I wonder how inactive and paralyzing it is to the school system when, superficially, we exude some form of pleasantry and quietness that many may mistake for some sort of sterility, at least on the part of the relationships within the building. For those who’ve had any experience within a school, I’m here to quasi-report that not only is there far too much gossip in schools, but that even what some consider honesty is just another form of sullying someone, and that’s far from cool. Too many adults in our school system act like children when it comes to this, in an environment where we often discourage the gossip. It’s one thing if you’re just openly reflecting on an incident and it’s not a private issue, or if you’re talking about an situation in terms of the idea and not the person, and quite another to straight up pass untruths or fabrications, knowing you may not say it to the person’s face if confronted by what you’ve heard.

Personally, I’ve come across it. I barely stepped into my “lateral move” without saying so much as a word and the gossip and disdain overflooded. I’m not going to let any of it affect my positive attitude nor will I let it discourage me from doing what’s best for my particular students. I’d prefer to be focused on helping the students instead of acting too much like them.

Jose, who credits A Tribe Called Quest for the re-interpolation of my blog title …