working girl
I see my REI application beside me. Do I finish it? Do I drop it off today?? I never heard back from the graduate division about working there, and that's fine - the traffic and parking is quite an ordeal there. I keep salivating over REI gear. Sigh. But if I go to law school in fall, I'll quit an REI job before it even starts ...
Today was a day I was glad I showed up to work, despite feeling like hell. Kids were grateful for and appreciative of me.
From: "I only work for you" to "This and PE are my favorite classes" to "I shouldn't have to say the pledge, so thank you" [I don't require it for myriad reasons] to "I really know how to write essays now because of all this you make us do" to being fondled with cold hands (the boy who won't keep his hands off me) to getting kids in correct classes to getting the gangbangers straight from lock-up off to a good start at least for my 45 minutes a day to answering all sorts of "I wonder" questions about democracy in the US - it was a good day to be me.
Not in terms of being an easy day or fun day, but just a day where it made a difference that it was me that showed up and not just any warm body.
A low point was sounding far too informed about nudist places. The image my 5th period has of me is frightening.
A not-so-low-point was when Mr. Anti-Authority (when that authority is me) who tags on books and acts sullen (though he's improved DRASTICALLY) was laughed at by his classmates. Why not low? Because he tried to give me attitude when I told him to redo an assignment, and so when he half-assed redid it I gave him partial credit. Today I handed it back and his tablemates saw it and were like, "You fool! She's totally right! You're just being stupid trying to argue! This was a stupid thing you did when you said this!"
Now, normally I don't encourage verbal jumping on students, but sometimes it works miracles. His attitude changed even more drastically after that - he came to my desk to conference (his initiative) about a paper and asked for my opinion about parts of it. Not just to slide by and do a crappy job and then blame me for not getting an A, but because he actually understood that I'm not totally full of shit nor out to get him. (He was venting that I set him up to fail, and his classmates smacked him down, pointing out what he has done to fail and how I've supported him.)
And that is really, at the end of a day at a continuation high school, all I ask for. To be respected and appreciated.
Today was a day I was glad I showed up to work, despite feeling like hell. Kids were grateful for and appreciative of me.
From: "I only work for you" to "This and PE are my favorite classes" to "I shouldn't have to say the pledge, so thank you" [I don't require it for myriad reasons] to "I really know how to write essays now because of all this you make us do" to being fondled with cold hands (the boy who won't keep his hands off me) to getting kids in correct classes to getting the gangbangers straight from lock-up off to a good start at least for my 45 minutes a day to answering all sorts of "I wonder" questions about democracy in the US - it was a good day to be me.
Not in terms of being an easy day or fun day, but just a day where it made a difference that it was me that showed up and not just any warm body.
A low point was sounding far too informed about nudist places. The image my 5th period has of me is frightening.
A not-so-low-point was when Mr. Anti-Authority (when that authority is me) who tags on books and acts sullen (though he's improved DRASTICALLY) was laughed at by his classmates. Why not low? Because he tried to give me attitude when I told him to redo an assignment, and so when he half-assed redid it I gave him partial credit. Today I handed it back and his tablemates saw it and were like, "You fool! She's totally right! You're just being stupid trying to argue! This was a stupid thing you did when you said this!"
Now, normally I don't encourage verbal jumping on students, but sometimes it works miracles. His attitude changed even more drastically after that - he came to my desk to conference (his initiative) about a paper and asked for my opinion about parts of it. Not just to slide by and do a crappy job and then blame me for not getting an A, but because he actually understood that I'm not totally full of shit nor out to get him. (He was venting that I set him up to fail, and his classmates smacked him down, pointing out what he has done to fail and how I've supported him.)
And that is really, at the end of a day at a continuation high school, all I ask for. To be respected and appreciated.
posted by NOLA at 6:07 PM
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