"Saturated by so much meaningless noise and language, the mass audience is surrounded by a world of debased communication.  Such trivialized experiences with thought and information habituate working people not to think at length or deeply about ideas or reality.  They don't listen carefully - to the news, to their teachers, parents, bosses, cops, or to each other - unless there is something special going on, like a spectacle involving crime, sports, money, sex, or instructions on how to do something they need (like getting a job, financial aid, or cheap car insurance).  The sensory flood from media joins the rush of daily life to make their minds work too fast to do close reading of texts and critical scrutiny of ideas.  Their mental potentials remain undeveloped, but also undestroyed."

- Ira Schor, "The Working Class Goes to College"

The above is one of many essays in an anthology from 1978 called Studies in Socialist Pedagogy.  I know most American teachers would shun a book with that title, but they would be depriving themselves of a great deal of wonderful insights.

So why did I copy the above quote?  There was a fight in school yesterday.  As usual, when these things happen, the involved are many kids I have in class, had in class, or just know because I tend to get to know kids through my daily adventures in the building.  Then there are the teachers who know the names, but only due to the individuals' supposed infamy.  As I have said before, I am one of the go-to people for the more challenging kids.  I respect them and they respect me.  I have colleagues who teach in that rarified world of high honours.  That world where due to their gender, coaching status and ass-kissing talents, will never see these kids.  Their schedules are never mixed up with various levels of the subject.  They are the honours teachers, and that is that.  Strange, because I don't remember there being an honours track in teacher preparation programs, but I digress.  I have been able to get kids to do work with complex machinery (manual film camera, darkroom enlarger) and finicky chemical processes (film and paper development) that my colleagues would completely fail at.  Yesterday, eighth period, I watched one of those kids fly through taking film out of a cassette and putting it on a tank and reel for development.  Success on a massive level.  And I know that when I am back at work tomorrow, he will develop that film, with the usual grumbling about me working him too hard, but acquiescing quickly.

Now look at the title of the essay it comes from.  Those kids usually come from one class.  The fancy pants kids don't have the same issues.  And they end up in life situations that enable them to study and excel with few distractions.  These kids I get have children, no parents, no money, learning disorders, anger management issues. Now re-read the quote.  What would Schor say now with the over-saturation our kids are involved in on a daily basis?   I have to try to get through to my kids despite everything else.

And so the fact that that kid made it to me eighth period is a sign of something massive.  He could have been caught up in the stuff yesterday.  But he opted out.  He missed my first period class (he, like many teenagers, is not a morning person) but made it to me during my prep to make up the work.  Why?  I don't know why he opted out.  But I do hope it has something to do with the way I treat him,  the conversations we have, and the way his first period classmates treat him.  A student a couple of years ago noted that the class was like a family.  Someone was out sick and we were talking about the void left by that classmate.  And the kid nailed it.  I want my classes to be like a family.  We argue, and then we work through it.  We help each other when struggling.

Schor notes in the last sentence that the mental potential of those students is undestroyed.  I want my kids to get through my class undestroyed, but newly developed in a positive way.