Leaving

Workday - 8:15am-3:45pm

Yesterday a student of mine handed me a textbook on his way out at the end of class. I asked him, "Did you find that? Did someone leave it behind?"

He shook his head, "It's mine".

"Why are you giving me your textbook?"

His response was mumbled and in broken English. "I do not... I won't be... go to school anymore."

"What?? You're leaving school? Why? Where are you going?"

But he was out the door.

He was getting an A, too. One of very few of my students. I was actually dumbfounded. I wish he could have told me why, because now I'm curious. He could be going back to China. He could be dropping out to work (I believe he was already over 18). But he was so quiet about it he made it seem like it was a secret, or at least that he was upset over it. It seemed so mysterious.

Yesterday was also our last day in the unbearable heat of the math wing. Today we enjoyed a cool and comfortable afternoon in the music classrooms. Unfortunately, music rooms present other problems when using them to teach math. I have very little chalkboard space (not to mention little access to the amount chalkboard we have. Most of it is blocked by stacks of papers on tables). Also, the students have no desks to write against. One of the music rooms has three tables that the students can fight over when they arrive. The other room that I'm using has no tables, however, and I'd rather the kids didn't put their heavy binders on the music stands.

I had taken a poll (democracy generally rules my classroom) first to see if the students would be willing to move to the music rooms. I made sure to explain the drawbacks of the room before they all rushed to vote for it. The move would also come with rules, lest they take advantage and be forced back to the math wing. In the end, of course, a small majority voted to move.

I'm definitely much happier in the air conditioned environment. I don't care if I have 1/3 the board area and have to repeatedly erase my notes and write overtop. We're almost finished the curriculum, anyway. Our last test is Thursday, and the 5 class days afterward will be dedicated to reviewing the entire semester.

And so, it's time for a countdown (I think I'm a bit early on this one, but to hell with it. I've been silently counting down the days since March):

23 days left, or
17 weekdays, or
7 in-class days.

Deal With It

Workday - 8:30am-4:00pm

To catch up on what's happened in the last month:

• Seussical's long finished. It went amazingly well. In fact, it may be the best high school production I'll ever work on. We should have taken it on tour. Really, it was awesome.
• As soon as the musical ended, I got sick. This is usual. I generally get sick after a big stress factor is lifted. However, my symptoms lasted for far too long (I'm still sick at the moment). I finally went to a doctor yesterday and was prescribed various drugs.
• My marking has piled up and up, and my students are getting impatient. I couldn't even begin to tackle it while I was sick -- my brain was barely functional. I've finished a bit of it now, but there's still lots to go.
• For some reason, the air conditioning isn't reaching the math wing. The weather has been summery lately, and so my classrooms are unbearably hot and sticky. The rooms are easily 5 degrees hotter than outside, too. It's hard enough reaching applied math students in a comfortable environment. We have only two weeks left, but I've lost them. No one wants to come to class now, and I honestly can't blame them. I may have to relocate my classes to a cooler place if I want to see anyone before exams.
  
• Exams are coming up (as well as end-of-the-year assignments), so that's just going to add to my marking. I'll be quite busy until June 28, I imagine.

On to today's story:

Apparently one of my students is schizophrenic. If no one had told me, however, I'd never have guessed. I've noticed she acts a bit odd and can be easily distracted, but that's hardly a tip-off. I have plenty of odd and distracted students without (diagnosed) mental illness.

I'm sure she's on medication, and I don't really know what to expect from her (or how to "handle" her). Only recently has she presented herself as someone who even needs "handling".

Today she came into class late (as usual) and I told her to get her worksheets out of her folder (all of the students' folders were spread out on a table). She proceeded to look at three folders before she gave up and said, "mine's not there".

I replied, "Sure it is. They're all on the table."

She looked at the same three folders and repeated, "Mine isn't there!"

I finally gestured to the other folders besides those three and said, "There are other folders on the table. Yours will be one of them."

"Oh."

Once she got settled, she then had a question to ask me for every minute there was left in the period.

Whew.

Plus every other student had about 3 or 4 questions for me, on top of it. That was an interesting juggle.

In last period, the entire class ganged up on me. They spent the hour goofing off, despite my warnings that I would finish the lesson no matter how long it took. And that I'd wait for them to be quiet if they continued to talk. And I'd wait for them to wake up if they decided to sleep. And I'd wait for them to answer if they ignore me when I ask a question.

Yet, for whatever reason, they still did all of the above.

I don't care how much of a "bad kid" you are (or think you are), I know if I were in my last class on a hot Friday afternoon I'd do anything to get it over with a.s.a.p.

They could have been out of class early, too. I taught the very same lesson in the period just before, with 15 minutes to spare.

The class was incredulous as 3:15 came and went. I had only 3 minutes left of what I needed to write and say, but they decided to use the time to argue with me instead. They wanted to tell me what to teach, how to teach it, when to teach it, where to teach it, and even when I should talk. Some began to get out of their seats while I was still writing. Most had long packed up their books.

Who am I writing on the board for, if no one's writing it down? I knew I'd be pushing my luck if I stopped and made them take out their books, though. I may be in charge, but they were already riled up and I can't take on 25 hot and cranky teenagers. I did make them sit, at least.

The lesson kept them in class for all of 6 additional minutes. Six minutes wasn't nearly enough punishment for what they were doing. I've been looking into what more I should do to them come Monday, keeping in mind I strongly believe in punishments fitting the crime. I believe I'll check everyone's notes and make sure they all have Friday's lesson written down. I know damn well most of them don't. For the ones who don't have it, they'll have to find a way to get it before the end of the period on Monday. It will be their only ticket out.

Today, I simply dismissed them and handed out the homework on their way out the door.

As they exited, I said, "I don't appreciate your rudeness today. I'll remind you that I can hold you in here for a detention for as long as I wish. And if you pull this again, I will."

I think I'm a pretty patient person. This was me almost at my worst.

Not bad restraint for someone with a two-and-a-half week old cough, an ear infection, a tonsil infection, and allergies on a sweltering Friday afternoon.