I had to pick up a friend from the airport yesterday, but they weren't there and the flight was late, and their phone directed me straight to voicemail. Later he telephoned to tell me that he missed his flight because he was arrested on the flight before it left, and was removed from the plane at the airport and thrown in jail.
As I understand it, he was sleepy on the overnight flight. Once seated in the emergency-exit row which he booked to accommodate his 6'6" 250 lbs size as he always does, the flight attendant was presenting the pre-flight safety instructions and the woman next to my friend protested, "this person's not fit to sit here!" and with that a flight attendant asked him to change his seat, and my confused friend uttered, "no," and then was told that the police would be called to which he mumbled, "okay," in a daze. Then all of a sudden the police arrived and shot him with a tazer-gun, which he quickly yanked out of his abdomen. But then he was handcuffed and sat in a jail overnight, not allowed to sleep because they had to check his blood pressure and hear rate every hour until morning, when he was finally allowed to collapse from exhaustion, on the cement floor. He also missed his connecting flight in NYC to Spain that same day, to go perform in a band where he plays guitar and sings. he had to buy new plane tickets, take care of his arrest proceedings, and still he was not persistently angry, although he wanted to be and easily could have been. He didn't want to be consumed by it and for that I admire, respect and honor him. I will learn by his example and likewise maintain a calm composure.
What is "The Rubber Room?" Simply put, "The Rubber Room" is a room where hundreds and hundreds of New York City schoolteachers presently sit, being paid full salary to do absolutely nothing. But, like so many things, it's not quite so simple... What Happens? Each year in New York City hundreds of schoolteachers are suspended. Their teaching privileges are temporarily, but indefinitely, revoked. Accused of a wide range and varying degrees of misconduct, these teachers are no longer allowed in the classroom. Instead, while awaiting a lengthy adjudication process, they are compelled to report to an off-campus location commonly referred to as The Rubber Room.
Read this newspaper article about it. Look at the trailer for a documentary film about the rubber-room. Look at the film's website. Listen to the radio broadcast on NPR's This American Life.
Read this newspaper article about it. Look at the trailer for a documentary film about the rubber-room. Look at the film's website. Listen to the radio broadcast on NPR's This American Life.
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