a day with an extra Mexican

We have this secretary/registrar person at our school who is unbelievably - to me - racist. She says shit like, "Yeah, unFORtunately the white people moved out of this area and those others moved in," and today ridiculed the big march and the walkout honoring Cesar Chavez ("it's his birthday or SOMEthing." Which is wrong - that's not the point of the walkout today.)

I don't even know how to handle such bigotry. Today I said, "Well, you know that's normal with activities, that not everybody knows everything. Like my roommate, she was at Tianenmen Square when the people were killed, but she was just along with her friends. That's not abnormal. And whose responsibility is it to teach about Cesar Chavez? The schools. So if the kids don't know much about him, the schools have done a crappy job, huh, since that's where we teach about important leaders?"

I felt better when I walked out and ran into Mark "This district needs a good lawsuit" special ed teacher. And then I told the best English teacher to run, not walk, away from this district. I thought she was going to kill the principal at the last meeting - and her frustrations are SO LEGITIMATE. They're my frustrations, too. We don't hate the kids or teaching - we don't like the administration. So, she said she got some applications into other districts, which I encourage. I'll bug her until she goes, because I don't want her to be lost to teaching.

Two of my kids got called out of my class because they held a riot in another teacher's classroom. Riot is an exaggeration of sorts, but not too much. This teacher talks about leaving, and I only wish she would. I believe the kids when they say she's racist, because I hear the way she talks about the kids - how English Learners have such "problems" and "deficiencies." Um, she's not bilingual, so maybe the deficiency is hers?

But me and my kids, we're tight. We spent all day talking about the march. Aztec Boy came in before school started, as soon as he saw me - and I recognized the symptoms of "post-political-action-glow." We need to get him into a good college with a good MEChA and get him a law degree - and step back. He is such a great kid, and we probably influence each other equally.

And I was out sick Friday, and they did their work and were good for the sub, which is way cool. I haven't had my classroom trashed once when I was out sick. I have only two more sick days -need to use them sparingly.

And I found the "stolen" DVD. I don't know why it was where it was, and I really don't think I put it there - but finding it makes me very happy - and now Mr. Cholo will have two copies of American Me. It's a damn good movie.

Today I go withdraw from the university - and trust me, no bummer there. Then some social activities - also, no bummer.

So the only bummer is stupid white people.

Oh, I got a new kid today straight from lock-up, and he came right when I was trying to rile the kids up because I'm making them write about a political topic of their choosing. And when I sat next to the kid and asked what he wanted to write about, he said, "How all white people are greedy."

Apparently I riled effectively. I have a little Marxist on my hand here, because it wasn't hard to help him see class as a factor at least as much as race.

"ALL white people?"

He was sitting with two of my biggest fans, and they'll keep him in line. When I looked around the room for a good place to seat him, they raised their hands like they did last time I needed to place somebody. They take pride in helping and success - kinda funny for two kids who were dropouts.

Everyday I walk out of my classroom after school and there's a cluster of my students. Oh, they're not there to see me - they just cluster there. But I tell them, "I feel like Evita, and you are my people. My minions. Here, flocking at my feet."

Crazy is the nicest adjective they use.

I have a kid with long spikes, and today I tried to stab them through paper and said we need to bring Christmas tree ornaments for them.

He was not amused, and threatened to stab me with them instead. But I do have to entertain myself somehow.

Several kids said that they were supposed to walk out today, and I laughed. Yeah, yeah, do your work first and then walk out. Besides, the walk out was FRIDAY - and I wasn't there then. That made 'em think. That, and when they said they weren't at the protest, and I said, "Yeah, guess I'm a better Mexican than you." Hahahaha