does this look like spam to you?

Seriously this is an email I recieved through the teacher job search website used in my state.
(names changed)

"Dear Ms. Widget,

Hello! We look forward to hearing from you!Please go to our website: http:school web site. There, you can type in your information on the online application form before printing it out. Download two reference forms to give to persons of your choosing in the education field. These are to be sent back to us under separate mail. With your appl., please include copies of your transcript(s) and Arkansas Teacher's Certificate.
If you do not hold an Arkansas Teacher's Certificate, please provide copies of your Praxis Scores and proof that you are eligible for certification. Also, provide more than one phone number (including cell phone) where you may be reached to arrange an interview."

I keep debating emailing them back and saying "who are you?" I don't go to unsolited websites. It is much akin to the phishing spam I get asking me to update my account in a bank I don't use.
Does nobody at this place know how to write a selling letter? This was written by a Doctor no less (bet its an E.D.).
I know I don't want to work in this city even if I were looking for a job. They arrested three kids for shooting another kid.

My state (or an association of my state actually) has ruled now. There are less schools and school districts than there were a while ago because of consolidation. That is one reason I have trouble with a job, my school closes I'm out of work.

One argument used by clueless former coaches who are now superintendents to stop consolidation is that it would affect the sports programs.

Yea it would, there are now only three schools in the state in the lowest ranking. Why not just stop the sports if your school is so small. Two of the schools in my area.

One of those schools had a sign outside announcing that the weight room was open for football players during the summer. If I ever see it again, I'm gonna pull over and stop and ask if their library is open too.

This is the school that had two openings for a coach of something to also teach math and a coach of something else to teach science. I'm certified for math and science. My first rough draft to them was "Let me know when you are serious about your kids education."

hey sparky, we're supposed to be on the same side

One of my major problem kids, a truant, a student who's grades I never even bother computing because he's absent so much, is in the court system.

For truancy, for living with a married woman among other things.

He's in the hospital. Why? because when drug testing day came up he drank about a half a cup of bleach to fool the test. Then that morning because his stomach hurt he ate candy (no I don't understand the logic either). He's diabetic.

Then after all of this happenned, he talked his way out of lock up at court!

Lady, put him away before he kills himself!

whump in the stomach

One of my best students academically was arrested in a hotel room with five boys, another girl, 10 pounds of pot and 700 xanax.

Why do I try?

juliet and romeo they are not

He is obsessed with the girl.

She is older....and a problem, a GED student. GED means "don't have the credit to graduate and if they put me in this class I'm in school and if I ever wake up to learn something I might actually pass the GED class." By don't have credit I mean after 3-4 years of high school they may have 5 credits.

He's obsessed as I said. Writes her poetry. Buys her presents...rings, stuffed animals. Tries to get into her therapy sessions. Hangs outside the class where she is...which is really fun because its my class in the morning and he will not go to his class.

He has Tourette's syndrom. A mild case. One thing is he "hiccups"...her name.

She told me last week she was just tolerating him because he's crazy. I'll agree with the last part. She's using him.

Today she told me not to interfer with them because he is giving her $100 dollars.

Word for this, rymes with my major gardening tool.

One of my students shot himself over the weekend. In front of two of his friends at 2 in the morning.

The question is not "are the kids I teach on drugs?"

The question is "what drugs are they on?"

There are many on legally prescribed, helpful mood altering drugs. These kids often pretend to take the drugs then sell them to their buddies.

Then there are parents who will buy alchohol for their minors. There are parents who are in rehab or currently taking drugs. The pot, meth, ritalin, blood pressure medicine which is snorted. Very little coke, though I suspect some crack users. I'm becoming good at looking for the signals of the drugs. "he was okay this morning, now after lunch he's bouncing around the room, now he's crashing..."

Even the innocent sugar, the illegal for minors skoal, and the slipping of vodka into water bottles are problems. I watched a sugar rush happen on Valentine's day. A group of trying to do better kids slowly errupted into a riot. I _watched_ the transformation happen.