... the other Black experience
My continuing adventures as a paraeducator in the suburban school system. What the hell I witness going in the schools today.
A continuation of my thread/blog Adventures In Sub-teaching. What I see & experience in the classrooms, hallways & meeting rooms of a junior high school.
This is our future and your tax dollars at work...
Permalink Reply by CaliforniaAfrican on And I'm tired of teachers doing the wrong thing! Stop that shit.
= The student I'm now covering is straight Jeckell/Hyde. He's young cat from "da hood" and can be very respectful & polite when he chooses. But then he can flip into a rude ass little punk who needs a whoopin' with a belt. I addressed him directly about his behavior and he has the nerve to show out and talk trash. Boy, he just does not know. I already don't want to be here and this sawed off punk is pushing me. This is a severe patience test & so far I'm passing.
The other emotional support students in the class have their own variety of challenges. Most of the time I can reach them with some talking to the side. Two of them I sat down and discussed Black inventors and they got into it and were really amped, designing their own inventions in detail. The next minute their bullying antoher student in the class. Straight polar swings.
As I said I'm going to do my best while here and leave them on the best path possible. But I am leaving.
= My peoples in the custodial staff told me that before I came over, some worthless punk-ass student threatened a teacher who's a long-term female friend of me & my family. And that sick waste-of-space wasn't arrested or expelled most likely because of his race (not white, Black, Latino, or Indian...). If it were one of us he'd probably be under the jail.
It's enough her husband is no joke and practices martial arts & would destroy that insect. But quote me & print it: something jumps off with that fool or somebody else bothering my peeps while I'm around, that's it. He/she won't make it to court, guaranteed. I gives a fuck about this job, they will regret that for life.
= This petite sister teacher who's about the same height as the 12-year old student who was acting up (and maybe less than one third of my own size), completely shut it down. These little chumps (along with the student I work with) kept verbally bullying this girl to the point where she asked my help. After trying to calm them down not too successfully, I pulled them out to speak to their homroom teacher.
She very sternly but fairly had them explain what happened and by the time she wa finished they admitted they were wrong and way out of line. I was going to add on but I kept silent and watched her work, taking ample mental notes. There is something to be said about a teacher who knows how straighten out deliquents without losing cool because I almost did. I respect that level of discipline and communication.
Permalink Reply by CaliforniaAfrican on I think I'm going to walk away from education.
And least for a year. I am in need of a serious break!
^^^ I sure feel ya on that.
Had a great little reunion with my old class. They set up a birthday lunch in the class and it was a blast seeing my old staff and surprising the students. Food was wonderful and I got a lot to take home. I miss them and they miss me. I will definitely visit more often whe I get a chance.
They said my old student is back and his problems have magnified. Too bad to hear. If the administration thinks they are going bring me back when they find out they messed up, they are sadly mistaken. I'm riding this last gig 'til the wheels fall off and the tires are currently flat.
Back to school...
They just moved the most disruptuve student in the 6th grade into our Emotional Support class. Seriously, this guy brags about staying in the Time Out room where bad behavior students are kept. I guess he belongs there with these other badasses who act up but he ain't gonna be here long, the classes he's attending while following my current student are becoming chaotic with them both in there.
Even more they both look the similar "pretty-boy" type and the girls are sweating them for that. In return these punks are calling them all kinds of names and distracting the class. I can only do so much before they both get thrown out like thhey did a few times today. This is exhausting and futile.
I'm getting better at compartmentalising my frustration & anger and focusing away from the day-to-day. I simply look towards the day's end and jet. I really don't give a fuck anymore.
The teacher of the class deserves sainthood & a medal for being able handle these students. Yeah he's in his early 20's and kinda fresh to this but it's what's needed right now. I wish him all the best because I certainly won't be around to see how much further things go, I'm still digging my hole out like Shawshank Redemption.
= One positive in contrast to daily routine:
In science class, the more disruptive of the Trouble Twins actually volunteered to read aloud the info the teacher gave out. This sparked the other student who I work directly with to volunteer to read right after him. Whether it was competition, ego, true desire to read in class (hmm) it was a small glimmer of what was possible. And neither the teacher or myself pushed or hinted at them doing it. If they could keep this consistently it'd be all good but I'm not going to delude myself. The day started not that well with my student mouthing off to a teacher & getting written up by her. Let's hope things progressively move toward the small positives of today.
Permalink Reply by CaliforniaAfrican on There are so many things that I won't miss: yelling parents, cussing parents, incompetent teachers, district office dwellers, policing students' clothes, ungrateful colleagues... I will miss having an office. My office is fly as fuck!!! I will miss helping students with their classwork, as they sit in detention. I will miss the office staff, especially Margarita and Dorothy. *sigh* I will miss my work husband - the campus monitor. I will miss the salary. And it was a niiiiiiiice salary. Good bye. Just a few more weeks, and I'm out.
Will I go back to education? Maybe. Maybe not.
I feel you fully and you're much deeper into the frontlines of this battle for our chldren's minds & hearts. I'll probably go the similar pathand be done after this semester.
= Things have gotten better with the year closing as a whole. I've bonded slightly with my student and i'm fully intergrated into the class community. The teacher is young white in his early 20's who's a crazy sports fan and is good at inspiring the class to work. He uses gifts like candy, computer time, & games of small scale P.I.G. basketball to keep them focused. It works forthe greater majority of time and is what's needed with these special needs behavior students.
He's so serious that about local sports that he kicked two students out temporarily for talking smack about the Sixers win last night against the Bulls (sorry Chi-town). And he showed where he was sitting on the sports site from the game. But he gets the students to learn by having them work towards goals and is no joke when they get out of line. Going well so far.
= Close of the year going relatively well. No serious problems and I'm going to visit my old team at the junior high this week. just have to hustle for a summer gig.
= Week ended well with my student and his class. He got a bit caught up wildin' out with his friends but when the teacher & myself addressed it, he admitted it and worked hard to in class. He impressed us enough for him to earn his priviledges back in full. On the trip to the junior high, 6-7th grade, he got along well with everyone. I had my locks down and some the students tried to get funny, calling me Rapunzel and he actually defended me, telling them to knock it off. I told him it's OK though I was impressed that he took my side. Things are turning good for the school year's close.
© 2013 Created by Matthew.
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