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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

When it get's hot...

Recapping some recent events at school (this week - once the temperature hit 80) so that next year when my kids go crazy at this time of year, i am not a surprised new teacher.  [while the tone of this blog is sarcastic and dry, please don't take it to be complaining - i'm not.  it's supposed to give you a giggle.]

Most students that walk in the room and complain that it is hot.  [wait? what!? you mean this room I've been in since 7am is 95 degrees and rising and smells like freshmen boy B.O.??? thank you for informing me, i hadn't noticed...]

Dress code.  Do I have to say anything except that the principal was standing at the girl's entrance with a pile of gym shorts and tee shirts to hand to girls who woke up confused and thought they were going clubbing instead of going to school...? 

Malfunctioned fire alarm during the middle of homeroom.

2 of my students have been escorted out of the building in cuffs, which the whole class can witness since i have a first floor room with giant windows... the only downside of windows i guess. no complaint there though.  [somehow, the arrests bring about laughter... still trying to figure that out]

Today, there was a food fight AND water balloon fight in the lunch room.  My question, how did the kids get water balloons into the building?  If they were already full, the video scanners they put their bags through in the morning (while they go through metal detectors)... think airport security... should have detected them.  More likely, they filled them up during the day.  Because a student can leave class for 15 minutes and what are you gonna do about it?

So, they shut off the water.  Naturally. And then, the students are mad because the water fountains aren't working.  Well, should have thought twice about that water balloon fight [which, by the way, was planned school-wide yesterday with a text] before you realized that water was apparently a privilege at school.

Speaking of water, something leaked or exploded... not sure about the details, but the entire south wing of classrooms on 3 floors was flooded.  and all the teachers took their kids outside to have class... 80, sunny, no trees, no park... city schools.

Picture this scenario.  Every student who walks in the classroom groans that it's hot.  When the bell rings, the kids proceed to yell at me that it's too hot to do work and we can't do anything and and and... I listen, and calmly try to explain that i understand, and i hope they fix the air asap and i too am hot and uncomfortable, but we are in school until June 17 [insert mass groan] and we can't sit on our butts until then.  [i give this "speech" with no sarcasm.  it's good to know when to be sarcastic and when not to be.]  So, we turn off the lights, and stay seated and learn the next section of the song we're working on.  Mid singing, this girl stomps to the front of the room to proclaim [very loudly] that her mom texted her and is picking her and her cousin up for early dismissal.  My response: okay, she should have the attendance office contact my room [thinking to myself, just like everyone else... duh!  and, wait, you're not supposed to have your phone in school and your mother, who knows this rule, is texting you to leave in the middle of your class??? WHHAAT?]  She rolls her eyes, turns around to head back to her seat with the loudest groan/sigh/scream I've heard.  I just raise my eyebrows [so as to imply the "yikes! don't mess with her" look and everyone laughs.  not sure if that was the appropriate teacher response.]  then, there is a knock on the door.  [i have to lock the door during this period b/c of all the sillyness in the hallways and the kids that randomly used to open the door and scream profanity inside the room and run away, or the kids that come into the class and say, "oh i just need to give shamequa her phone" or.... or... or.... you get the picture. the door is locked. so i go open the door, and it's the girl's mom.  no way!! haha she has bypassed the front desk and attendance office and is knocking on my classroom door to disrupt her class to pick up her entitled child who proceeds to storm out of my room. hahaha but when you see the parents, a lot makes sense about the kids.  [can i get an amen?]

8th period has it the worst, because there have been nasty, sweaty, classes of 50+ in my room all day, so it's the hottest and the smelliest by the time last period rolls around.

But, it wouldn't be fair to tell you all that unless I told you... once we get past the complaining and the disruptions and everyone is able to semi-focus, they learned a new part of a song, worked at it for at least 25-30 minutes straight (which is a long time for one task these days, especially considering they are doing NOTHING in most classes) and I would say 60-75% of kids were engaged/ trying their best [the best a 16 year old can give when they are tired and hot and it's the end of the year].  Usually, it's probably more like 90-95%, but this week, i'll take 75% of kids working as hard as they can.

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