students
How can I not love the student who comes to class today with a file folder full of organized work to turn into me?
Or the one who overheard a bit-heated conversation on the phone and said, "What was that? Miss, you know we got your back. No worries."
Or the one who stayed after for two hours to type for the first time ever in his life?
Or the one whose name I cried out in dismay because she was socializing instead of working and who responded, "Miss, I love you too!"
Or the one who read Neruda's Poema de Amor #20 aloud in class - over and over (he has a great accent, and this is the poem that Lalo and I became friends over).
How about the kid who lied to a teacher to say he needed to talk to me about a project? There is no project and he never showed up, and the other kid who said he needed to talk to me - I don't even have that kid in class. Not loving them, quite easy. I'm trying to not take it TOOO personally. It makes me feel a little better - this kid is the only one I feel has an antagonistic relationship with - and the Most Excellent Security Guard said the same thing about him. It's not just me.
So, what's going to make me feel better? I'm going to visit Spitfire at work and I'm going to humiliate her. I'm going to drive a couple miles out of my way to go into that supermarket in order to enjoy some payback. VENGEANCE IS MINE. All the time she cussed in class or talked when I was explaining or asked how much beer I drank - well, maybe I should just break ketchup bottles and make her clean them up.
Of course, really I'll just walk in and find her and watch that embarrassed pride she gets with attention, and that will be all. I would be far more entertaining if I were more vengeful.
And then I'll go to my class on assaultive behavior and I just hope we'll learn restraints tonight. Because somebody needs to restrain me tomorrow when I get all assaultive on lying kid's ass.
But writing about today would not be complete without reliving the roaring laughter when a kid asked if I wasn't feeling well (I'm not) and then offered me "pills." I was like, dude, thanks for the illegal medication, but no thanks. And besides, you sure don't want to see me high. If you think I'm talkative and annoying now, you should see me -
I shut up. I had the whole class's riveted attention, and I've rarely seen a group of people roar with laughter all at the same time. And it wasn't malicious, but just like, "Oh shit! The teacher gets high!" And Papi Cholo cracked a joke about me hangin in southcentral LA scoring, and then we moved on. Which is the very best part - no perseverating or any of that, but it's a class of mature kids who can laugh like hell and then move on. I have to worry a little that some will ask me to go smoke out with them now, but I can laugh that off. This is the class of kids who hasn't passed the high school exit exam, and they struggle academically - so anytime we bond, it's all good. Even at my expense.
Or the one who overheard a bit-heated conversation on the phone and said, "What was that? Miss, you know we got your back. No worries."
Or the one who stayed after for two hours to type for the first time ever in his life?
Or the one whose name I cried out in dismay because she was socializing instead of working and who responded, "Miss, I love you too!"
Or the one who read Neruda's Poema de Amor #20 aloud in class - over and over (he has a great accent, and this is the poem that Lalo and I became friends over).
How about the kid who lied to a teacher to say he needed to talk to me about a project? There is no project and he never showed up, and the other kid who said he needed to talk to me - I don't even have that kid in class. Not loving them, quite easy. I'm trying to not take it TOOO personally. It makes me feel a little better - this kid is the only one I feel has an antagonistic relationship with - and the Most Excellent Security Guard said the same thing about him. It's not just me.
So, what's going to make me feel better? I'm going to visit Spitfire at work and I'm going to humiliate her. I'm going to drive a couple miles out of my way to go into that supermarket in order to enjoy some payback. VENGEANCE IS MINE. All the time she cussed in class or talked when I was explaining or asked how much beer I drank - well, maybe I should just break ketchup bottles and make her clean them up.
Of course, really I'll just walk in and find her and watch that embarrassed pride she gets with attention, and that will be all. I would be far more entertaining if I were more vengeful.
And then I'll go to my class on assaultive behavior and I just hope we'll learn restraints tonight. Because somebody needs to restrain me tomorrow when I get all assaultive on lying kid's ass.
But writing about today would not be complete without reliving the roaring laughter when a kid asked if I wasn't feeling well (I'm not) and then offered me "pills." I was like, dude, thanks for the illegal medication, but no thanks. And besides, you sure don't want to see me high. If you think I'm talkative and annoying now, you should see me -
I shut up. I had the whole class's riveted attention, and I've rarely seen a group of people roar with laughter all at the same time. And it wasn't malicious, but just like, "Oh shit! The teacher gets high!" And Papi Cholo cracked a joke about me hangin in southcentral LA scoring, and then we moved on. Which is the very best part - no perseverating or any of that, but it's a class of mature kids who can laugh like hell and then move on. I have to worry a little that some will ask me to go smoke out with them now, but I can laugh that off. This is the class of kids who hasn't passed the high school exit exam, and they struggle academically - so anytime we bond, it's all good. Even at my expense.
posted by NOLA at 2:32 PM
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