Dear Friends,
I keep seeing all this discussion taking place about Artificial Intelligence, which is way too long for the general public to say, so like names like “Madonna” or “Cher” or “Bono,” AI will be what we call it forever and ever until something scarier comes along. I find them amusing, to be honest, these discussions. I also find them super interesting.
I don’t have a clue what AI will do or how it will impact the world other than to make things move faster and, if people are listening correctly, make things easier, too. Will AI kill us to save the planet? Possibly. Will AI help us save the planet? Possibly? Will AI say, “These fucking politicians you have are not logical at all. Here’s a list of five things you can do to save this fucking planet and yourselves, idiots.”
I have to believe that AI, for example, will look at things like medical care in the United States and go, “Y’all suck at this. Here’s how to fix it.” Or better yet, maybe AI will just fix it. One day people will log into their insurance websites or doctor’s office website or whatever and there will just be a whole new program. Problem selved and the evil, AI overlords will get us fatter and happier before they slaughter us.
*****
Yesterday was a fun day at work. It was a short day. I did a dance with my fellow teachers, which is something outside of my normal comfort zone. I engaged with some of my student’s parents in a positive way. The kids were happy because I bought them pizza. I got some organizing done in my classroom.
Today will probably not go as quickly, but we do have some things going on that will move the day along. The students are getting to show off some of their hard work to their peers in the morning and then in the afternoon they get to take a tour of the middle school next door. I just have to keep them entertained and somewhat under control for about four hours.
I don’t even know if silent ball will keep them in line for too long. They are very sweet, though, and keep giving me pictures they have drawn. One of them gave me a box of pencils yesterday, too. It was so nice. He was so happy to give them to me. It’s funny how they show you they were paying attention and appreciate what you have done for them.
I’ve had to break a few students of the habit of breaking pencils just, well, because they can. I was never destructive like that as a kid. I was destructive in other ways, of course, but not like that. I have a few that bite the erasers off right away when they get a new pencil. What the hell is up with that?
Another one would just break them. He’s a real piece of work. He’s got it in him to be a really good kid, but being in a class of 31 students, I could not give him the individual attention that he really needs. I saw him just take a pencil and break it one day. He asked if he could “borrow” a pencil and then he sat down and just snapped it in half.
Teachers have to deal with tiny little “fuck you” statements like that all day. You get used to it. You feel your way through those moments and hope you can remember to think about what it is like to be them, to be the student and what their world is like. They don’t always know what is driving their behavior. They just do things and then, maybe then, worry about consequences.
Self-awareness is pretty darn important.
*****
Here is a haiku
About haikus because I
Can’t just be clever.
*****
See you tomorrow.
Soon.