Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Not Hiding the Damage


Freshman math. It was the math class that used to be called algebra 1. Now it's a combo of algebra and geometry... Anyway, the students had the class for two periods because they needed extra assistance.

I offered to help them with their assignment. It was the review for their test the next day. Did they take me up on my offer? Nope. Instead, most found "other things" to do.

Like, one boy decided that he'd rather be drawing. (They have little white boards that they use for problems that the teacher assigns in class.) Only, he got out his Sharpie instead of a dry erase marker.

(Dry erase markers wipe off. No harm done. Sharpies, on the other hand, are permanent. Even on white boards.)

I don't know what he wrote, but he found a way to obscure it when he discovered that it wasn't going to erase. Then he put the board back under his desk...

Not so fast, bucko. That's damage to school property. Somehow, he seemed to think it was no big deal.

Well, I thought it was a big deal. I retrieved the white board and I left a note explaining exactly what had happened to it.

The next day, I was in the library on an unrelated errand. The boy stopped me.

"You were my sub yesterday."

OK. Didn't ring any bells.

"You got me in trouble for writing on the white board..."

Oh, OK, now I know exactly who you are.

What? He thought I was going to let that pass. Ah, freshmen. So naive.

31 comments:

  1. You got him in trouble for something he did. I love it :)

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ugh! I probably would have done something that stupid--not in defiance of a teacher, but just writing on a white board with a Sharpie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've done it too. It wasn't the Sharpie thing, per se. It was the way he just went "meh" when I called him on it and then hid the evidence. If when I said something he had immediately apologized, it would have been a different story entirely.

      Delete
  3. lol wow, what did he think you were going to do?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know. I guess he thought I was a sub so he'd get away with it.

      Delete
  4. Bonehead. He should've used the dry erase markers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hope they made him pay for the board. But I will bet nothing at all happened!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In that case it wouldn't have been too bad. Those boards aren't that expensive.

      Delete
  6. Ah, cause and effect.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's funny that students don't think a sub will tell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, really. Apparently he'd never had me in class before. Otherwise, he'd've known that I tell all.

      Delete
  8. He got himself in trouble for writing on the whiteboard. But I guess that's not something a freshman would be cognizant of.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh brother...that kid was trying to inflict blame on you for his mistake. talk about not taking responsibility

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, that's kinda normal for freshmen, really.

      Delete

  10. I’d like to say it’s imperative we teach students to take responsibility for their actions (words, etc.). But it’s such a fine line! Once they tune you out, you’re nowhere.

    VR Barkowski

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oy vey. It amazes me how many people like to pass the blame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Generally these are the ones who continue to goof off. One hopes that one day they'll figure out that they need to take responsibility for themselves.

      Delete
  12. Yeah, I think you got yourself in trouble, buddy boy. He should have to stay back at recess and clean it off with elbow grease.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No recess. But that's one of the reasons I did leave his name. So he could try to fix it.

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. I don't know. I didn't have any, anyway. (Some teachers keep cleaning stuff. Some don't. As I don't come back to the same classroom, I won't be able to. And I'm not going to carry that with me on the off chance that someone is going to do something like this.)

      Delete
  14. Sometimes Germ X will clean those sharpies off white boards if you catch it right away.Yes, keep him in at recess. Oh, wait, do they have recess in ninth grade? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to know. I don't think there was any in the room, but if this happens again, I'll make sure to look for it. And make him clean it up.

      And no, no recess for 9th grade.

      Delete
  15. Why did he stop you? …

    One of the kids I watch once used sharpie on the wood floors in her house. That was fun to get up. Lots of googling took place that day. Neither of us wanted her to get in trouble. And we got it up! Yay google! (Not something you have time for during the school day. Especially when the kid is being a spoiled brat and not wanting to face consequences for his actions.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, if he had acted more contrite, I wouldn't have been nearly as upset. I get the oopses. I've made mistakes like that myself.

      Delete
  16. Apology goes a long way, for sure. What a punk; I hope you don't endure retribution from him or his cronies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It didn't sound like it. We'll see what happens the next time I have him in class, though.

      Delete

I appreciate your comments.

I respond to comments* via email, unless your profile email is not enabled. Then, I'll reply in the comment thread. Eventually. Probably.

*Exception: I do not respond to "what if?" comments, but I do read them all. Those questions are open to your interpretation, and I don't wish to limit your imagination by what I thought the question was supposed to be.