Friday, first period:
Arnelle: "Miss, I have to tell you something later. Don't worry, it's good and bad."
Fourth period:
Arnelle: "This is really hard to say." *long pause* "I think I might be pregnant."
Me: "Well, what makes you think that?"
Arnelle: "I have all the symptoms. And I didn't use protection. And you know, I took a pregnancy test from the dollar store and it had two lines on it."
I have FIVE female students. This is the THIRD one that has been pregnant at some point this year!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Whirlwind
The past few days were a whirlwind! This is the first chance I've had to catch my breath since Monday. The week definitely had it's ups and downs, but either way I am looking forward to 5pm tomorrow (If there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that 95% of the business that bars get between 5 and 9 on Fridays is from stressed out teachers).
On Tuesday, my 7th period was an emotional wreck. It's funny, because now that we're in a new semester, my 7th period is mostly made up of my old 2nd period students, and yet 7th period is still crazy. It must be because it's the period after lunch, so maybe it's not (entirely) me after all. Cristy came in crying, because her boyfriend broke up with her. Dennis and Jon came in looking like they were going to cry, put their heads down, and refused to do anything (I found out later that Dennis' cousin died, and Jon's girlfriend interrupted class to tell me that they got into a fight and that's why he wasn't doing any work). Amy came in freaking out because one of my 3rd period students punched her in the face in gym. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Arnelle rolling down her sleeves and caught a glimpse of a hideous bruise on her arm, which I immediately told her I'd discuss with her later. Sweet, quiet, focused Steve decided to morph into JT in his craziest form (which I like to describe as being similar to a severely ADHD person with tourrettes having a seizure), saying "diablo" over in over at the top of his lungs, while JT followed along saying a different Spanish word over and over (which Amy told me later was the Spanish word for "vagina.")
Needless to say, it wasn't the most productive period. I made them all finish their Algebra test from earlier in the day, which didn't take more than 15 minutes, and the rest of the period we sat in a circle and talked, watched old morning announcement videos, and drew on the chalkboard. It was like one big therapy session.
Yesterday I took four girls (who are not my students, but who I've bonded with while co-teaching their Algebra class) on a field trip to Pearl Paint on Canal street after work before grad school. They were like kids in a candy store, it reminded me of the first time my Uncle took me there when I was their age, and I realized it was five floors filled with every kind of art supply you could imagine! I missed the staff meeting while I was gone, but Pedro was voted student of the month!
Today I had four IEP Annual Review conference, for Pedro, Jay, Monique, and Steve. I was really impressed with Jay, who is not my most mature student, because although these meetings are incredibly awkward, and although he has told me that he doesn't want to have an IEP or Resource anymore, he handled his meeting the most seriously out of any student I've seen yet. He articulated everything he struggles with and decided, on his own, that he did want to keep his IEP and even add to his testing accommodations, and talked about how the behavior contract for the baseball team is really helping him stay motivated. He really, truly ADVOCATED for himself, and I've never been more proud!
On Tuesday, my 7th period was an emotional wreck. It's funny, because now that we're in a new semester, my 7th period is mostly made up of my old 2nd period students, and yet 7th period is still crazy. It must be because it's the period after lunch, so maybe it's not (entirely) me after all. Cristy came in crying, because her boyfriend broke up with her. Dennis and Jon came in looking like they were going to cry, put their heads down, and refused to do anything (I found out later that Dennis' cousin died, and Jon's girlfriend interrupted class to tell me that they got into a fight and that's why he wasn't doing any work). Amy came in freaking out because one of my 3rd period students punched her in the face in gym. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Arnelle rolling down her sleeves and caught a glimpse of a hideous bruise on her arm, which I immediately told her I'd discuss with her later. Sweet, quiet, focused Steve decided to morph into JT in his craziest form (which I like to describe as being similar to a severely ADHD person with tourrettes having a seizure), saying "diablo" over in over at the top of his lungs, while JT followed along saying a different Spanish word over and over (which Amy told me later was the Spanish word for "vagina.")
Needless to say, it wasn't the most productive period. I made them all finish their Algebra test from earlier in the day, which didn't take more than 15 minutes, and the rest of the period we sat in a circle and talked, watched old morning announcement videos, and drew on the chalkboard. It was like one big therapy session.
Yesterday I took four girls (who are not my students, but who I've bonded with while co-teaching their Algebra class) on a field trip to Pearl Paint on Canal street after work before grad school. They were like kids in a candy store, it reminded me of the first time my Uncle took me there when I was their age, and I realized it was five floors filled with every kind of art supply you could imagine! I missed the staff meeting while I was gone, but Pedro was voted student of the month!
Today I had four IEP Annual Review conference, for Pedro, Jay, Monique, and Steve. I was really impressed with Jay, who is not my most mature student, because although these meetings are incredibly awkward, and although he has told me that he doesn't want to have an IEP or Resource anymore, he handled his meeting the most seriously out of any student I've seen yet. He articulated everything he struggles with and decided, on his own, that he did want to keep his IEP and even add to his testing accommodations, and talked about how the behavior contract for the baseball team is really helping him stay motivated. He really, truly ADVOCATED for himself, and I've never been more proud!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
CELEBRATING!
I finally got my hands on my students' official report cards today. The way our school works, quarter one and quarter two grades need to average to at least a 70 in order to be considered "passing" for the semester. If they don't pass for the semester, they don't get the credit and have to make it up either in summer school or take that semester of the class again next year.
Out of my ten students that actually come to school more than once a month, FIVE OF THEM PASSED. I went and searched them out throughout the day to tell them.
Pedro, who has been working SO HARD the past two months, was like "Yeah Miss, I KNEW THAT. I'm nice!"
JT's eyes popped out of his head, he asked me if I was sure about 100 times before he jumped up and down, hugged me, and proceeded to run down the hall screaming "I'm HYPE!" repeatedly. (Sometimes I joke with him that he might have tourrettes, although it's really nothing to joke about, but whenever he starts saying something he says it over and over like a broken record until someone snaps him out of his trance!)
Dasean came into my room to ask for a pencil, and as soon as I saw him I was jumping up and down telling him over and over that he passed all of his classes until he realized what I was saying, and he begged me to call his mom immediately (he is over 6ft tall and acts like he's really tough, but he has a real sensitive side and is definitely a mama's boy).
I had texted Allie's mom as soon as I found out, and her mother must have texted her while she was in class, because five minutes later Allie burst through my door shrieking at the top of her lungs, hugged me, and ran back out of the room still screaming.
I pulled Monique out of Global, the one class she wasn't sure if she passed. I asked her if Mr. V told her her Global grade, and she said no. When I told her she passed, she looked at me and said, "Miss, don't look at me, I'm gonna cry!"
The amazing thing about Monique, who is such a sweetheart (and I tell her an unnecessary amount of times a day how wonderful she is), is that she struggles, but she never complains and works at this slow and steady pace, and is always gradually getting better. My co-teacher and I call her the Little Engine that Could. Monique's mother told me today the story behind her "TBI" classification (traumatic brain injury). When she was in 7th grade, she was hospitalized with "water on the brain," for several months. She almost died, and when she did get out of the hospital she couldn't speak, walk, or remember who anyone was. It's such a miracle to see where she is today, you would have never guessed she had anything more than a slight processing issue!
Out of my ten students that actually come to school more than once a month, FIVE OF THEM PASSED. I went and searched them out throughout the day to tell them.
Pedro, who has been working SO HARD the past two months, was like "Yeah Miss, I KNEW THAT. I'm nice!"
JT's eyes popped out of his head, he asked me if I was sure about 100 times before he jumped up and down, hugged me, and proceeded to run down the hall screaming "I'm HYPE!" repeatedly. (Sometimes I joke with him that he might have tourrettes, although it's really nothing to joke about, but whenever he starts saying something he says it over and over like a broken record until someone snaps him out of his trance!)
Dasean came into my room to ask for a pencil, and as soon as I saw him I was jumping up and down telling him over and over that he passed all of his classes until he realized what I was saying, and he begged me to call his mom immediately (he is over 6ft tall and acts like he's really tough, but he has a real sensitive side and is definitely a mama's boy).
I had texted Allie's mom as soon as I found out, and her mother must have texted her while she was in class, because five minutes later Allie burst through my door shrieking at the top of her lungs, hugged me, and ran back out of the room still screaming.
I pulled Monique out of Global, the one class she wasn't sure if she passed. I asked her if Mr. V told her her Global grade, and she said no. When I told her she passed, she looked at me and said, "Miss, don't look at me, I'm gonna cry!"
The amazing thing about Monique, who is such a sweetheart (and I tell her an unnecessary amount of times a day how wonderful she is), is that she struggles, but she never complains and works at this slow and steady pace, and is always gradually getting better. My co-teacher and I call her the Little Engine that Could. Monique's mother told me today the story behind her "TBI" classification (traumatic brain injury). When she was in 7th grade, she was hospitalized with "water on the brain," for several months. She almost died, and when she did get out of the hospital she couldn't speak, walk, or remember who anyone was. It's such a miracle to see where she is today, you would have never guessed she had anything more than a slight processing issue!
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