Today was: more of the same...

... and it's wearing thin. But, what's new?

I'm going to try to keep this brief, because I would really rather just put it all behind me and move forward, but... Today was pretty crappy. I got put at a school on Treasure Island, and I only took the job because I thought it would be interesting to see what the heck was out there. I didn't think that many people lived out there, let alone there would be enough to merit a K-8 school. Unfortunately, school starts there at 7:50am, so I had to be up at 5:30am in order to get ready, BART downtown, and then catch the only MUNI bus that goes across the Bay Bridge and out to the island. Not a good way to start the morning.

I was intially told that I would be in a 2nd Grade class all day, but when I got there they told me that I would be in a 4/5 split class in the morning, and the 2nd grade in the afternoon. I was a bit miffed, because I really just wanted the 2nd grade all day, but, lucky for me, I only had to spend two hours with them. If I had been in that class in the morning, I probably wouldn't have lasted until 2pm. At this point I should let you know that both teachers [the 4/5 teacher, and the 2nd grade teacher] were on-sight all day, but had subs for half of the day while they were in meetings [which they both told me were pointless...].

The 4/5 was crazy, as expected, but the teacher laid out stuff for them to do. So, even though they were out of their chairs, throwing things at each other, and continually talking, they got some stuff done [well, MOST kids got some stuff done]. Early in the morning, a policeman [??] looked into the room, saw some kids being rowdy, and decided to step in. OK, way to undermine my authority, Mr. Toughguy! Naturally, as is the case with EVERY SUB ASSIGNMENT I TAKE, he said to me, "Yeah, this is a tough group." And, they were pretty tough. 5 or 6 of the boys just COULDN'T seem to park themselves in their chairs for more than 15 seconds at a time. I swear, in the last month I've uttered the phrase "sit down" more times than I can possibly count. At one point, a bunch of the boys ran to the windows and the door that led outside to the playground. I calmly walked over, wondering what the commotion was about, to find one of the kids in the class FUMING mad, pacing, and repeatedly kicking the wall outside. I honestly have no idea how long he had been out there, because I never noticed him leave the room. So, there I am, outside the classroom while kids could've been killing each other, trying to talk this kid "down"... to no avail. I went back in the room, looked out into the hallway, and found some teacher-guy walking by and said, "Um, one of the kids in this class is outside pacing around, really angry about something, and I can't leave the room so could you go out and talk to him?" Eventually, the kid came back [like, a WHILE later, and from the hallway rather than from the playground door...]. Don't know what his issue was, or how it was resolved, and don't really have the energy to ponder it.

At lunch, in the teacher's lounge, the 2nd grade teacher found out that I would be taking her class and said, "Good luck." The teacher across the table said, "Oh, you've got Room 6 this afternoon? Good luck!" Why am I cursed to always get the "tough" classes? The principal at Bryant [where I did my student teaching] wrote a letter to the district asking that all of us student teachers at the time be allowed onto the closed sub list. I'm the only one that the district actually called. I'm also the only guy that was on the list. Coincidence? I think not. [Am I somewhat of a paranoid schizophrenic? Possibly.] Honestly, really do think that I am on some SPECIAL list where I get called to sub in the classrooms in this city with REALLY difficult kids. What other explanation is there?

So, yeah, in short, the 2nd graders were TERRORS. I mean, REALLY rude, REALLY disrespectful, and REALLY REALLY horrible to each other. Three different kids, at three different times, started crying because of something that a classmate had said to them. Actually, one time it was because one kid tore up another's math paper in front of him. Did I mention that these kids were rude? They talked back to me, gave me MAJOR attitude, didn't listen or follow any directions, intentionally defied directions, ran out of the classroom, slammed the door, told me to shut up, mocked me, screamed at me, stuck their hands in my face, called me names, threatened me ["Yo, dog. Step off!"]. You name it. And they were 8 YEARS OLD. Halfway through the afternoon I almost started crying while thinking to myself, "I really can't do this anymore. But, I'm trying to get a freakin' job with this district - which I'm starting to think that I don't even want a stupid job in anymore - we need the money, and I really should have a job right now that is education related, so what the fuck else am I going to do?"

Oh, there were 2 [TWO] kids out of the 15 second graders who were actually polite and did their work. One of them [make of this fact what you will, I'm honestly not trying to be racist] was the only white kid that I saw at the school, and the other was this kid who just seemed shellshocked. We were doing [actually, FEW were doing] a Math worksheet on subtraction with borrowing, and this kid seemed to be having some problems. So, when I wasn't breaking up a fight, telling kids to stop chasing each other, etc., I tried to make it over to him to give him a hand. At one point he said, "I want to go back to my old school", and it suddenly clicked that the teacher told me at lunch that she had a new student dumped on her doorstep that morning... without ANY advance notice. I felt SO sorry for this kid. I said to him, "Oh, that's right! Today is your first day here, right? Not a very good first impression, huh?" He shook his sad, little face. After school, as I was walking the kids outside, I turned to him and said, "I REALLY hope tomorrow is better for you." And I meant it.

Tomorrow I get to sub in a 5th grade classroom across town, and I'm prepping myself for the worst because that just seems to be my track record.

Oh, I should mention that last week I was put into a HIGH SCHOOL one day. WHAT!?! Who the hell did that?! Yeah, I walked out of there with a MAJOR headache. REALLY bad. Never, EVER again.

But, last Friday I subbed for Miles again and it was a breath of the freshest air. I mean, it rocked. It was SO much fun. Damn, I love those kids. Why can't all kids be that way?