Tsarina Smiles

I never thought I'd be so glad for an uneventful week! Aside from the fact that my phone will be shut off any minute, it wasn't too bad. Two kids suspended- an incredibly good week, all in all.

I am a bit pissed about both suspensions- Ty was suspended for something I do not believe that he did. Several students came to me (not friends of his- in fact, quite the opposite), and they were upset that the stupid bitch (SB) had written him up for something that he obviously could not have done, as his back was turned, and they told her who did it (throwing paperballs, for God's sake). These kids were really mad at the unfairness of the situation, so I contacted GC who took them to the Ass Principal and told him their concerns. Believe it or not, he REDUCED the suspension to one day!!!! Miracles do happen.

The second was Marcus. The racist prick (RP) of a shop teacher and he got into it after school, and Marcus reacted LOUDLY. Now, I will not excuse his behavior- he must learn to be polite to those in positions of authority (note; I will not ask him to be respectful of a person's position, but I do expect courtesy). However, I will say that he calmed down immediately when I tried to talk with him and only began yelling again when RP stuck his stupid face back into the mix and ORDERED Marcus to the office. I assurred him that I was bringing Marcus down, and he could go ahead, but he refused, and rekindled the flames all the way down. By the time we got there, I wanted to tear his ugly face off.

I see this time and again with male teachers; they get into a pissing contest with the boys, then feel like they won because the kid gets punished. Let's face it, folks, any time a teacher and a student clash, the teacher will ultimately win (as long as we don't cross the line). So, wouldn't it be better to allow the student to learn a lesson about self-control than to keep pushing the issue? I'm not stupid; I know that if I hadn't entered when I did, RP would have kept inciting him until Marcus hit him. That's what he was trying to do. I am grateful that something compelled me to walk back to that hallway when I did. Nina was there when it started, but I am beginning to believe that she is only slightly less prejudiced than RP. She laughs at his imitations of urban dialects and other things that don't completely cross the line, but step on it hard enough to sicken me.

On the bright side, we did a huge project this week, which I am now taking a break from grading. I have three students who rarely do any work, especially something this involved...ALL THREE TURNED IN QUALITY WORK!!!!!! You have no idea what that means to me- I was giddy all day!

We turned in our Awards for each subject this week. For most improved, I chose James and another student who has made remarkable progress this year. My team did not feel that James deserved it because he has received so much help from me. I politely told them that any student who wanted extra help from me could have it; James was smart enough to take me up on it. Then (get this), I very nicely told them that it was MY class, MY choice, and they could fuck off if it displeased them! Four jaws dropped as I picked up my things, told them to have a nice day and left. I laughed all the way to my classroom! Sometimes the direct approach is the only thing that people understand.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I've discovered that if I buy HUD housing in the city, I can buy at 1/2 price as long as I agree to live there 3 years! Sure, it limits my choices, but imagine a $12,000 house! Sure, location is not perfect for most of them, but there are actually a couple that are in ok neighborhoods. God, I hope someone will buy my house (I guess I should clean it before I try to sell it, eh?).

One more bit of exciting news- I've found TardBlog again!!!!!! I'm going to link to it as soon as I can- the newer entries are not as great as the original Riti Sped posts, but the archives are worth the read. There are few in my "real" life to whom I could admit my love of this site, but to you who know me better than most, I will confess my affection. Go to the archives, begin at the beginning and read all the way through. Please do not mistake these as someone making fun of her students- she is merely finding humor in a situation that would drive the best of us over the edge. Special ed teachers are a rare breed, with spines of steel and balls of brass- I admire them immensely. ("Lunch lady gets the smackdown" is my favorite)

Ok, it's late and I'm tired- tomorrow is supposed to be fantastic weather again. Don't know when the phone will be shut off, so I'll talk to you ASAP. Have a great week!