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45.15 Spring, 2005: Semester 2 Half-time at Subway Academy One

45.15.1 Introduction: a Dark Semester

This section is one installment in a large thread on the subject of my teaching that runs throughout the chronicle. Click here to see a table which summarizes these threads.

Unlike the first (Fall, 2004) semester which had been stormy, full of thundershowers and lightning, this semester (Spring, 2005) was to be overcast but uneventful. To begin with, it was easier because I was half-time.

45.15.2 Students

Student=centred curricula have a down side. That is that it can foster an indulgent, infantile, self-referential and self-reverential attitude which is narcissistic and immature.

There were phoney expressions of outrage by certain students. Such outrage is the loudest manifestation of the culture of victimhood that so oppresses modern life. The other manifestation is depression, and the school atmosphere drowned in such feelings. This depression is the flip side of the epidemic of narcissism and emotional self-indulgence that makes such environments potentially hot-beds of stupid intrigue and useless accusations.

Students would make a crisis out of every small incident and then wallow in snitching, whining, blaming, and complaining until the whole school community gets drawn into the morass of seeking retribution. Some became electric with sensitivity to the smallest perceived slight, masterful at exploding like a bomb and intimidating everyone around with guilt by association for their insensitivity or complicity in the "crime". These students have learned that to their great immediate benefit (attention) that emotional blackmail is a well-accepted currency in the age of narcissism where "perception is reality", so that one can construct "reality" from midair by simply uttering a view. This manipulative infantilism was rewarded by some teachers.

Claims of outrage became source of power for some students, thereby satisfying the needs of these extroverted narcissists.

45.15.3 Conflicts and Passive Aggressive Behaviour

The interpersonal situation at the school became rife with repressed conflicts, which manifested themselves as passive aggressive behaviour. These indirect expressions of hostility unsuccessfully concealed the low self-esteem, fear of dependency, and threatened position felt by other teachers.

Because I did not feel that anything could be proved, I chose to simply suck it up and put it all behind me. There seemed to be no point in demanding satisfaction and redress. One could argue that the distress I suffered was the kind that any reasonable person could be expected to endure. I chose not to become a walking wounded soul. I chose not to feel sorry for myself. I chose not to hold a grudge.

The alternative to walking away, namely staying and fighting, would have lead to an escalation of the conflict out of all proportion. Writ large, this kind of escalation is what leads societies into the swamp of easy offence and violence --even war.

45.15.4 Defencive Rebellion

True to the time-honoured, traditional pattern of Fletchers rising up against the imposition of illigitimate authority, Spring, 2005 quickly degenerated into another instance.
    Date Arrived:Name of Rebel:Chapter:
    section    		 Rebelious Incident:
    40s....... Fletcher:Resistance against Roman invasion
    400s....... Fletcher:Resistance against Saxon invasion
    1290s....... Fletcher1:Resistance against English invasion
    1500s....... Fletcher:Rebellion against hegemony of McDonalds in Argyll
    1.... Fletcher:Levelers' Rebellion against authoritarian leaders
    1680sAndrew Fletcher2:5Pitchfork Rebellion against King James
    1689Andrew Fletcher2:5uprising against authoritarian King James leads to
    Glorious Revolution
    1719Archibald Fletcher:First Jacobite Rising against Hanoverian King
    1745William Fletcher:Second Jacobite Rising against Hanovarian King George
    1789... Fletcher2:5uprising against authoritarian King Louis XVI leads
    to French Revolution
    1812Job Fletcher:Uprising of workers against imposition of capitalism
    and mechanization
    1860s........ Fletcher:Uprising against burgeoisie leads to Paris Commune,
    1870
    1919......... Fletcher:Mutiny to oppose Western intervention in Russian
    Civil War
    1977David Fletcher:Uprising against authoritarian bureaucracy leads to
    Front de Liberation de Katimavik (FLK)
    1980sDavid Fletcher:Uprising against Communist Party authority leads
    to Solidarnosc in Poland
    1980sDavid Fletcher36:Uprising against King Squar Collegiate management
    leads to union
    1992David Fletcher38:Uprising at THESTUDENTSCHOOL
    1994David Fletcher:Uprising against managers' authoritarianism at
    AMBASSADOR School
    1990sDavid Fletcher40:Uprising against dictatorship leads to Orange
    Revoluton in Ukraine
    April, 2004David Fletcher45:15Uprising against administrators' authoritarianism
    at Subway Academy
    1Fletcher:Rebellion

45.15.5 Survival Strategy

The survival strategy for this semester was to be a man, nut up, and tough it out. To have the balls to grin and bear it. To bite the bullet and get through this. Subway Academy came to be to education what Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" was to news.

45.15.6 Cut and Run

At my first opportunity I chose to "cut and run". This was the expression that Republican Americans popularized at this time to refer to the policy of liberals who wanted to get the troops out of Iraq.

45.18 Holiday in Quebec with Lena and Frank, July, 2005

45.18.1 Introduction

This section is one installment in a large thread on the subject of my trips that runs throughout the chronicle. Click here to see a table which summarizes these threads.

In July, after all the submitting of marks, and moving out of Subway Academy was done, Lena and I drove with Frank on a holiday.

45.18.2 Ottawa

45.18.3 Montreal with Brenda

45.18.4 Quebec City

45.18.5 Montreal

Ecosystem Museum with Penquins

Architecture Museum




45.19 Tenants, Work, and Roof Fire at 485 Manning Ave.

45.19.1 Introduction

This section is one installment in a large thread on the subject of my house that runs throughout most of the chronicle. Click here to see a table which summarizes these threads.

The project to renovate 485 Manning Ave. is identified as propect 79.1 and can be seen in the context of other projects by referring to a complete listing of my projects -- seen here: LISTING OF PROJECTS.

45.19.2 Tenants

Tenants during this period can be seen in context on following table:
    Address, Dates:TenantDescription
    485b: 2004 to Sept. 2005Heather Northcother careless cigarette caused fire
    485a: 2003 to June 2005Juliedemanding girls
    485a: July, 2005 to March, 2006Rob lazy bum seldom paid rent
    485b: Sept, 2005 to Feb. 2006MikeKept the apartment a mess
    485b: March, 2006 to closingDave Hammer, Charles FahlenbochTore out carpets, tried to extort money for showings
    485a: April, 2006 to closingDarren LeClairBrute stiffed me for rent

45.19.3 Work Done at 485 Manning Ave.

Partly as a way to take Subway Academy off my mind, and partly to correct for the house being ignored for so long, I undertook a new phase of extensive renovation work. In this I was helped primarily by Jamie Smith.
    Date:Tasks performed this period
    , 1979purchase, moving in
    April, 1980breaking concrete in backyard
    May, 1980digging hole
    26 May, 1980removing excavated soil, concrete
    31 May, 1980pouring footing
    4 June, 1980concrete block foundation wall
    20 June, 1980concrete columns on East side of garage
    3 July, 1980brick around garage columns
    7 July, 1980West concrete block wall on garage
    early August, 1982structure of addition and roof completed.
    August, 1982enclosure of addtion completed room.
    Fall, 1982upstairs apartment completed.
    1983major work on downstairs apartment.
    1984completion of grade-level living room and basement.
    1986Completion of the downstairs and moving upstairs.
    1995new roof, new skylights.
    1996new bathroom on second floor.
    2002new bathroom in basement.
    2005completion of basement bathroom
    30 July, 2005fire on roof
    Fall, 2005repairs by HOPE contracting
    2006covered workspace in backyard, studio in garage, finishing touch-up to whole house
    late August, 2006 showings, and sale 30 Aug.

45.19.4 Roof Fire, 30 July, 2005

The roof fire combined with my taking a leave of absence to make a definitive end to one chapter in my life. The fire changed much. Because these changes all have to do more with chapter 46 than 45, the discussion of these changes are in chapter 46.

45.20 Summary, Conclusions,
Connections, Goals, Omissions, and Regrets

45.20.1 Introduction: Crossroads

Like the end of any period, this period ends with a major crossroads having been arrived at necessitating a decision (this was an anticipated event) as well as a completely unanticipated event. Both of these made themselves into major turning points. The cross-roads decision was to take an unpaid leave of absence, making the month of June my last at Subway Academy. The surprising second event was a fire at 485 Manning Ave. Both this decision and this event would send me off in a new direction to start chatper 46.

45.20.2 Summary: Hazing at Work and Home

Chapter 45 was dominated by this school year being my first year at Subway Academy One which included a hazing. I paid little attention to anything else, as the work filled my day. The closest thing I can compare the experience with would be an initiation hazing in the military. Humiliation, physical injury, and stress were all part of it. The period of the chapter was then ended by a hazing-like experience in my house --the roof fire.

45.20.3 Conclusions: Survival

This year at Subway Academy One reinforced my view that one must make a distinction between achievement and success. Achievement is the knowledge that one has worked hard and done the best that they could do. Success is being praised by others for that work. Despite having many students do well, learn alot, pass their courses (and I taught 14 such courses) in record numbers (114 students earned credits with me in semester one, Sept. 2004 to Jan. 2005), create a major website, and other major accomplishments at school, I received no success (as measured by praise). I chose not to respond to this oversight on the part of the school staff.

45.20.4 Connections

This school year needs to be put in the context of my many other school years.

This year's events, particularly the difficulties at Subway Academy and the house fire, provoked my entering not only a new chapter, but also a new life stage, as shown in the table below.

    Stage:ChaptersDates: Ages: Description
    1 of 621-221955-1974 1-19public school, family, no health issues
    2 of 623-271974-1984 19-29university, insecure income, few assets, healthy
    3 of 628-451984-200429-49work (includes up to end of first semester at Subway Academy), stabilization of income, many issues resolved, assets built up, minor health issues
    4 of 646-532004-201549-60semi-retirement, consolidation, assets built up, equity peaks, first signs of aging such as major health problems
    5 of 654-602016-203061-75active retirement, but increasing health problems
    6 of 660-632030 on75 onelderly, serene, poor health

45.20.5 Goals

Any consideration of specific goals, should be seen in the light of my mission statements. In this period, I achieved my major goals:
  • getting through my first year at Subway Academy One with achievement (if not success);
  • getting through another year managing 485 Manning;
  • preparing for the closing of the townhouse condo I bought;
  • staying together with Lena and Danyil;
  • fullfilling responsibilities visa vis Mom;

45.20.6 Omissions and Regrets

The bulk of this chronicle concerns things planned, experienced, written, won, acquired, painted, accomplished, etc. This section concerns those which were only desired, thought of, considered, not completed, lost, and perhaps regretted. The dominant activity of this period was Subway Academy One, and so my biggest regret would be that I was not able to get along with the other staff in such a way as to become integrated into the staff. I remainded an outsider.



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