Mistakes New Teachers Make, II

A hellish day. Misbehavior continuous, fighting in the halls, rude and disrespectful students cussing out teachers. Boys punching girls, girls stabbing boys with pencils, hall sweeps, etc.

Then my last period class came in. Immediately the new kid Dudley Dowrong who starts fights every days started a fight. I thought he'd be gone this week when he choked another student unconscious in my class on Friday--Ms. R said "He's suspended for putting his hands on another kid." But then Monday he was back and Ms. R said "We don't suspend kids because that's what they want us to do and they don't learn." Of course this translates to: "We're losing funding for suspending too many kids so you have to deal with him."

So I call the office and say "Guess what? Dudley Dowrong is starting a fight. I need security up in here to take him out." I've taken him out myself before but he told me his father was going to kick my ass last time, so now I call the big dogs. Ms. R said over the interome "Dudley come to the office." Dudley sat down and threw somebody else's papers on the floor. I called the office again. Mr. Lineman and Mr. Safety came and jacked him up against the wall. Then Ms R came in and said "leave him here. I'm staying." She was in class for a while and then left, taking Dudley with her. Immediately Chastity jumped up and started kicking Shonuff in the legs. "He poked a paper airplane on my private parts!" she screamed when I got between them, and then she stormed off to the main office. I prevented Shonuff from following. Meanwhile the commotion had liberated Miss October to poke Claymore in the arm with her pencil, drawing blood. He punched her in the ribs. Then Zinc went nuts and threw pencil sharpener shavings onto Felice Navidad. I announced to the class that I was cancelling our Friday party for my last day because they were getting on my nerves. Some of them sat down.

Then Officer Black came in and started questioning me about Shonuff. Chastity asked "Can I hold your phone?" and without thinking I gave it to her. Then Miss October and Lexus pushed Rodney over a chair and he banged his head on the floor. Rodney was the one choked by Dudley last week. Rodney got up and tried to bang Miss October in the face but I got between them. Of course I can't block more than one fight so Claymore punched Miss October in the kidney.

The main office called me down for a meeting after last period. I got reamed for giving my cell phone to a student. She called her father and told what Shonuff had done and the concern was that he was going to come up to the Book and start trouble. I should have known better--I had parents and cousins and older siblings trying to come in my eighth grade class last year to bang kids who'd done something to theirs, and here I'd allowed a student to use my cell without thinking. I admitted that I lost my cool and that I was in a situation I could no longer control. I said "I'm willing to take the consequences for my actions." They said "You've made a valiant effort here. We still wish we could keep you. But don't EVER give your phone to a child." I said OK. Then I came home and drank bourbon.