we don’t need to understand
Sometimes I wonder why I do this. Like, is “living my dream” really worth all the crap I have to put up with in order to do it?
The school went into a code red lock-down today due to a convenience store break-in down the street. That’s what the kids said, at least. I never received any notification from the administration as to the cause of the lock-down, which would have been really nice. Then, I had to give a kid in my EL class a referral for his miserable behavior yesterday while I was away at the FAFSA conference. When he came back to my class after lunch, his behavior was so abysmal, I gave him another. Then, during 6th period, I yelled (and I mean yelled) at one of my students who refused to shut his mouth while I was trying to conduct a discussion about the brilliant symbolism in the last chapter of Of Mice and Men. When I asked why he found it so difficult to be quiet and respect his other classmates who had done the assigned reading and were trying to participate in the discussion, he sulkily replied, “The girl in front of me keeps saying I’m bugging her.”
“Are you bugging her?” I cried in exasperation.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then stop it!”
That’s not even taking into account my seniors, who failed yet another chapter exam yesterday and spent the entire period complaining about how hard my tests are and how, get this, they shouldn’t have to study all weekend in order to pass.
I’m so irritated about my students’ refusal to take ownership for their own damn education, it just makes me sick. If I hear another, “Miss G, you gave me a D!” I just might hit something.
“No, darling scholar of mine, I did not give you anything. That is the grade you earned.”
“But why?”
“See all those zeros on your grade printout?”
Blank stares of confusion.
“When you don’t do your work, you get a zero. If you get enough zeros, you fail my class.”
“But…”
“How many zeros do you have?”
“Um……. twelve.”
“Well, there you go.”
“So what can I do?”
“Completing your assignments might be a good place to start.”
