which files were stolen at a local High School or why a significant amount of technology equipment was recently dumped.

Soon enough, Dr. Williams began to read a prepared announcement. It said, "For the past few years I have had the great privilege serving as your community superintendent. I am proud of the work we accomplished together. This is why today's announcement is so difficult to make. Never the less, I must inform you that effective 3 PM, I am resigning from the position of Community Superintendent. In the interim, the Deputy Superintendent will run daily operations.

Meanwhile... The executor board’s office is fuming. "Why did he call for a press conference? Who told him to announce the Deputy Superintendent will run daily operations. Kyle, get Williams on the phone. This is a mess. Kyle, I also need you to Kathleen Wallstone on the phone. She has the support of the business community."

Kyle looks surprised. “Are you sure about this? Some of her positions are… questionable.” The chief executor said, “Do not ever question me!”

15 Minutes Later… Another press conference is called. Dr. Williams begins the press conference by apologizing. The chief executor then introduces the new community superintendent. Kathleen Wallstone, Principal of the Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School is named Superintendent. Mrs. Wallstone thanks the chief executor for this opportunity and then promises to bring a new age of accountability and forge partnerships with the business community.

The press conference is followed by questions from members of the media. Naturally, many of the questions were directed at the former Superintendent, as they were curious as to why he resigned from the position. However, he declined to answer the questions. His non-response sparked rumors as to what caused him to resign.

Thirty Minutes Later… Superintendent Stonewall calls Michael Lotta in her office. She says, “Michael I will make this brief. The chief executor has asked me to serve as the new Community Superintendent. Therefore, effective immediately, you are the new principal of the Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School.

Fifty Minutes Later… A meeting is being held at the Newsport Town News Corporation. “Chief, an inside source tells me that Dr. Williams may have a kid with epilepsy. Should I investigate this?”

“No. The last thing we need is have the public feel bad for the former Superintendent and turn him into an instant hero. Use the other story with the state test scandal.”

“Sir. We know it’s not true.”

“Run it. Lets just say our board wants the story to run."

Next Morning… The paper runs the testing scandal story. Other local papers pick up the story too. Several reporters attempt to contact the former Superintendent. Kathleen Wallstone is very pleased with the turn of events as she understands this continued distraction will benefit her.

Later that Day… It has been a rough day for Dr. Williams. He is trying to move on. However, this is proving to be difficult. He receives a call from his wife. “Good news. Your oldest daughter is engaged.” Dr. Williams continues to talk to his wife and then indicates he is on his way home. Dr. Williams turns on the radio and hears the following lyrics;

“It’s a beautiful night,

We’re looking for something dumb to do.

Hey baby,

I think I want to marry you. *

Dr. Williams drives his car with a smile on his face as he reminds himself of what really matters…

* Bruno Mars, I Want to Marry You

---------------------------------------------------------------
See all the posts in this series here.

You have read this article ADD cure / ADHD Treatment / fiction / Michael Lotta / social media with the title Michael Lotta. You can bookmark this page URL https://machining33.blogspot.com/2011/03/every-thorn-has-its-rose.html. Thanks!

The Unspoken Promise

Guest post by Jacob Gutnicki

As the sun rose, Superintendent Williams walked outside his house with much on his mind. He did not sleep well last night, as he had to carry through a very difficult decision. In a few hours from now he would shock the community. He would resign from the position of Community Superintendent. He could only imagine the rumors this announcement will inspire.

Matt Williams took a walk and reflected all that happened during his tenure as Superintendent. For seven years he worked tirelessly to change how schools educated children. After much deliberation and discussion he had convinced the community that “we need to look beyond the exams and look inside the child.” That mantra started the change in which schools began to focus on life skills and moved away from the test prep mentality. Numerous schools developed career programs, internships, partnerships with colleges, as well as other interesting opportunities. Numerous education publications lauded his reform efforts.

However, there were several schools that refused to change their ways. One such school was the Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School. Every step of the way Principal Wallstone refused to listen to the Superintendent. She also openly criticized his policies at school board meetings arguing “that monthly testing is the key to student progress.” Additionally, she had business leaders defending her practices making it very difficult to effectuate change at her school.



Despite it all, Superintendent Williams was pleased with the progress his schools made. The Thomas Elkins School of Invention was off to a good start. The school was offering programs and services to high needs students and has been well received by the community.

All of this became irrelevant in the last 24 hours. Yesterday he learned that his youngest son might be grappling with epilepsy. Perchance his son’s school took them to the zoo. When he spoke to the school, the teacher and the aide gave differing accounts of what happened. Additionally, his son recently started taking medicine to manage his on-going problems with Attention Deficit Disorder. Needless to say the recent sequence of events complicated matters. Superintendent Williams was wracked with guilt wondering if he could have done more to help his son with his Attention Deficit Disorder issues. He wondered if the medicine was the right choice and worried that his son may have a mild case of epilepsy. At the same time, he vexed what would happen with the school district in his absence. Ultimately he knew that his child’s welfare deserved his full attention and that he could no longer continue in the position of Community Superintendent. Matt knew that he must keep the unspoken promise every parent makes; protecting their kin by any means necessary.


And so it was. Matt Williams looked at his watch and noted it was time to go. He kissed his wife goodbye, jumped in his car, and headed off to face the media.

“All my life I fought this fight
The fight that no man can never win
Every day it just gets harder to live
This dream I'm believing in”
--Bruce Springsteen, The Promise

Coming Soon- Every Thorn has its Rose

You have read this article ADD cure / ADHD Treatment / fiction / Michael Lotta with the title Michael Lotta. You can bookmark this page URL https://machining33.blogspot.com/2011/03/the-unspoken-promise.html. Thanks!

Rage Against the Machine

Guest post by Jacob Gutnicki

We busted out of class had to get away from those fools

We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school…

Bruce Springsteen, No Surrender

Midnight, Administrative Wing of The Burrhus Frederic Skinner School…

The “four” was in hand readying itself for the break in. They already slipped by the security desk. It was almost too easy. One “four” member said, “wait for the security officer to go on a coffee break and walk in.” Getting into the administrative wing proved to be a cinch also. Who knew a library card can be versatile. Disabling the security cameras was a bit more challenging. It involved sending a video feed from camera 2 to camera 1 and shutting down camera 1. This would allow them to roam freely in the administrative wing while giving the appearance that all the security cameras were functioning fine.

They were now preparing to enter Michael Lotta’s office. This required disabling the alarm attached to his door. As a precaution, the posse broke into the circuit box, turned off the power, and cut the wires connected to the alarm while the power was off. The “four” then restored the power to the room and booted Mr. Lotta’s computer. The “four” typed various prime numbers figuring it would be the password. Needless to say, they cracked the password.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. The “four” quickly downloaded the school’s Comprehensive Educational Plan, student records, as well as other files, and placed it on a flash drive. They then hid under a desk and scanned the perimeter. In walked Michael Lotta with a big grin on his face. Michael said, “ My young students, you are at the end of your rope. Who do you think allowed for such easy access? It was all part of my grand design. I set the bait and you took it.”

Michael Lotta paces back and forth and starts looking around the office. Michael said, “You cannot hide forever. Sooner or later I will find you.” The “four” was getting desperate. In a moment of desperation, one of the students sprays mace and yells, “Run for it!!” Michael Lotta yelled back, “Fool! This won’t help. Legions of my security officers are blocking every exit. You are toast! One of the students said, “ to the roof.”

The “four” ran to the roof. Luckily there was an adjoining staircase that linked the high school building to a community college. The “four then ran to the emergency staircase and proceeded to exit the building. They thanked the stars they escaped certain capture and parted their ways.

Twenty Minutes Later… “Where are they?” asked Michael Lotta. “I thought we had all exit points secured.”

“ Look over here, they must have exited to the roof through the window. It appears that they pried it open and…”

“They jumped 6 feet to make it to the roof?” said Michael Lotta. “Search for clues. Maybe they left some evidence behind.”

Twenty Years Later… The “three” meets as they have done for the past twenty years to commemorate the occasion. They start their conversation discussing their current line of work and family life. Two of them worked in cyber security, one of them worked in law enforcement, and the other friend was now the principal of their former high school. The old friends also discussed how their friend Johnny never got it together and was always in trouble with the law. They talked a bit more and then parted their ways.

Editor’s Note- As educators we encounter all kinds of students. Some of these students at times seem disinterested, troublesome, or unmotivated. When this happens, it is incumbent upon us to strengthen our resolve, reach out to them, and help them make their breakthrough. If not us, then who?

You have read this article at risk students / Michael Lotta with the title Michael Lotta. You can bookmark this page URL https://machining33.blogspot.com/2011/01/rage-against-machine.html. Thanks!

Say Goodbye to the Mistress of Science

Editor's Note- This fictional story is a part of a continuing series that aims to explore various educational issues. However, the Random Science thought of the day is real and the MacGyver story is real. Cindy Cohen a HS Science teacher does this with her students. As for the MacGyver anecdote that dates back to my High School days.

By Jacob Gutnicki

Every day she logs on to her computer and posts a random science thought of the day. From Hurricane Earl to Katrina it is all here connected with the tools that engage students. Recently she wrote, “Hurricanes that are hundreds of miles away can still cause high ocean waves.” On another day she posted, “Force equal mass times acceleration. A truck has far more mass than a car. That is why getting hit by a truck going at 30 miles an hour would be far more painful than getting hit by a car at 30 miles an hour.” The students always appreciated her posts and many productive comments and discussions would follow the post.

After posting she typically wrapped a bandana around her head, slipped into her stockings, stepped into her boots, and headed for the car in the driveway anticipating another day at Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School. However, today would be very different for Cecelia Kool. It was her last day at the school as tomorrow she began her new venture; the start of the Thomas Elkins School of Invention.

This school would begin by servicing grades 9 and 10 and over a period of 5 years it would also service the K-8 grades as well as grades 11 and 12. Additionally, her school would encourage Special Needs students to join the school and offer various hands-on internships and job based programs. For a long time it was her dream to design a school and a accompanying curriculum that taught through the exploration of famous inventions, build similar contraptions, and produce futuristic inventions. The timing was right. Her children were all grown up. Her husband Joe Kool was very supportive and helped her obtain the community support needed for this project. Never the less, she dreaded this day. It was hard to say farewell to her students and colleagues.

As she walked the hall everyone wished her good luck and told her that she would be sorely missed. Even Michael Lotta the new Assistant Principal would only speak kind words. In fact, if you looked closely, for a brief moment it looked like Michael had a tear in his eye. For those who really knew Michael it was not so surprising. Beneath that gruff exterior laid a decent man who still cared about the kids. He just believed that being tough was important as it prepared students for the real world. Yet even Michael would never speak ill of his colleague Cecilia. He understood her way was reaching children. Quite often he had said, if more teachers had Cecilia’s magic, I would not have to do what I do.

Later that day, a luncheon was held in her honor. Teachers and student alumni shared stories of what this great woman did for the past 25 years. One student alumnus shared how every week she dissected the MacGyver television show and would recreate the contraptions showcased. The student further related how this inspired him to go to med school. As the afternoon ensued other stories were related and by the end of the luncheon there was not a dry eye in the room.

Soon enough the day would end. Cecilia dipped into the pocket of her raincoat, pulled out her SmartPhone, and wrote the following status update;

“To my students and colleagues. Thank you for a wonderful 25 years. As I embark on this new journey, I leap forth with excitement to what the future brings but will miss you terribly so for your companionship has meant so much to me. Keep strong and continue to inspire all those that surround you.”

And so it was. Cecilia left the building, entered her car, and could be heard humming;

“So many faces in and out of my life,

Some will last, some will just be now and then.

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes-

I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.”

Additional Editor's Note- This story is dedicated to all the great teachers who keep on working tirelessly for our children.

For more fictional stories from Jacob read: "IWB, I Loathe You" and "IWB, I Will Hunt You Down and Destroy You!!"

You have read this article Cecilia Kool / charter school / fiction / Michael Lotta with the title Michael Lotta. You can bookmark this page URL https://machining33.blogspot.com/2010/09/say-goodbye-to-mistress-of-science.html. Thanks!

The Empire Strikes Back

Editor's Note: This fictional story is a part of a continuing series that aims to explore various educational issues. This installment is a follow up to "IWB, I Loathe You" and "IWB, I Will Hunt You Down and Destroy You!!"

By Jacob Gutnicki

It is a dark time for the Frederic Burrhus Skinner High School. Michael Lotta has been promoted to Assistant Principal, and is using the custodial troops to rid the school of Clever Boards. He has also begun to confiscate student wireless devices with the help of the newly constructed wifi sniffer.

In order to evade the wifi sniffer, a group of student tweeters have established a secret closed network using the 802.11z protocol on a remote Linux server.

Meanwhile, Assistant Principal Michael Lotta has become obsessed with stamping out the use of wireless technology and has dispatched the use of an enhanced wifi sniffer to put an end to all the tweet heads…

Midnight… 3^rd Floor of Frederic Burrhus Skinner High School…

“Are you sure no one is here.”

“Yes, yes, yes. This is the perfect time to swipe the end of year examinations. Time to pick the lock.”

“This is strange. It seems that the door is open.”

“Stop! It’s a trap.”

“Oh no, too late.”

Michael Lotta, the new Assistant Principal appears from a secret door.

“Good Evening gentlemen. Say cheese to the camera. Perfect… You are now eligible for the Student Relocation Program.”

“The what?”

“I guess you did not read my new memo. Any student caught violating the school discipline code will be deported to our annex in France.”

“You can’t do this. You’ll never get away with this.”

“Oh no my young students. You will find out it is you who are mistaken about a great many things. Guards!!! Take them away!!”

Two weeks later…

Principal- “How goes the Student Relocation Program?”

Michael Lotta- “I have deported 67 students; a prime number.

Principal- “Excellent. This will help our school standing tremendously.”

Michael Lotta- “I hate asking you this, but is this really legal?”

Principal- “Don’t worry about it. I will make it legal.”

Epilogue… In just one month, Michael Lotta has inspired new levels of fear amongst the student body. Students think twice about tweeting. After all, if they are not careful, they could be the next student to join the Student Relocation Program…

-------------------------------------

Blogger's Note: Like this story? You can read other parts in the series here.

You have read this article fiction / Michael Lotta with the title Michael Lotta. You can bookmark this page URL https://machining33.blogspot.com/2010/08/the-empire-strikes-back.html. Thanks!

IWB, I Will Hunt You Down and Destroy You!!

Editor's Note: This fictional story is a part of a continuing series that aims to explore various educational issues. This installment is a follow up to "IWB, I Loathe You" which explores how Mr. Lotta was impacted by a bad professional development experience. The follow up to this installment continues to explore Mr. Lotta's behavior. As the series progresses other elements will be explored as well.

By Jacob Gutnicki.

By design this series attempts not to espouse any particular point of view. In doing this, the reader can walk away with their own personal conclusions. Having said that, I know some people like this and some people find it infuriating. I hope this helps.

By Jacob Gutnicki

It started out like any other day with kids shuffling into the cafeteria to catch a little breakfast. As usual, the regulars are flinging cornflakes at each other, the bullies are tormenting the freshies and the dweebs, and the techies are texting each other all under the watchful eye of the Bill Perkinson; the new Assistant Principal. Except… today a Clever Board fell from its fixed position almost hitting Johnny.

“What to do you think your doing?”

“Oh, I’m sorry it was an accident. So sorry.”

“You bet you are. That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make!”

Suddenly, Johnny pulled a concealed object from his coat pocket. Bill Perkinson hears a commotion and approaches Johnny.

“Get away from me Perkinson or I start shooting!”

“Johnny, take it easy.”

“Who the hell asked you? Get on your knees now. Now! Now!”

“OK Johnny, I am getting on my knees. Now, why don’t you put the weapon down.”

“This ain’t no TV show chump! Start licking the floor! Lick it good!”

Suddenly, Johnny flinched his hand. Needless to say, the students in the cafeteria were frightened. Several of them began to cry and Bill Perkinson fainted. In walks Michael Lotta sipping his coffee. “Johnny, put that Clever Board eraser away or so help me I’m gonna twist you like a pretzel.”

Johnny, puts the Clever Board eraser down and begins weeping. Michael signals the security officer and tells her to immediately remove Johnny. Michael then talks to the students and assures them everything is under control.

Over the next 30 minutes several students tweet the story to their friends. One hour later… A swarm of reporters are trying to enter the building. They want to know if it’s true that the A.P. passed out and how Michael Lotta single-handedly saved the day. Michael Lotta directed the reporters away from the school, as he did not want the students exposed to the pandemonium. However, the reporters would not leave. Michael then suggests that the interviews take place at an off site location. The reporters begrudgingly agree to this request.

Two hours later… the following interview excerpts are released;

Interviewer- How did you know it was an eraser?

Michael Lotta- Two things- As a veteran teacher I am familiar will all the erasers on the market; even the ones carried by the Clever Board company. Additionally, no weapon would have passed through our metal detectors.

Interviewer- Johnny, why did you suddenly drop the charade when Mr. Lotta walked in?

Johnny- Everyone knows, not to mess with Michael Lotta.

Interviewer- Mr. Perkinson, what the hell happened? I mean, why did you faint?

Bill Perkinson- Umm… Well. I suppose it wasn’t my finest moment.

Three hours later… The school board holds an emergency meeting and two resolutions are passed. By unanimous vote the school board decides to fire Bill Perkinson for gross incompetence and promotes Michael Lotta to the position of Assistant Principal of Security and Mathematics.

Two hours later…

Principal- You have done well.

Mr. Lotta- Today is a day that will long be remembered. We have seen the last of Perkinson and we will soon stamp out the use of Clever Boards.

Principal- Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. Commence with executive order 66. Begin replacing Clever Boards with the far superior Overhead Projector.

Mr. Lotta- It shall be my pleasure madam.

Principal- And how is the wifi detector project coming along?

Mr. Lotta-It is almost ready.

Principal- Excellent!!!

---------------------------------------------------

Blogger's Note: Like this story? You can read other parts in the series here.

Coming Soon… The Empire Strikes Back

You have read this article Clever Board / fiction / IWBs / Michael Lotta with the title Michael Lotta. You can bookmark this page URL https://machining33.blogspot.com/2010/08/iwb-i-will-hunt-you-down-and-destroy-you.html. Thanks!