Day 7

"Be ready. They doin' walk-ins today."

This the rumor running at the Book today. Administrators on the prowl for NCLB bullshit requirements up on your walls and what's in your files 'n shit. Whatever. The administrators looking for this garbage used to be teachers, and they know full well the requirements are fads which change continuously, and they know we know it just as they knew it when they were classroom grunts.

But why did they have to come in during my last period? Mr. H is a 30-year City school vet, and he co-teaches with me that period. Neither of us has had any luck corralling that group. He asked what I wanted to do today and I said: "You take the quiet well-behaved kids who want to learn. I'll make packets and you can teach them in the corner. I'll take the fuck-ups and see what I can do." At least SOME kids learned this way, but about four of the kids were impossible to keep at either group and they roamed around or played with my overhead or fans. The administrators walked in, scowled at me working with a table of 8 lunatics while Mr. H worked with 8 calm kids and 4 were up to who-knows-what. I'm sure I'm getting scolded tomorrow. Don't care. They can come into my first two classes, the ones with 33 and 27 kids, where there are some troubled students with behavior problems, but I am alone and things run smooth as silk. The sixth grade faculty were planning a meeting about that troublesome crew today but the principal announced another last minute required fac meeting so we still haven't gotten together to pool resources. I have spoken to the sixth grade AP. She said "ain't a muthafucka in B'more who can handle that class, don't fret it." Easy for her to say. They are not coming up in her grill with observations and shit.

Worked a 12-hour day yesterday, rushed off to Wendy's and then rehearsal. Hence no blog. Today worked a mere 10 hours. Feels like a vacay.

I will say that the Book is a different joint in many ways. Today was the first time I seen a kid get jacked by 5-0 for putting his hands on another student. Officer W. was all "here your new bracelets jackass. Hope you like juvie!" Shit was daily last year. Nobody is running the halls or causing chaos this year, wherease last year the kids were in charge outside the classrooms, and inside many of them too. Somebody did take out windshields with a steel bat on McCulloh St today; don't know if was students or just the typical hopheads and fiends or bangers. I saw the aftermath on my drive home at 5pm. Hope no teachers got a taste!