Campers,

Just posted couple of photos of what’s left of a successful program that John Voorhees and I built at Potrero Middle School about a quarter century ago.

There are 32 monitor badges spread out on my floor.

Over 300 of the school’s 500 students joined the Monitor Force.

They wanted the halls clear and peaceful.

I taught Severely Disturbed which meant they were the toughest kids in the schools.

I put red rimmed post-it notes from the Vice Principal/s office on a half dozen of my kids and put them in the halls with little clip boards and tickets to give students out of class w/out a pass.

Other students were frightened of my students so they behaved.

John registered all of the mainstream students to vote and drafted them into Jury Duty in my old converted shop on first floor.

We had attorneys for accused and School prosecutors.

All, along with judge, played by students.

They dressed to the Nines for the trials !!

Nobel Prize winner from Cal came over to observe.

District dumped me for driving around town in the Cohens’ old Ford F-100 pickup …

Put a bunch of kids in open bed of pick-up and picked up art supplies for the murals they did on side of building w/money from jar in teachers lounge.

I had a student store selling potato chips and knock-off soda between classes so all my kids went home from school with buck or two in their pocket.

Formed student news bureau and interviewed Willie Brown (kids did) when he came to visit the computer program next door where my kids installed modems for a buck apiece.

Key is having bigger stronger kids they respect in the halls with those orange vests and clip boards.

I don’t think the entire program cost me over a hundred bucks.

Only thing District bought was some orange vests and they were so late I’d already bought a dozen on my own.

Hell, use high schools to start.

Ones they know and respect who used to go to Everett !

After an initial period of showing the flag with first all muscle up front, mix muscle with regular mainstream volunteers and then you just rotate thru the volunteers so everyone gets a chance to write tickets in the hall and serve on jury duty.

See what the district says after 25 years ??

Go Giants !!

h.