The Heckler

I was asked to cover a chemistry class during my prep period last Thursday. I figured it'd be an easy day. 

I had two students in person and twenty-odd online. They had an assignment on aqueous solutions. I offered my assistance, but no one took me up on it. 

After accidentally logging out of the meet and returning, I got a notification that someone from outside the "network" wanted to join the meet. Since I didn't know the students' names (I had a roster, so I could have looked), I assumed it was a student who was on the wrong computer, so I let him in.

Mistake. Big mistake.

After a couple minutes of the usual silence, he turned on his microphone and began playing some rap music that was wholly inappropriate for school. Sex and drugs and swearing and such. I muted him (to minimize the disruption) and removed him from the meet. 

It doesn't take much time to actually remove someone from the meet. I remove kiddos at the end of the period (when it's clear they're not there to remove themselves) all the time. 

Problem solved? Not so fast... 

It was a while later, like a half hour or more, when someone joined the meet via a phone. I know, because what showed up on my screen was a partial phone number. (Google stars out the majority of the phone number, for privacy, I suspect.) 

He immediately turned on his sound and played some other rap music that was inappropriate for class. I hit his mute button and removed him from the meet. 

When I remove someone from the meet, I get a pop up asking if I want to file an abuse report. As I usually remove kiddos for inattention (when I'm closing out the meet), there's no need. But this time, it was abuse report time. While figuring out the abuse report and composing my complaint, guess who called into the meet again? 

This time, he started in on me. He called me names. Said insulting stuff. I'd give you a rundown, but I wasn't really listening. I was hitting the mute button and then the remove button. He unmuted himself before I removed him, but that lasted another second or so.

He tried a couple more times. Luckily for me, I got faster at this the more he did it.

(No, I could not prevent him from connecting. I looked for a "deny entry" button, but didn't find it then. I'll have to look around for one in case this happens in the future.) 

In the chat, the students expressed their dismay. One boy said the intruder was exhibiting crazy fan behavior. Another couldn't figure out why he kept trying. Several apologized for the rude behavior. (As none of them were responsible for the crazy, I thanked them but told them they had nothing to apologize for.)

Once the period was over and the class left, I left the meet. And I went into Google Classroom and changed the link for that period's meet. (It's a simple thing to reset the link.) So, hopefully he won't try again. I warned the regular teacher, just in case.

I wonder what that boy got out of that. I mean, to go to that much trouble to hurl insults and music at a chemistry class...

The Screamers

On Wednesday I was asked to cover a different class on the prep period. (This is a common occurrence.) Freshman biology. (I could not escape the freshmen last week.)

A few of the students looked familiar. They had Ms. O for geography. This sort of thing happens a lot, too.

When I'm only covering one period, everything is a bit of a scramble. I had to wait for security to unlock the door. The students and I get in the room together, so I'm scanning a lesson plan and trying to get them seated and settled at the same time.

This bit is easier with older kiddos. Middle schoolers (and freshmen are, for all intents and purposes, middle schoolers) are so hyped up with any change that this circumstance invites bedlam. And this group was difficult on top of that. I had covered the class once before, and their teacher warned me.

So, really, this next bit should not be a surprise. But then again, I did not see this particular disruption coming.

A scream erupted from the back of the room. But it wasn't a scared scream. Or a surprised scream. Nope. It was the sort of scream one would hear in porn. Followed by a slap.

via GIPHY

I'm scanning a lesson plan, finding the papers to pass out, looking for a roster to take toll with, and figuring out the video. (They had a video to watch with questions to complete.)

I growled at them to cut it out. They did it a couple times more. Once I had gotten class fully going and I could watch them, it stopped.

Until I glanced away.

The next scream was designed for the jump scare.

And I was done. I called security.

Oh, you should have heard them as I called. "She's calling security?!?" They were shocked. Yet, they were the ones who took it that far. 

I didn't know who (if I had caught them at it, it would have been a different story), so I kicked out the four boys in the vicinity of the sound. They all claimed it wasn't them, but they wouldn't identify a culprit either.

They didn't think I was serious. For a while, they didn't move. But security was there, and he was taking them whether they wanted to go or not. Eventually, they did go.

Alas, they returned a half hour later. Sigh.

They were laughing. Apparently, they apologized profusely to the administrator they talked to. But they were obviously not sorry.

On the bright side, they didn't scream again.

Dancing Fool

Wednesday. Seventh grade English. Fourth period.

JT walked in late, but he immediately asked for a health office pass telling me he had a headache. He sounded like he was in pain, so when he returned a half hour later, I had sympathy for him.

But the minute he got back, he went for the standing desk.

Standing desk? A few classes have them now. They look like this:

The general rule is that if a student needs to, they can go back to one (there are two in each class that has them, and the teachers have them in the back of the room) and work from there.

I would think if you have a headache, the last thing you'd want to do is stand in class, but whatever.

The lesson for the day was SSR or silent sustained reading. They were reading books of their choice. The room was silent. The kiddos weren't even listening to music.

So, it was a surprise when I looked up to find JT dancing at the standing desk...

Throwing down random dance movies is a thing nowadays. Mostly in middle school, but I occasionally see it in high school too.

I blame TikTok.

(Things I never expected to have to say: "Stop dancing in class...")

Man, I wish my headaches went away that quickly. Unless he was lying about the headache. Could be either, really.

Smokin' in the Boy's Room

It was Friday in one of the "severe to moderate" special ed. classrooms. Fourth period.

The teacher had left detailed lesson plans. Alas, they weren't detailed enough for someone who had never accessed this particular website, and it was taking me a lot of time to find and figure out what it was the kiddos were supposed to be looking at.

(The instructional assistants tried to help, but the teacher had always done it before, so they were unsure how to access the lesson as well. They got one of the neighboring teachers to help, but in the end I misinterpreted the instructions and did the wrong lesson. Sigh.)

So, while I heard a bit of the commotion going on, I only found out what happened after. (At the time there were three other adults in the room, the fourth was on her lunch. One was the class' IA, and the other two were one-to-one aides for specific students.)

The class IA went across the way and got a teacher out of the classroom diagonally across from us (one I have subbed for a few times in the past).

"Go in the restroom."

(I should mention at this point that the classroom had a restroom attached. It's very convenient, especially in classes where students need to have diapers changed.)

Ms. A was very hesitant. "Do I really want to see this?"

"You'll know when you go in," the IA said.

After she went in, there was a flurry of activity. I was busy going over the (what turned out to be wrong) lesson with the kiddos. One of the IAs gave me a heads-up that security might be arriving...

So what was going on?

The class IA had gone in to use the restroom after a student from across the way had used it. (This is so usual that I didn't notice at all.) Apparently he had been in there a long time as there was a certain odor that the IA picked up on.

The odor of marijuana...

Now, pot is legal in California, but it's legal like alcohol is legal. Adults only. Kiddos under 21 are a big nope.

And besides, schools are smoke free. Teachers and staff who smoke tobacco must go off campus if they want to smoke. I assume the same applies for smoking other substances. (I've not checked the updated rules. I'm sure working high is frowned upon.)

The IA knew who the student was and which class he had come from. (It's a large campus but a small group of special ed. students. The IAs know all of them.) His teacher knew, and administration was alerted.

But what got us in the end was he used a classroom restroom to do this. Where he was known. If he had gone to one of the usual boy's rooms where several students were always in and out...

I mean, it was like he was trying to get caught.

Clueless

I've been subbing a long time... 

Today's post from the wayback files goes along with yesterday's video post. It was the last week of school, and I had gotten assigned a science class. It turned out that the science class wasn't absent a teacher. The principal asked for another body in the room to help the teacher control his classes during finals. 

I didn't put too much on the blog at the time, but it's been ten years, so I think it's safe. 

The new teacher had a difficult class. Very difficult. And from what I observed of him, he was doing a great job of trying to contain them. But it was a battle. 

His contract was not being extended/renewed. He knew this at the time. The thing that pushed him over the edge and got the principal thinking he needed backup during finals wasn't his fault. It was entirely the fault of a class out of control, and that class was out of control because it was filled entirely with kiddos who were not interested in doing any work. (It's seeing classes like this that convinced me I was not cut out to teach full time.)

What happened? He had pulled a kiddo out of class to discuss his bad behavior. While they were outside, the teacher could see the entire classroom through the windows. But still, someone in class managed to get a porn DVD into the player and going... 

The video wasn't on long, but the damage was done.

I was feeling out of place on day one. On day two, the following occurred. This post originally appeared June 16, 2009... 

Day two as an assistant. Today I understood why my help was needed.

Most students enter a room calmly. Andres announced his presence. He headed right for the teacher's desk, and he sat in the teacher's chair. As this was the chair I had been using (I was standing as the class entered), I told Andres to find another seat.

"But Mr. D always lets me sit here."

A glance at the teacher told me this wasn't true, and the teacher told Andres to get to his own seat. He did, but then he started talking loudly. Humming. Rocking in his chair. I told him to settle down or he would spend the period in a not so nice place.

Then another student rushed across the room. Andres stood. They started menacing each other. I got right in the middle of the two of them and told them to settle down. No fighting.

"We're not going to fight. We're going to have a jerking contest."

Also inappropriate, and I said so.

I got busy dealing with other students in the classroom. Then I saw Mr. D kick Andres out. I wasn't at all surprised. But Andres was.

"But I didn't dooooo anything..."

What brought this particular class to mind? After the kiddos finished their finals, Mr. D put on a video. The last week before winter break, I was covering a science class, and they had finals. I needed a little something to keep them busy after they had all finished. And I remembered his video. It's the show I linked to yesterday.

Listening Skills

Eighth grade science. They were to watch a video on genetics and answer questions on a handout. (Here's the video if you're interested.)

Showing videos is one of the basic skills any sub needs. I know all the tricks from "press play" to how to set up the computer to hook up to the projector so everyone can watch. I've even figured out how to troubleshoot most of the audio problems that might crop up.

But this day we were doing things very differently.

Each student was assigned an in-class Chromebook. (This is a laptop computer with limited memory but easy connection to the school's wi-fi network.) They were to retrieve their computer, search for the video, and then watch it on their computer on their own.

This is actually kind of a great way to do a video. If they miss something, they can back it up. They listen to it on headphones, so they're locked into their own little world. And I don't have to watch the thing (especially over and over and over again), although I heard bits of it, kind of like a group singing in the round...

The students got their computers. I passed out the questions. I walked around to make sure they all found the correct video. Just as I settled in while they were working, a student raised his hand.

"Can I listen to music?"

Ummm...

I get this question a lot. And the answer is usually yes. When they're doing independent work, it helps some of them focus.

But they were watching a video. With narration. And people explaining things to the camera. They were supposed to listen to it so they could answer the questions.

I was so taken aback by the question that I sputterd a bit. The boy helpfully offered that his teacher sometimes lets them.

I asked how he could listen to music and watch the video. He didn't understand my question.

Flummoxed, I figured trying to explain why the music was a bad idea was just going to go over his head. So, instead I gave him a straight no.

Unless he has some mad listening skills and can listen to music and a video at the same time...

Nah. I'm clearly putting more thought into this than he did.

Did you know Bill Nye did other shows besides his Science Guy stuff? Can you listen to music and watch a show at the same time (and understand both)? Do you listen to music to help you focus?

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Forgot Something

As I was planning out this week...

Yesterday, while planning #AtoZChallenge posts, I jotted down a title. Forgot Something. And now I can’t remember what I was planning for that post.

— Elizabeth Arundel (@ZiziRho) March 30, 2018

It was a weird day at the middle school. I had a "roving" assignment. I was only covering periods 1-3 for Mr. R, so I had arrived before 1st period, and he was telling me what his classes were doing. His phone rang...

After writing the student a pass and putting it on his empty desk, Mr. R went back to telling me what I needed to know. He left for his meeting before the students started arriving.

A student approached me. He had found his pass. But where was he to go?

I looked over the pass. Everything was filled out except for the destination. And I hadn't thought to ask Mr. R when he got the call.

Oh well. I knew whoever wanted the student would eventually call back. I told the student to wait.

Less that two minutes after the bell, we got a call. Sure enough, they were calling for the student. (They needed him in the discipline office.) I sent him on his way...

Then, a few minutes after that, a student brought in a call slip from the office. It was a pass for the student.

I guess they really, really needed to talk to him in the discipline office.

(The student returned to class. He didn't look stressed. So, whatever was up, it wasn't too terrible for him.)

As I was planning out this week, I was jotting down posts when I had free time in class. I had had time to jot down the title for this post before getting called away to deal with other things. When I got some time the next day to start sketching out this post, for the life of me I couldn't remember what the title referred to.

I wracked my brains. I went through each and every class I covered for the whole week. It wasn't coming to me. I gave up and scratched out the title from my list.

Upon arriving home, I went through my pictures to get them ready for my posts. And in the picture for this post was that pink pass. And it all came back to me. Whew.

What was the last thing your forgot that drove you crazy trying to remember? Did you eventually remember? Did any of your post titles inadvertently come true in a bizarre way?

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Punishment, Unusual and a Little Cruel

In the first year of high school math, certain students who are struggling are given an extra period of what is called "math support". All the struggling students. Together. In one period.

This is how difficult classes are constructed.

But, I had two things going for me on this day. One: I had fair warning from the teacher himself and his co-teacher (who had taught all the previous classes that day). Warning and support. And two: another teacher "helped out" (read: did all the work) with the class.

One of the warnings I got was a little trick the teachers used to keep the class in line. Turning on the air conditioning was contingent upon the class' behavior.

I know many parts of the U.S. are getting into fall temperatures. However, I'm in southern California. On this day, our high was projected to be in the upper seventies. (Roughly 25 C.) With it being a sunny and warm day, and us being in a classroom with no open windows, the room got fairly warm. I had been running the a/c all day.

But, with the warning, I turned off the a/c before this class came in. (This class was immediately after lunch.)

Class got started. The other teacher who "helped out" showed up. (There was some question as to whether or not she'd be there on this day. As it sounds like she's doing this extra on her own time, I wouldn't have blamed her for not coming in.) I passed out their assignment, and they got to work.

Slowly, the temperature in the room crept up. And someone asked me to turn on the a/c.

The other teacher then used the a/c to her advantage. She informed the class that everyone had to complete two problems before she'd turn on the a/c. Several students had completed way more than two problems, but several others hadn't even written their names on their paper.

It took at least five minutes (maybe ten) before the stragglers finally finished their two problems.

I was urging them on. I run warm generally, and I was already dripping sweat. (This is normal for me.)

The class was still loud. Several only got those two problems done. But, that class could have gone a whole lot worse. I'm going to have to consider using the a/c to my advantage in the future.

Out of Order

Seventh grade science. They had a test.

This teacher had assigned a couple students every period to be test helpers. Their job was to pass out tests and then to organize the tests after they had been turned in. And most of them did a pretty good job. (It's early in the school year. They'll get better.)

(I know the drill. I covered this teacher for four? weeks last school year.)

But in 4th period...

Each student got a "test" and an "answer sheet" (a Scantron page to fill in the multiple choice answers). The tests got reused every period. To make sure they all got returned, they were numbered. That makes it easy to see if one is missing.

So, the test helpers were to put these back in numerical order.

While the test helpers were taking their tests, I'd keep things neat. I ordered the tests, mostly because I can't abide disorder when I can do something about it. But when the test helpers were ready, I left them to do their job.

The first thing the 4th period helpers did was to take my nice, neat stack and turn it into five or six piles of chaos. Their method made no sense, but I figured they had a plan.

Turns out, I was wrong.

At the end of 4th period, the helpers handed me the stack of tests. Initially, I thought just a couple tests were out of order. But then I took a closer look.

(4th period was right before lunch. By the time I'd taken a closer look, the kiddos were all gone.)

I don't know what order they were going for. It would be one thing if they just weren't in order at all. That I could somewhat understand. But this?

I took a picture to send to their teacher because I couldn't not share...

The top of the pile was test #2. The bottom was test #20. (Click on the picture to get a closer look.) And in between...

It's like they started to put them in order, but then they didn't finish? Or they had them sort of in order, but then they didn't order the smaller piles? I just don't get it.

As I told their teacher, those helpers either need to be retrained or replaced. Although, I think there's hope for them. Probably.

Barber Shop

Some things should go without saying. But with some students...

"Put the electric clippers away."

These students? Instead of complying, they had to double down. The boy turned the clippers on...

"Would you like me to cut your hair?"

He took no for an answer the third time. He handed the clippers back to their owner. Who then turned them on...

"Turn that off. Put it away. If you can't leave it put away I'll have to confiscate it."

Still, I watched them. These are the types of students that would then take the clippers back out because they found some sort of loophole in what I had said. Or, they'd create a loophole.

Did they really plan to shave their heads in class? Unlikely, but considering what else they got up to, I wouldn't've put it past them. (Curious about what else they got up to? Tune in tomorrow...)

For the record: yes, I could have confiscated the clippers the minute I saw them. I did not primarily because I didn't want to deal with the drama that would have inevitably followed. But if they had kept up with it, it then would have been worth it to get it out of their hands. 

Worst of the Worst

I had been warned about 6th period. While the rest of the day was 8th grade math, period 6 was the "support & enrichment" class (read: the extra math class for students who hate math). I kinda knew what I was in for even before they arrived.

In a class of the difficult, table 1 stood out. Jacob and Elijah were just that little bit of extra crazy. Let me see if I can recall their shenanigans:

• Confiscated a Tech Deck from Jacob
• Removed a girl from table 1 as she and Jacob were having a loud argument (something about each being racist against the other)
• Prevented Elijah from writing on Jacob's forehead in marker
• Only then discovering that they had written Slipknot on each other's arms
• Asked them to stop pounding on table and stomping in rhythm: "This is not a Queen concert or a basketball game"
• Argued with Elijah about whether he was the son of a Kiss band member (who he would not name to prove his assertion)

Would you be shocked if I told you they got no work done?

Even with that list, I did not spend the period hovering over the boys. There was plenty of other crazy to contain, although not as crazy as Jacob and Elijah, of course. 

A little over halfway through the period, I was on the other side of the room. Everybody's attention was drawn to Elijah throwing his arms in the air as Jacob... (Don't ask. I have no idea.) 

The boys at table 8 (where I was at that moment) looked at Jacob and Elijah in disgust. (Keep in mind that they were loud in their own right.) 

"You need to write their names down." 

(Name in note can be a serious consequence. In the case of this class, the teacher had specified that she wanted names taken, with a likely outcome that names in the note got severe consequences.) 

I laughed. "I wrote their names down a half hour ago," I told the boys.

Friday Chaos

It was Friday at the middle school. On Thursday, I had run into the teacher and mentioned that I was his sub for Friday. He told me he was chaperoning a field trip (to Raging Waters--end of year reward for the well-behaved), and he'd see me in the morning. So, when I arrived to his room to find no lesson plans, I wasn't worried.

The warning bell rang. I was still alone. So, I opened the door to let the kiddos (7th graders) in. I stood at the door, looking for the teacher... 

"Oooh, get it away..."

"Get what away?" 

"It's a spider." 

"That's not a spider..." 

It wasn't a spider. It was a cockroach. And it was on the floor next to a girl. To her credit, she wasn't freaking out. The rest of the class, however... 

Since it was an "advanced" class, the kiddos problem solved, and as a team managed to do something about the insect. Loudly. This is why I didn't hear the phone ringing, although someone helpfully told me that it was. 

The teacher was on the phone. He was on his way, but he wasn't going to get to class before the bell, so he wanted to let me know what first period was doing. 

Somehow I managed to get the class' attention, and I told them to get their computers. (Naturally, they had a Google Classroom assignment.) A couple more students then walked in. It was then I realized that the bell hadn't rung yet. Oops. 

I was curious, so I asked how many of the students were going on the field trip. (They were leaving after first period.) 60-70% of the class. No wonder they were wound up. But still, they logged into their Google accounts and got to work. Eventually. 

It took some time, but the chatter gradually subsided. Slowly, the room crept towards silence. And at about the moment they achieved it, the teacher walked in. 

Way to make me look good, kiddos. 

(I did admit to Mr. F that the silence was a recent thing. The students told him all about the excitement.)

Not All Stars

I'd had trouble with them all period. I made reasonable requests ("Get to work"; "Turn off YouTube"; "Stop mocking your classmate") that they ignored.

6th periods can be interesting. These 11th graders were downright rude.

So, I wasn't terribly shocked when at the end of the period, as they were getting packed up, they all burst into song...

It was an odd selection, but the majority of the class joined in. They stumbled over the lyrics. Does anyone know if this song has been in some movie or TV show?  Because, why this one came up...

Some days I use my note to the teacher to vent. (And bonus, I received a packet of apology notes about a week later. So, my venting was heard.)

Not Expecting That Grade

There were quite a few familiar faces in Ms. D's classes. Vaughn was one of them. I have uttered his name many a time. Many of those times, the tone was sharp.

He was seated in one of the "attention" seats. Every teacher has a spot (or two) that I can just tell is the spot where the difficult students sit. It can be kind of isolated. It's generally in a spot that the teacher can easily keep an eye on.

I was not surprised at Vaughn's behavior. I was used to it.

But I did get a big shock when I was recording the class' tests.

I don't really look at names when I'm grading papers. And, these tests were Scantron, so they were graded by machine. I don't know if I noted the name or the score first, but when I put the two together...

Vaughn got a 95% on the test. He missed two questions.

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I recorded his score. (And no, he didn't cheat. While I can't be certain, I did not witness anything that would make me question the validity of his score.) Then I looked at his grade. He has a B. Another shock.

It looks like he's one of those lucky souls who remembers things easily. I talked to the teacher, and she said he does well when he does his work. He just doesn't always do his work.

Deep sigh. I just hope he matures out of his difficult ways. Because imagine what he could do if he really tried.

Juan, a.k.a. Julio

It was the kind of math class where I had the students for two periods, because the students needed extra help with math. So, naturally, none of them really wanted to be there. Which, of course, means that I was spending all my time on behavior issues rather than getting any time, really, to spend on math.

The boy introduced himself as Juan. And I spent much of that first period with them calling on him. Not to answer any questions. I just wanted him to settle down so I could go over the assignment with the class.

He wasn't the only one, of course, but just one of the most vocal.

Between their first period in class and second, they had lunch. Upon returning from lunch, I went back over the roll to make sure all the students had returned.

"Caleb?"

"Juan" answered.

It was then I remembered "Juan" from a previous class. He had told me to call him Juan then, too. Juan is not his middle name either (his middle initial is not J).

No wonder the rest of the class had so much fun calling him Juan. Oh well, whatever.

But for the second class, he was done with Juan. He said to call him Julio.

Okay, fine. I'll call him whatever he likes (well, within reason). I just had to make sure to call him Caleb in my note (for the not settling in class, not for using a different name).

Sisters

"Is Ms. S your sister?"

I get this sort of question about the teacher I'm covering that day more often than you might think. I usually just give a "no". Sometimes, I add in, "I don't have a sister". And that's usually that.

But this particular day, Elias wasn't going to let it go. He insisted that we looked so similar. (I've met the teacher. Perhaps there's a slight resemblance, but not much of one.) So, Elias took it upon himself to tell each student as they entered the room that I was, in fact, Ms. S's sister.

I shook my head. Silliness.

Elias told his lie. The student looked at me. I shook my head.

This didn't last, of course. I'll only spend so much time bothering with trying to disabuse them of some notion about me they get in their heads. Then, I figure if they choose to believe something that's not true about me, it's not really my problem.

By the end of the period, I had kicked Elias out of class. The reason was completely unrelated. It's too bad he isn't using his strange imagination for good.

Random Polls

It was two days before their winter break. I had an 8th grade English class (with Blaine!). And they were... well... kind of how you'd expect.

The period started. I had just gotten them settled enough to explain the assignment. As I began explaining about the story they were about to hear, a voice from the side of the classroom announced:

"How many of you like Kool-Aid?"

Half the class raised their hands.

I glared at the boy. Abraham. Why? Where had that...?

I just about got them settled again when Abraham asked another question.

I growled at him. That's when I noticed he wasn't in his assigned seat.

First I told him to get to his proper seat. Then I had to explain the inappropriateness of shouting out non-sequitur questions while I was trying to get class started.

8th graders. *shakes head*

His Soundtrack

In the chaos of passing period, I wasn't sure from where the blaring music came. Someone walking in playing music loudly via a speaker attached to his phone. Before I had a chance to investigate or protest, the music stopped and the bell rang. It was time to start class, and I had their attention.

It was Monday. 12th grade English. They had a day to read. And most of them got right to it.

(Most had physical books. A couple came in with ereaders. And a few read on their phones. Cell phones aren't totally evil. And yes, I did check to make sure they were reading and not goofing off.)

One boy asked to go to the library to check out a book. I didn't see why not...

I'm not sure why I followed him out the door. I might have been shutting it (to keep the air conditioning in the room. I prop open doors during passing so students know to come in). But I got there just in time to hear the music blaring from a speaker he held.

Um, classes were in session. And were probably disturbed by the noise.

The other students had no idea what to make of this, either. They said they'd never seen (or heard) him do this before.

Ah well. It spiced up the note a bit.

Anyone have any idea what he was doing? Any clue?

Zoinks!

1st period government. Seniors. It was day 3 of All the President's Men (of 4 days). They had 30 questions to answer. Surprisingly, they had finally settled into the movie and I think some of them were actually enjoying it.

2nd period geography. Freshmen. A boy walked into class and freaked. So, I had to investigate.

There was a condom on the floor.

Great! Just what I need!

It was open but unused. But try telling a 14-year-old that.

I removed it to the trash can. And eventually the class moved on. (They had a movie of their own.)

But I'm left with a head-scratcher. What senior opened a condom and left it on the floor? To what purpose?

Obviously, I did not see the incident. But the only thing that I can think of is that a group of them reacted to something that was not on screen. It got loud in one small area for a minute. That attracted my attention. I shushed them. But whatever riled them up was not more than what I had been shushing them about for three days. So, I felt no need to investigate. (I wish I had.)

The next day I asked them why they wanted to sabotage me with the freshmen. Why would they leave trash on the floor? I didn't say what. And the boys who sat nearest the spot looked at me as if they had no idea what I was talking about. Or they had really practiced their innocent expressions. (My money is on the latter.)

"Why would I whip out a condom in class?"

This came from a boy two rows over. Interesting. I hadn't said condom. And now he's volunteering his innocence?

All of that went into the note. Maybe their teacher can figure out who did what and why.

Okay, give me your best guess. Why did they open a condom in class? The more elaborate, the better. Because their explanations can get a bit long-winded.

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Suffering by Comparison

Middle school art.

There are certain behaviors I expect when I get this sort of assignment. I expect the class to remain seated. I expect the class to have a project that they're working on. I expect to see decent progress being made.

I expect a certain amount of noise. Students talking while working isn't unheard of. I worry about things getting out of hand, but I allow a bit more noise in an art class than I normally would tolerate.

After lunch. The class filed in. Got into their seats. Sat facing forward. Watching me. Silently. Before the bell rang.

It was eerie.

I passed out their assignment before the bell rang. (All those eyes on me. Waiting.) I explained what they were to do. I released them to their work.

And they got to work. Silently.

I don't know who these children are, but there is some freaky magic going on with them. (It must be their teacher.)

The next period filed in. Sniping at each other. One girl kept saying one boy's name over and over and over again. I couldn't get them to stop talking long enough to explain their assignment.

One girl was so happy to see me. She said her teacher hated the class.

Um, yeah. I can see why.

(For the record: two really freaky quiet classes. One relatively normal art class. One class that started off freaky silent but they got talkative as the period progressed--in an entertaining way. And they were totally on-task. And the last group of the day was typical middle school. So, not a bad day on balance.)