April 11th. Teachers convene at lunch to discuss the new conflict with administration: letters of recommendation. Meeting prompted by last year's controversy, after higher powers took away the day of paid time off given for writing letters. Course of action decided on by the teachers in aforementioned lunch meeting is a strike of sorts; no letters of recommendation will be written until they are given proper compensation. In their stead, a placeholder, detailing the reasons why a letter of recommendation could not be provided. Students are advised to "get their parents to do something,"; leave this to the grown-ups.
May 15th. Funding cuts to Berkeley High, as part of new "Negative Reinforcement" program, proposed by the latest addition to the board, the revived corpse of Ronald Reagan: "[unintelligible] trickle down... [unintelligible] ... bootstraps." Other board members spoke on the letters of recommendation policy moving forward, "We are stalwart in our position - if the teachers are given compensation for writing letters of rec, then what's next? They're going to demand better pay, they're going to demand more funding - we just can't concede anything to them." Attempts by representatives from the Teacher's Union to speak were met with exaggerated snores and loud boos from sitting board members, night concludes, no progress made.
The most interesting phenomena observed by our dogfight- gambling addicted Blazer journalist was the "tangible anger directed at nobody in particular." Many students, the college-obsessed especially, are rightfully angry at the situation as a whole, but have no ways to express it, except in complaints to their friends and in accusatory tones, aimed at nobody in particular. The touching narcissism of the young.
May 22nd. One week removed from the last meeting, chairs are arranged again, board members promise to allow teachers to speak, and the issues are reprised. Meeting devolves into outright fistfight after a teacher lists suggestions for ways they could be compensated. They are defending their institutions in the only way they have left.