For the last week or so, I've been having a running issue with a student. Not just any student, but one of my brightest students with great leadership qualities. A kid that always hangs out in my classroom and jokes around with me all the time. The switch from cooperative and invested in learning to disruptive and manipulative was surprising and frustrating, and has lead me to no small amount of grief over the last week. I reached the breaking point on Friday when she freaked in class after I called her on being disruptive, and her retalliation actually made me cry in front of students for the first time since I began teaching. Yikes.
Tonight, I received one of the sweetest and most heartfelt apology letters ever.
Super frustrating week? Yes.
Was that letter worth every ounce of my patience and frustration? Absolutely.
Also, a new trend seems to be starting: I keep finding sandwich parts lying around the hallways and stairwells in the evenings when I leave the building. Yesterday, there were 3 entire ham sandwiches, dissected in their various parts, lying all across the floor in the hallway. Strange, no? Next time I come upon this, I'll snap a picture so you can see for yourself.
My job is never boring.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Violence
This year has generally seemed like a pretty violent school year. There have been a lot of fights, a lot of girls' weaves pulled, and many cases of pandemonium in the halls between classes.
Friday, I guess a bunch of brewing issues came to a head. One of my students showed up to class with sunglasses on and a note that she would be out of school for a few weeks. The student told me that she was in a car accident, but her friends told me later that she had been jumped on her way home from school the day before. To spare you the unpleasant details, I will just leave it be that her face was in pretty bad shape and she has to go to the doctor because she may need back surgery.
Additionally on Friday, a massive fight broke out between several kids in the hall between classes. It took teachers, the dean, and the school safety police almost 20 minutes to finally get the madness to settle down and send the many spectator students back to class. Only a short while later, a kid from our school was jumped by a kid from another school in our building. All in all, it was a pretty chaotic atmosphere in school.
Sometimes when things get crazy, I stop to think: Why are so many people scratching their heads about why our kids have a hard time learning? Hmm let's see: there is violence in the halls, classes start late because of rioting, chaos breaks out in the middle of classes, and they are afraid to walk home from school because they might get jumped. Yes, that definitely promotes quality educational experiences and good feelings about school and learning.
Friday, I guess a bunch of brewing issues came to a head. One of my students showed up to class with sunglasses on and a note that she would be out of school for a few weeks. The student told me that she was in a car accident, but her friends told me later that she had been jumped on her way home from school the day before. To spare you the unpleasant details, I will just leave it be that her face was in pretty bad shape and she has to go to the doctor because she may need back surgery.
Additionally on Friday, a massive fight broke out between several kids in the hall between classes. It took teachers, the dean, and the school safety police almost 20 minutes to finally get the madness to settle down and send the many spectator students back to class. Only a short while later, a kid from our school was jumped by a kid from another school in our building. All in all, it was a pretty chaotic atmosphere in school.
Sometimes when things get crazy, I stop to think: Why are so many people scratching their heads about why our kids have a hard time learning? Hmm let's see: there is violence in the halls, classes start late because of rioting, chaos breaks out in the middle of classes, and they are afraid to walk home from school because they might get jumped. Yes, that definitely promotes quality educational experiences and good feelings about school and learning.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Dating Advice, Perfect Attendance
My students feel free to comment on various aspects of my life. Not sure why they feel they have that freedom, since I don't ever remember giving approval, however, I guess what is not banned must be allowed.
16 year old female student: Miss, you look mad nice today.
Me: Aw, thank you. That's so nice.
Student: Miss, you got a date tonight?
Me: Nope. I do have to go to grad school though.
Student: Ok, cause I was gonna say, you look mad nice but you shouldn't wear your hair in a ponytail if you're going on a date.
...Thanks for the dating advice.
In other, exciting news: for the first time in my teaching career, I had a class that had perfect attendance today! Our school has a pretty serious attendance issue, and it is not unusual for my class to have less than 75% of the students present. Today, in my 4th period class, we had all the students present and working! Amazing!
The reward for the class with perfect attendance: breakfast :) I'll be at the grocery store tomorrow morning buying out their stoke of donuts and juice and clementines.
16 year old female student: Miss, you look mad nice today.
Me: Aw, thank you. That's so nice.
Student: Miss, you got a date tonight?
Me: Nope. I do have to go to grad school though.
Student: Ok, cause I was gonna say, you look mad nice but you shouldn't wear your hair in a ponytail if you're going on a date.
...Thanks for the dating advice.
In other, exciting news: for the first time in my teaching career, I had a class that had perfect attendance today! Our school has a pretty serious attendance issue, and it is not unusual for my class to have less than 75% of the students present. Today, in my 4th period class, we had all the students present and working! Amazing!
The reward for the class with perfect attendance: breakfast :) I'll be at the grocery store tomorrow morning buying out their stoke of donuts and juice and clementines.
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