Any Excuse to Act Up

It was freezing today. For once, it actually felt good to step into the school. I burned up my whole planning time talking to the Professional Specialist. (It takes so much time just to stay eligible to teach.) Then, we lost electricity. It was only out for a few minutes but all the kids were screaming in the halls (any excuse to act up).
There’s only one more day until Winter break. I kept reminding myself, "this is the last time I’ll see them for two weeks—be patient." They can be really obnoxious. Allison was chewing gum. I made her spit it out. The next time I saw her she had stuffed more gum into her mouth. I made her spit it out again and she put more gum in. I made her pick up all her gum wrappers (which she had thrown on the floor), remove the gum wrapper that she’d stuck to her forehead, and spit the gum out. She showed up for reading class with a fresh stick.
All of the teachers got a holiday loaf of bread from Chad except for me. It makes me wonder. I’m not really concerned about whether he likes me or not (I don’t need any 13-year-old friends) but it scares me because of who his mother is. I’m not really sure what to think about that.
Loco picked up a ten-day suspension for gang graffiti. He has a history. Some of the kids are saying that he’s expelled. I hope not. I like Loco. He’s a funny guy and he’s smart even though he tries to hide it. I’m going to have to have a little talk with him.