Today was my third day of end of course testing, but I was more apprehensive about passing out the transition forms to my homeroom students, which would tell them whether or not they would be able to return to their old schools next fall. I wasn’t sure what kind of behavioral problems they would lead to.
This morning started with geometry EOC testing. My high school math classes consist of Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry students all sharing a classroom. It forces me to divide time between the three subjects. I wasn’t able to cover much geometry during my three months of teaching, maybe three weeks, so I expected much of the test to be foreign to my students.
While my homeroom students were lining up outside my door and I was trying to organize who I was testing, some students approached me to enquire about their transition forms. I made the mistake of giving Rosie, who should be able to leave, her form. That meant that more would ask me about them. Most teachers gave them out right away in the morning, but I decided to hold off on distributing the rest of mine until later.
Psycho T was one of the students who wanted to see hers the most. I had read over her report beforehand and knew it was not what she wanted to see. In order for the students to be eligible to graduate the program, they are supposed to have 90% attendance, a 2.0 GPA, and be on a behavior level of 0 or 1, which means few, if any, referrals. Psycho T had an 86% attendance rate, a 1.2 GPA, and had been suspended from school twice that I know of. It didn’t look good for her leaving NHS. I like her a lot, but she does have a tempter (and a fitting name) and I thought that if I showed it to her before testing, she would blow off the test and erupt with anger. I told her that I couldn’t find her form and ended up giving all the forms to the security lady. Immediately before lunch would be a better time for me.
My testing group consisted of Psycho T, Rosie, Teletubby, The Rapist, The Great Black Hope, and Big White Kid. I was correct in my hypothesis that much of the test would be foreign to them. Psycho T asked at one point if she could just stop taking the test because she didn’t know any of it. Rosie, who had been trying to get on my good side lately, told me that it wouldn’t be her fault if she failed because I didn’t teach her any of it. Sadly, she was probably right.
The geometry EOC test is only a field test this year. They will use the results to help formulate next year’s model, which will count. I didn’t tell my students that because then they would have resorted to answering at random.
Computers worked a bit better today, although Teletubby’s was running a little slow. He grunted loudly. “Ughhhhhh! I don’t have time for this!” He put his head down while waiting for the next problem to load and actually fell asleep. I am pleased to report that he was back to wearing pink today. It suits him well.
I thought I was going to fall asleep during testing. The Great Black Hope might be relatively intelligent, but she isn’t a fast test-taker. The first section of their test, 25 problems all multiple choice, was expected to take around 40 minutes. It wasn’t timed, so they could take as long as they wanted, and she took about 90 minutes. I was instructed not to let the other students proceed on to the remaining two sessions until everybody was finished. They had to sit for almost an hour to wait for her. Most fell asleep.
Luckily, the last two sections of the test went much faster. I was worried about them not finishing before lunch, but right at 10:57, Teletubby completed the last problem and the group was done. Three minutes later, the horn sounded and they were ready to go to lunch.
I had the transition forms to pass out. I decided to give Psycho T hers last. I told her to sit down and waited until the other students were on their way out the door. Everybody besides her and The Rapist were told that they would likely be transitioning back to their old schools, and The Rapist had to know he wasn’t going anywhere, except maybe prison.
For a long time, I was a bit nervous speaking in front of my class. I do believe myself to be good with words, but only when writing. I tend to stumble quite a bit when speaking, and a group of troubled kids isn’t the most receptive audience. That isn’t much of a problem anymore. It never was when I spoke with my students one-on-one. For some reason, today was different. I had no clue what to say to her, because I had no clue how I would react. Personally, I think she should be going back to her old school. She failed math last term because she missed a test, but she has done pretty well in my class lately and besides two instances when she blew up and got suspended, she isn’t that much of a problem. I also know that she will be a senior next year, and if she is stuck at NHS, I am afraid she will quit school.
Anyways, I handed it to her while she was sitting down. I didn’t know if there would be tears or screams or both. I grimaced a bit as she read what was on the sheet and walked toward the door. I called her name and said, “I don’t know if that was what you were expecting but stay calm…” I stuttered a bit. I couldn’t get out what I wanted to say. I do believe I can help her get out of the school and tell her how to go about it. She has some decent arguments. Instead, I just said, “Uhhhhhh,” and she responded, “Okay.” She was quiet and restrained. It scared the hell out of me.
Before fourth period, I saw a familiar face across the hall: Candy Bar Man! It was the first time I’d seen him in a few weeks. He came up to me, asking if we got the results from the LEAP test yet. I told him that we wouldn’t get them until the very end of the school year (if not later). He said, “Oh man, I might come in for the half day (last day of class), but you probably ain’t gonna see me besides dat.” I knew exactly what he was getting at. He remembers the deal I made: pass your LEAP test, get a candy bar, or in his case, a “bag of Dreitoes”.
No teaching in fourth period again. I gave students the option of going on the computers or working on a packet of worksheets. The new white kid who had the cast decided to do neither. He put his head down to sleep. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but I genuinely don’t like him and am sick of him even taking up a seat in my classroom. I gave him the option several times, before he decided he would complete a work packet. Thirty second after I handed him one, he put it on his desk and placed his head on top of it. I handed him a check (probably unnecessary) and told him to fill it out and get to work. He didn’t put his head down again, but he set his chin on his palm and stared blankly ahead. I walked by a minute later and told him to write his check for ten. No response. About five minutes later, I opened the door and told him to get out. He complained a bit and I walked him down the hall and told the sergeant (from across the hall) what had happened. The boy (I’ll call him Sleeping Beauty) began refuting what I said. I calmly said, “Don’t talk back to me,” and walked away. More on him later.
Teletubby informed me that he wants a big bag of Jolly Ranchers tomorrow. They are pretty fruity. Makes sense. I think that I will probably buy him circus peanuts or something along those lines. He wasn’t quiet today, but I didn’t have to make him write any checks. He asked me once if he could “go off on me”. I thought it was polite of him to ask. I honestly don’t remember/didn’t understand what point he was attempting to make. He probably doesn’t.
Rosie “worked” on her packet and reverted back to her old self. She informed the other students that she doesn’t like me. I thought I was starting to win her over. I guess not.
It took me a few minutes to get my fifth period quiet enough to even allow them into the classroom today. Big group, which always spells trouble. I made them stand in the hallway until they were able to remain quiet for ten seconds. As I said, it took a few minutes.
Ho Man was full of classic moments today. I think that earning a C last term was probably the single greatest and most incredible accomplishment of his life. He isn’t too bright.
I began helping him with his quiz, that was designed to be completed by the student, when Psycho T came in and asked if I would tell her what her grade was. I asked him to wait a moment while I went on the computer to check. It took a minute for me to pull up her grade. It is at a 74%, a D. I told her to write down on her sheet that she had a C and told her that I would work with her on improving it. If it boils down to a few points, I will bump her out. Is it the right thing to do? I don’t know. I will make her do work I she wants to boost her grade, but I also don’t want to be the teacher that is holding a kid back from getting another chance at their old school. She offered what seemed to be a pretty sincere thank you. I am really proud of the way she handled herself.
It would have been a pretty neat moment, except every two seconds, Ho Man said, “Brah! Brah! I need your help!” She left shortly after and I went back to help my dimwitted pupil. He finished the fourth problem on his quiz and flipped it to the backside, not noticing the last question on the front. I showed him the last problem and he said, “Huh? There ain’t no A, B, C, D.” I explained to him how there weren’t multiple choices for that particular question and he needed to figure out the answer. His response: “Y’all gay, brah.” I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief, then responded by saying that it was inappropriate. He wasn’t done. “Inappropriate? Man, with all these faggots walking around…” I just cut him off with a “no”.
I continued helping him while trying to monitor the rest of my class. Jamaican Mon kept trying to get on MySpace. Big Kid in Camo was walking around the classroom, trying to mingle. Linda Blair was doing just what I asked her to do. And Skinny Kid (now in a Dress Shirt) was busy copping a feel on Onepac’s sister. I scolded him, saying there was to be no PDA. They had no clue what that meant. When I explained it to them, Skinny Kid replied, “Man, Mr. C-------, why are you cockblocking me?” I have always been pretty good at doing that. Ask any of my friends.
Back to Ho Man. He was working on his quiz and I was also trying to aid a new girl with her packet. She made the comment that my class is the first class she has ever done any work in. In her entire life. I was amazed and asked her how that was possible. Ho Man started laughing and said, “Brah, you wanna know what she do?” She told him not to say anything and said she would walk around during class. He looked at me and said, “Brah, this is what she do.” He made a fist, brought it towards his mouth and puffed one cheek out. Pulling the fist away from his mouth, he sucked his cheek back in. Apparently, she spent time in school entertaining some of the boys. We’ll call her The Entertainer.
I called Skinny Kid over to enquire about his transition form. He showed it to me. Kid’s got a decent chance of getting out of here. He can’t miss any more days, needs to raise his GPA from a 1.8 to a 2.0, and can’t get another referral. I was pretty happy to see that. He’s one of the students I’d like to see graduate from the program the most. I then asked Ho Man if he received a transition form today. “Yup.” I asked him what it said. Looking straight ahead, he said, “Deeeeee-niiiiiied, mannnnnnnn. Haha.” I don’t think he understands what that means, and I’m not really sure if he cares.
Later in class, Ho Man told another student that he would “smack the black off of him”. He was also offered a chance to earn the entire class candy by singing a song. He refused, saying, “They ain’t never done anything for me” in the highest voice I have ever heard. He later got upset with me because I called him by his first name. He prefers to go by his middle name. The English teacher informed me that if he is back again tomorrow, she will stick him in my room for the entire day.
I did very little in homeroom once again. I tried to start a discussion, but it took me ten minutes to get the class to quiet down enough so I could complete a sentence. After five minutes of questions, I gave up. I ended up giving Jam Master Jay a check, even though I know he can’t afford any more. I warned him several times, and he needs to know that I am serious in what I say.
I talked to a few students about ways to improve their grades. I offered to give them extra work and even meet with them after homeroom, which is during their PE time. Some are close to being able to graduate from NHS, and with only a little bit of time left, I will do what I can. That being said, they could have approached me months ago as opposed to two weeks before the end of the year. I guess that would be asking too much.
A lot of excitement to end the day…
1. Ho Man’s step-sister got in a fight. He was in the office with her, coming to her defense. Apparently, my uncle tried to compliment the way that he calmed her down. Ho Man responded by saying, “Man, if somebody do that to me, I’d smack ‘em.” Apparently, he didn’t understand that it was a compliment. He may be in trouble for deciding to walk off school grounds with her without warning. Not sure when I’ll see him again.
2. I (along with the other high school teachers) got to meet with Sleeping Beauty's mother. Apparently, it had been requested that he be put into special education. His mother wasn't the one who came up with that idea and agreed with the teachers that he didn't need it. We have no clue what he is capable of because he sleeps through every class. He is planning on being in a youth challenge program next year, which will absolutely eat him alive. Listening to the way that he talked back to his mother and how little regard he seems to have for anybody, including himself, made me want to reach across the table and grab him by his throat. I bit my lip and didn't say a single word the entire meeting. What a waste of a human being.
3. Everybody’s favorite special ed teacher fell on the sidewalk and laid there like a blob. She was eventually taken to the hospital. It was a pretty funny sight. I stayed far away from her, fearing that I would break out laughing. She appears to be fine and might be back in school tomorrow. We can only hope that she won’t be.
4. I ran to Winn Dixie after school to get a cake for the principal. It was her birthday today. She seemed pleasantly surprised. She leaves tomorrow to visit her mother.
5. Slowhand believes that the fight between Ho Man’s step-sister and another girl is gang-related. This led to his quote of the day: “Tomorrow, what we gonna do, is we gonna line up all them gangs.” That’s it. Brilliant idea.
6. I was a bit surprised in talking to the principal before I left. We were discussing one of my students who is being held back by her grades. She was impressed that I offered to tutor this girl during my prep time. I told her that I think I can get the student’s grade up to a D. The principal told me, “I’m only going to say this to you and I don’t know who you are going to tell, but y’all do the grades, not me.” I knew exactly what she meant. If a kid makes an effort, I won’t feel too guilty about adding an extra point here or there.
Two more days this week and then another fun and exciting weekend. I apparently am missed throughout Wisconsin, because I have another friend coming down to visit me. I am glad that we still have a couple days of testing, because it will give me a bit of time to rest up for some late nights. I can’t believe that this experience has gone by so fast and it’s almost time to say goodbye. I’m trying to make as many memories as I can before I hit the road and head up north.
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