School is Out: Girl Scouts

I do not have children in the Pontiac School District. In fact, I don't have children. Around 1997, I worked for Girl Scouts and had three troops in Pontiac at Webster, Mark Twain and Alcott. That ended horribly, and left me needing more. It's amazing, but I met one of my girls in jail. She got two years for a gun. She had committed "Armed Robbery". My boss was a coke-fiend that used our children for cookie money. She had a hook-up in stores in the Detroit Metro-Area and paid very little for whatever she bought the girls. Every week they had cookies and juice, some even had ice cream socials and pizza parties. Her son's friend worked at the pizza joint and a friend had a thing running with an ice cream vendor. All bases were covered and she spent very little money and made sure that on the surface that the girls were getting a quality program. She set people up for failure. She set me up for failure, but it was just that, a set-up. It didn't work, because I was blessed and could see the game she was playing. I wanted to work with the Juniors, and she got the Brownie's at my three schools. When I set up a cookie booth at the Flea Market in May, people were asking me, "Isn't Girl Scout Cookie season over?" I would reply, "Yes, but my boss just got here, Pontiac was a mess. She wants the girls to get the whole experience of Girl Scouts." Well, that's what she told me to say, because it was true. Cookie season ran from January to March. It was May and cookies were officially over. 

I told the truth, she was using our children. She rallied the girls late. The woman who was there had done little with the schools. She spent most of her time riding around and making friends. She didn't need to work, her husband was a football player and played for the Lions. My boss went right out and "rallied the girls". She asked me if I would run the office and the three troops. Eager to assist, I said that I would. I hadn't been in Girl Scouts since I was six and seven at Frost. I barely remembered most of the rules or even the pledge. She said it was fine. It didn't matter, and she just wanted to give the girls of Pontiac a chance to experience Girl Scouts, because it was such a great program. What she really wanted was to line her pockets with cookie money. Brownies sold a lot of cookies, because their parents helped them. Seeing that the season was over, people that loved Girl Scout cookies was excited about being able to have a second-chance at the delightful confections. She was going to line her pockets with money and get rid of me all at once. When I tell you that God is good, you better believe it.

People in suburban cities have this problem, but not to this extent. The schools, churches and community centers allow these people to come in and pimp our children. As long as there is a semblance of "goodness" they can put it in a grant and boost their chance of getting it. Our children really don't have a sense of a true sisterhood. What they get is food that's not good for them and their parents get a couple hours of an extended babysitter. I only went to one training for Girl Scouts, I wasn't going to be around for long anyway. I used to teach my children how to sing uplifting songs and boy did they catch on quick. Every time I came to do my program, all the girls wanted to do was talk. They wanted to express themselves and tell someone that they had something worthwhile to say. That they had goals and dreams and little boy they liked in another class. They would look at one another, and one was chosen from the looks to speak. "Miss...Can we just talk, today?" Sometimes, I would say "yes" and sometimes "no", but it was always interesting to hear what they have to say. Now, I see from Facebook that the School Board wants to ask for a mileage. I think that is all "fine and dandy", but I need to see some progress and not just a new face-lift on the building. A student was just shot two blocks from the school. Come on, now, really you want some money?

Mike McGuiness
Pontiac School Board Secretary

Our children are far behind in test scores and I want to see their curriculum. I see that Mike McGuiness has a plan, but I want to see that plan. It was all mapped out on last Monday. I see dollars and cents, but we have a unique situation in Pontiac. It calls for a unique plan and our children need a unique experience. It's time to think outside the box and create a place of not only learning, but mind building, problem solving and working together. That is not just for the exceptional children that can do extraordinary things, but all our children. It doesn't take a lot of time, but someone with the mindset to change the framework of the classroom. Throwing good money after a poor curriculum will do nothing to help our children grow. Learning is done everyday, what you will learn is key. Taking note of who is coming in and out of our schools and dealing with our children is imperative. Our goals should not be on money, but experiences that don't cost a thing. I was asked by a principal of a local charter school, "What do you think our children need?" I replied someone to listen to them, and help them meet their goals." Guidance and discipline is a part of that. Seeing something materialize that they worked on from start to finish.They are dealing with a special kind of student, parent and situation in Pontiac and I want them to start acting like it. It won't take money, but building a better system, and one that works for our kids. A mileage at this point is not going to cut it. Getting our citizens in debt, when mileages haven't worked in the past is immature. Certain flaws have to be fixed, before they ask people to pay more for their taxes. 

McGuinness has some good numbers, charts and even a pointer. I want to ask him if he has any plans to take that money and deal with certain mental and counseling matters. Is there any money set aside for planning a classroom that rivals those of other cities. My sister said that the difference with Pontiac and the district she lives in is implementing the plans they have. We have a serious problem with hiring ineffective teachers. People that have graduated towards the top of their class that knows what it takes to run a classroom well. Plus, oversight on those that come into the schools to work with the children. Who are they? Do they have the educations and "know-how" to run a program successfully and not just a friend on the Board that needs a few dollars. When I was in school the teachers were involved with the student and programs that helped build character, ethnic associated and athletics. We had pep-rallies, school trips and organized activities to create solidarity. If we need money just for our schools curriculum we are in trouble and have to look for outside entities to help support those activities and someone that expedite that activities. I want to see the plan, and I want to see the curriculum. 

I had an assignment to do a D.A.P.P. Program in the high school. That was 20-years ago, and those people are either retired or dead. I got so much resistance, because people at the school were being paid to do a Drug and Alcohol Program and wasn't doing it. There was a woman in the schools trying to destroy every program that she wasn't involved with. A beloved band director was being attacked by her, and all the principal and teachers were having sex with one another. Even those that were married were having affairs. Even my boss was "going with" the principal at McCarroll. She was going to Victoria Secrets, before coming to work. She was getting ready for her meeting with him during the school day. All of this while our children were selling drugs, using drugs and doing it all in school. While there, I saw a young woman that had hit her first crack pipe. Her friends stood around making fun of her, as she tried to work through the effects of the high. With the younger kids, you could get parent participation, but at the high school level, it was non-existent. Those kids were adults taking care of their own lives. They were learning what to do, by what they saw at home and there was no structure that I could see in most cases. Twenty-something years later with two recessions, I know it's worse, today! Just get 'em in and hope that it all works out right. How could it in this cesspool that is Pontiac. We are all lucky to get out alive. A millage will not help that. Structure and deconstructing the lives of our children. Money won't fix that, but time and care is key. It starts in Masonry. 

I was looking to join the Girl Scout Program at the Recreation Center in Pontiac. Since my inquiring about that program, there has been programs that are popping up all over Pontiac. To me, that means that they are looking to do something deceitful with our children. I can tell you that in that six-week period of Girl Scouts, I sold two-thousand dollars in cookies. After helping with an in-school program out at the camp up near Lapeer, I went back to the office. The phone rang and I went to answer and sat at my boss' desk. She had been to the Cookie Meeting in Detroit that day. Not knowing that I was coming back to get the skillet, she left the information sitting on her desk. Just talking on the phone and being nosy, I picked up the paperwork. I looked for my troops, Mark Twain, Webster and Alcott. Well, I saw Mark Twain and I saw Webster, but Alcott was missing. I had sold over $1500 in cookies at that school. There was nothing to signify that I ever sold cookies at Alcott. I do remember coming out after my meeting and there being a mix-up with a few boxes and her saying, "Oh, it'll all come out in the wash." It sure did, she tried to say that I owed her for $900 in cookies sales. Knowing that she didn't count Alcott and that I had given her over $1500 in cookie money, I told her that I didn't owe her anything.

I had put my money in money orders on the insistence of my cousin. She had told me that when you have money lying around like that, you have a tendency to spend it and that I should go to my bank and get money orders as soon as possible. I did just that, because it was a month, before she asked for that money. When she saw the money orders she bugged her eyes, lifted them with her thumb and index finger and said, "You got money orders!" When I saw the look on her face, I knew she was up to no good. I stood up and said, "Yeah, my cousin told me to." She just sat there looking at the money orders shocked. I went back to my office and she called me out. "You owe me $938. I looked her right in the face and said, "No I don't." She got out her calculator and pretended to work the numbers, again. "Yes, you owe me $938", it's right her." She began to panic. I repeated myself for the last time and "No, I don't owe you anything." I went to my office and worked the entire summer to her amazement, I did not stop coming to work. Some days, she peeked into my office to see if I had stopped coming. I kept coming and even took my three troops to Cedar Point and got them discount tickets with their cookie money. I put their money in my bank account, because she has lied about opening an account where her son worked. She was just a thief! McDonalds had given Girl Scouts 10-million dollars for a Millenium Project and she bought a house in Southfield and had three brand new cars in the drive.

Plus, she was going around talking about me to everyone that would listen. Of course she was in with the police. She had them go into my file and sign a warrant for my arrest, and executed the day before I had an in-school, all day party for the girls at Jefferson. Then told all the parents that I had a "run-in" with the police. A case that went nowhere, and I fought it working with her at Girl Scouts. The cop never showed up, because he said it was over a year before. This woman was using the children of Pontiac, and no one even cared. When Troy Craft said Girl Scouts in the City Council Meeting my ears went straight up. They are back at the largest after school program. They want cookie money. This woman Wendy Peace, supervised Pontiac. I called and left her a message. The police, knowing my every move had her call me back, while I was talking to my case manager at CNS. I guess she thought that I would somehow be embarrassed by being involved with mental health treatment and I wouldn't stop her from being seedy and using our little girls to buy that new purse or car she wants. Nope, it's better than not getting help at all. Children suffer from mental health issues, at earlier ages these days. Autism and ADHD is prevalent in our schools, today. Bi-polar disease is very common amongst teenagers, too. I have been in two institutions and have learned quite a bit about mental illness. I won't even deny I have issues, because I met a lot of good people in those institutions that were good to me. Who I am, the places I've been, on the lies men have told, aren't my shame but the shame of those men!

All these people wanting money for our kids need a plan. Not just how they will spend the money, but how they will use non-monetary skills to build better people. The know how and recruitment skills to get people that know how to put these plans to work. Girl Scouts also needs a plan coming into our city starting all these troops. They have specific community issues they target that include bullying, diversity and friendship. The have camps, if they haven't sold them in hard times, where the girls can go and find out about nature and science. I want all that for our girls. I want an enrichment program that will take the girls that participate to new heights and open their minds to worlds they will never see on the streets of Pontiac. I still was fired. Her boss, and the Godmother to her son that worked at the bank, fired me. She had given me expenses to pay the money that my boss said that I owed. I still say I didn't owe her a dime. She had pocketed all the money. How could she say I owed her anything? My brother said that if my boss' 21-year old son was her boss' Godson, they had been stealing for at least 21-years and I didn't have a chance. My boss had that check come, after the deadline for cookie debt had to be paid. I got my walking papers, after I paid the funds that I didn't owe. I love my girls and had just taught them, "Tomorrow" by Quincy Jones and they sang it well. You all know me, I can hold a grudge, especially when I've been wronged. I don't hate Girl Scouts, but they aren't coming up in this city and doing to other people what was done to me. My boss loved to accuse women with substance abuse problems of stealing. Letting them hold on to the cash too long, thinking they will spend it. Sometimes they did, and sometimes they didn't, either way, she took the money. It's just what she did...

They can try to use my past against me, as untrue and full of lies that it is. I could stand more money!