A Small Costume

I still haven't been motivated to do much of anything yarn-y, but luckily, that wasn't the case four years ago. I have something to wear to work today: 

It's just that touch of Halloween that I like. Perfect.

Happy Halloween.

Fail Percentage

It was my last day in the success seminar for Mrs. B. As they did about every two weeks, it was the day they were to check in on their goals. And part of this assignment had them checking their grades and calculating their GPA. 

Eighth period. I gave them the same instructions I had been giving all day. This included, "And at this point, no one should answer 'idk' for the GPA. If you don't know how to calculate your GPA, ask me."

As the rest of the class got started, Soleil wailed. "I don't want to look at my grades. I don't want to see my Fs."

Soleil has spent the entire four weeks doing what she wants in class. She spent a couple days watching inappropriate TV shows. She did not listen when I gave direct instruction. It was as if I wasn't there at all. 

But now? Now she cares? 

Ugh.

Part of the assignment was to calculate the "fail percentage" for the various "teams" in class. Soleil had four Fs. 

Yes, she eventually did look at her grades. And she whined about how many classes she was failing. 

I reminded her that it was not too late to improve her grades. We're only about halfway through the semester. If she would do her work and turn it in, her grades would improve. If she asked her teachers to let her make up missing assignments, her grades would improve. The whole point of success seminar is to help improve grades, and that includes giving her a time and place to work on missing assignments. 

So, Soleil did one assignment for another class. (Her grade in success seminar is a B.) 

Hey, that's progress.

I have a feeling I'll be seeing her at the continuation high school soon enough, though. I hope she proves me wrong.

Stolen

Wednesday. The lesson was "Using Active Listening". Of which they were not.

The day was chaotic. I had students throwing things at each other. I had students talking over me while I tried to go over the lesson. As soon as the parts of the slideshow with videos in them would start, they would pull out their phones and ignore the screen. 

I put on slides what I wanted them to write down in their notebooks. Many of them weren't bothering. 

I was happy to get to the end of the lesson. 

It was the end of fourth period. The bell rang, and students were leaving. 

That's when Martin found her airpods missing. 

Uh...

There was nothing I could do. I would have had to call security while making sure no students left the room. And with these students, that would have meant me standing in front of the door as some would have just left even if I told them to stay. (The phone was on the other side of the room.)

Martin, understandably, was upset. She hadn't left her desk at all, and the airpods had been sitting next to her. 

This is why chaotic classes are bad news. 

But I couldn't stop. I had to prepare for the incoming sixth period, which was a worse class than fourth. (We're on a block schedule.) 

I was completely powerless to do anything. 

It's not a good feeling. 

Sixth period, as expected, was way worse than fourth. (Although, no belongings went missing.) I got a call part way into the period. 

Martin never made it to her sixth period class. (Nor did she make it to school on Friday.) 

Deep sigh. Days like these remind me why I don't do long term assignments. It's time to go back to just day-to-day subbing.

Oddly Named

The following conversation is real, although not quoted verbatim. The names have been changed (as I always change their names), but the gist of the debate remains the same.

"Kress? What kind of name is Kress? Who comes up with such a name? It's a vegetable, not a name." 

Kress said that at least his name wasn't spelled like the vegetable, but the other boy said a couple things more about Kress having a "special" name. I was trying to get a word in edgewise to put a stop to this, but then...

"Okay, mm-why-kel. Who spells Michael, M-Y-K-E-L?"

At which point, Mykel got upset. He looked to me. 

And I looked back at him. And shrugged. 

"You just spent how long making fun of Kress' name, and now you're upset?"

Because, seriously? Mykel got off easy considering what he was saying to Kress. 

Freshmen. *shakes head* 

What's Gone Before

What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder.

On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news.

Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉 

This week I'm cheating and pulling something I found from Twitter. I saw this tweet: 

Sci-fi concept:

Humans get out into space, and find ruins - abandoned stations, uninhabited planets with pre-built cities, and ships drifting derelict in space.

And we just never find out what happened.

— Nome (@NomeDaBarbarian) October 21, 2022

And I was fascinated. (There's a whole thread that spells out the idea and hints at a story. It's worth your time.) So...

What if we got out into space only to find the ruins of another space-faring civilization? 

Fact Checked

As I have done at the beginning of every period, I was standing at the front, checking the roll and verifying that the students were in their assigned seats. 

"Brynn, go back to your assigned seat." 

Brynn: "I have permission to sit here. I emailed Mrs. B, and she said I could change my seat." 

The prior week I had an email exchange with Mrs. B about the quarter grades. She informed me that she might be hard to get a hold of for the next week as she would be out of town. 

Plus, whenever Mrs. B gave a student permission for something or other, she included me in the exchange. 

Brynn was lying. 

Me: "I'll need to see that email..."

It took a bit longer before Brynn finally went back to her assigned seat. But I got what I wanted, and Brynn's name got added to my very long list of "student behaviors" that I started keeping on the first day I took over the class. (And I shared the Google Doc with Mrs. B, so she's been able to read it the whole time she's been out.) 

When they sit next to their friends, they play. This is why they lost the privilege of getting to choose their seats in class.

Ditcher

Austin is in fourth period. Every day he asks to use the restroom. And every day he takes way too long (like 20 or more minutes). And almost every day I've called security to bring him back. (Some days I get busy with other things, and by the time I notice he's been gone, he returns.) 

Since we're on a block schedule, I only have him two or three times a week. So, it hasn't really been that many times. But last Tuesday, I was done. I had to get security to retrieve him, and upon his return I said that was it. For the rest of the school year, every time I have him in class, he would not get a restroom pass from me. 

So, what do you think the first thing he asked me for on Thursday was? 

Nope. Not happening. 

Other students advocated for him. How could I deny him the use of the restroom? That was illegal. Etc. 

I had warned him...

Towards the end of the period, Austin approached me. He really, really, really, truly had to use the restroom. He would only take five minutes. And he would leave his cell phone in my custody. He offered his wallet, too. 

Against my better judgement, I let him go...

...And he returned in five minutes, on the dot. 

Nice. 

The next day was an "odd" day (I didn't have fourth period). On my free period, I walked out of my classroom to use the restroom. Who did I run into? 

Austin was strolling along the sidewalk with three of his buddies. 

He said hello. I asked him where he was supposed to be. I then asked him why he wasn't there. 

Did he head in the direction of his class? Of course not. 

That boy will find any excuse to get out of class. So, will he get a restroom pass from me next time? Probably. But as I know he can get back in five minutes, he's going to have to convince me that he will. 

I have a feeling I'll be calling security on him again.