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September 30, 2003

Musical chairs

I lost my temper in the seventh grade class yesterday. Last period of the day, I’ve told student J to sit down about twenty times, get a piece of paper out, do the work. He’s not stupid, he’s just a sullen brat who needs a spanking. He only has two volumes- loud and louder. When I begin to raise my voice to be heard over the crowd, so does his. While I’m writing something on the board, I hear him harassing someone three seats away from him. Finally, my voice goes to stadium level, I kick an empty box, and the sound of the earth rotating could be heard. My voice drops back down to normal level, he finally sits down. Only five minutes, but he did sit down. There’s more to the story, but this is all I want to write, as calling a child a petulant bratty Veruca Salt without the acting chops seems redundant.

There is a lot of humor about teaching in a high-needs school. It has been nearly a month, and I’m still short chairs, I don’t have a trash can, and I discovered exposed wiring in the back of the room. One would almost expect my idiotic and greedy landlord is managing the Board of Ed. I can manage all those problems. Here’s the really funny part. Because I’ve lasted all of ONE WHOLE YEAR, I’m considered senior staff. My principal wants me to be the 8th Grade Team Leader. This should go to a senior staff person with tons of experience about dealing with the new teaching methods, good management skills, and a deep knowledge of the subject. At my school, that person is apparently me. There are a few people who have been there longer, but most of them give unions a bad reputation. If I weren’t pursuing my masters program, I would do it, but I honestly don’t have time. I might become a Math Coach next year, which would enable me to teach other teachers in a school. If Bush gets elected legally for the first time in his life, I’ll probably leave the country. Everything is up in the air.

Did I mention I have a great view of the Manhattan skyline from my classroom?

Posted by G at September 30, 2003 10:53 PM

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Posted by: Brian Nesbitt at October 1, 2003 04:16 AM