Clone Saga: Not Just Ben Reilly Degenerates.
Everybody needs a little time away.
Life isn’t easy for a Clone.
The school where I teach is a pressure cooker environment. Stress levels are high, the students are all “at risk”, “socioeconomically disadvantaged”, or both…there are multiple corporate masters, and changing rules. Even with years in, under the utility belt like my co teacher and I have, the year is starting off in a disheartening fashion.
With only a few years in, and emotional vulnerability, the clones that were new teachers when the school was restaffed are starting to feel the pressure big time. I always call the third year the Year of Anger, because you finally are good enough at your job to sit back, relax a bit, and see how other people aren’t working as hard as you are. This in turn pisses you off, to a large degree, and you get pretty ranty. You either learn to deal with it, and stabilize, or get yourself in a @#$% ton of trouble.
A small number just cash in their chips and fold.
One of the clones, who I never really liked, was a TFA member. She cashed in her chips at the end of last year, to go get a graduate degree. Fine, TFA staff tend to have a huge amount of turnover. If you don’t know what TFA is, click here. See? Now you know.
Knowing is half the battle. Seriously, it is. The other part of the battle follows this clear pie chart:
mmmm…pie.
After two years of the battle, the finest Math teacher I have ever met is not sure she has much gas left in the tank. She came to me about it (hence the art) looking to take a leave of absence. She’s upset, and to be honest, she has every right to be. The first two weeks of school were so chaotic that even I wanted to throw in the towel.
My solution is to think of Superman. How he has to get pretty disgusted by the petty ways of men and mad scientists, the way people treat each other. He has to just want to turn his back on mankind, and just live in his swanky Fortress of Solitude, saying a collective “@#$% it!” He doesn’t though.
He stays in the city, and keeps on changing clothes in dirty phone booths and supply closets, because the work isn’t done. It’s a never ending battle, after all.
Other people…they don’t have that barometer. It wears on them, as well as the idea of the responsibility, and their own issues. Some people crack under the strain. Others have the good sense to take care of themselves before things get out of hand. My math teacher is in that last category.
We are doing our best to put together a legit leave of absence for her. However, with that in mind, I had half a mind to completely lose it on Pledge LA today, instead of being simply stern with them, and making a clear list of real demands and obligations. However, the one thing doesn’t have much to do with the other. The best way to support my math teacher, and friend, is to be a decent friend first.
Those stresses…lack of support from Admin, overwhelming problems to solve, and low pay…those are the top three things that teachers cite for leaving the profession, and most people do leave it. Career teachers with double digit years in are few and far between in South Central.
There are a huge number of eighties references in the art today. Feel free to indulge, I’ll just point to the flagrant ones. The Star Wars films, in the clones at least. Knowing is half the battle as a reference to GI Joe, of course.
I’m going to end off with another, a double eighties reference that I didn’t make, but IDW did. Two things give me the endurance to maintain in the never ending battle, and those are friendship (which is magic) and ponies.
Real comic book cover. Real AWESOME comic book cover.
My math teacher needs more ponies.
Tomorrow: Deucelantis!
Tales of Adequacy! 