How to Reduce Traffic

I didn’t take the train today. I didn’t write in my journal. I had to drive downtown to pick up my monthly train pass. City employees get issued a few free rides each month. It’s to encourage people to use the train and to decrease traffic. For some reason, though, you have to drive downtown to pick up the pass. So I drove to work on Thursday and then swung by after work to pick up the pass. Guess what? On Thursdays they only give the passes out between eleven and one. The lady was sitting there with an envelope full of passes but refused to give any up. So on Friday I drove to work again and went by the office after work and actually got the pass. Two trips for one pass. All this to reduce traffic.

"No Shool"

I watched Latisha while she was taking her test. She only answered a handful of the questions. Then, she got out her assignment notebook. She opened it up and started folding the pages in half lengthwise. Page by page she very carefully folded them until her whole assignment book was half as wide but twice as thick. Then, she started writing “No Shool” on all the weekend sections of the book. Finally, she turned to the goal section. On the first line she wrote her name followed by three stars “Latisha ***”. On the second line she wrote it again . . . and on the third . . . and the fourth . . . and the fifth . . . and so on . . . and so on . . . Sometimes, I think I’m teaching way over these kids’ heads.
We pulled in a bunch of the trouble makers today to have a little talk. We brought them in one-by-one. Rodney was there. I asked him if he had a locker . . . and if he knew the combination . . . then why does he always leave his materials in my class? Well, after our talk with all the kids we were feeling better. Then, Rodney got in trouble at lunch and got another in-school-suspension. It will be nice to have a break from him tomorrow. I swear that kid only comes to school for breakfast and lunch.

The Natives Are Growing Restless

The natives were restless today. You would think that after the principals talked to everyone then they would calm down. If anything, the opposite happened. Kids were running around in the hallways between classes. One student stormed out of my room because I wouldn’t let her go to her locker. (This was after I held my door open for an extra two minutes for her while she was at her locker.) Rodney had to go to the bathroom all class long. DaSean had to go to the nurse all period but I’m pretty sure he just didn’t want to take the test. I think the kids really hit back hard when you try to get them to improve their behavior. Come down on them and they’ll come down on you.
I worked on my annual goals today. Annual goals are a piece of paper that you look at once a year (that’s the annual part), change the date on them, and turn in to someone who insists on having them. Then, you don’t think about them again until another year has passed. I finished my goals up and then emailed them to my mentee so that she could change the name on them and turn in the same ones. (And they say you don’t learn anything in school!)

A Miracle

I had a meeting this morning about Jamal. We’ve been meeting once a week or more to try to figure out what to do about him. We’ve been identifying the issues. We planned to do some testing on Thursday.
This afternoon, Jamal barged into my honors class in the middle of the period.
“Wrong class, Jamal,” I said. He pulled a piece of paper from behind his back. It’s a withdrawal slip. Jamal is moving to another school system. Thank you, God.
We had an assembly with all the seventh grade students today. The principals were talking to them about discipline. Of course, all the students were being rude and disrespectful (especially during the part of the assembly on respect). For the most part I have been impressed with how well our students have behaved this year, especially compared to how they’ve behaved in past years. The principals, however, recognize that there is still a lot of room for improvement. I’m glad. I believe that our students rise and fall to the level of expectations placed upon them. They are doing so much better this year. It’s hard to imagine how high their potential actually is.

Review for the Hardest Test of Your Life

Rodney came into class wearing a big winter coat. A few minutes later he asked me if he could go to the nurse because he felt hot. I told him to take his coat off. Then, he complained of a headache. I told him he couldn’t go to the nurse. A few minutes later he told me that he had to go to the bathroom. I told him no. Soon after, he had made a miraculous recovery and was running around, crumpling up papers to throw at the garbage can, and shouting at people. I think I liked him better when he was sick.
We were reviewing for the “hardest test of your life” today. Rodney’s class couldn’t even focus for a few minutes. Even with so much of their grade on the line, they couldn’t get it together. I feel sorry for the few serious students in there. Ms. Helm had a talk with the wild ones before they came to my class (she has the same group right before I do). Apparently, they didn’t get the message. We’re going to bring the troublemakers in next week to have a little talk.