Friday, January 09, 2004

It is snowing in Rocky Mount!

Just a little. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this development. One advantage is that they may close school early. One disadvantage is that all the kids know they might and will do nothing all day whether they do or not. All I will hear about today is snow. No learning will take place.

I got a new student the other day. And once again I was reminded of how kids get pigeon-holed into roles. Before I even met her, all of my other students were saying that she is bad and that she has a history of hitting her teachers. I immediately steeled myself and my head went to this place where I decided I just wouldn't mess with her and I'd let her sit and do nothing as long as she wasn't disruptive.

But then the Teach for America kicked in. So I decided to hold her accountable and treat her like I had never heard about her. And, what do you know? Yesterday I had her reading a major part in the play we are reading and she did her journal and was pretty pleasant. I don't know if I'll have problems with her or not, but I do think that pretending that I have never heard of her is the only fair way to go.

Golly how I love Friday. Owen is coming to Rocky Mount to bear witness to my life here. Then tomorrow we are going to somewhere we've never been. We are not sure where yet. ¶ 4:25 AM

Kids are so uncontrollable.

I think I have too much empathy for them. I just felt at the beginning of the day like I couldn't punish them too much for throwing snowballs at each other...because they are children, you know? I felt like all the older teachers were being so crotchety yelling at them and punishing them for the harmless fun of snowball fights.

But then reality set in when I was reminded that my school is not a Norman Rockwell painting. One cherub of mine good-naturedly (?) hucked a snowball at another of my little pumpkin's and latter pumpkin ran up to him and came crashing down on his skull with his fist. Beautiful moment turned to chaos. Both of my darling's ended up bloodied and bandaged and suspended.

So, that's why those older teachers were being so crotchety! I instantly became crotchety after that. My kids know how cranky Ms. Me gets when one of them attacks another. But they were still unruly all day long. They also love to run up my slick as oil metal ramp with all the little tacks sticking out of it (i lovingly call it the "ramp of death") and crash into the side of the trailer. It is a lot of fun until i run out of band-aids and make them stop their bleeding with their own sweatshirts.

But Rocky Mount is lovely covered in snow. And I just bought a six-pack of beer and am awaiting Owen's arrival. ¶ 11:23 AM