Monday, February 02, 2009

Day 38

The kids are back after five days off and they are aggravating. Loud, unprincipled, devilish--I have my phone call list filled each period, and spend too much planning time calling parents. I expected it would be like this, as it always is after a long break.

During last period--only my second meeting with the sixth grade class--I have just gotten through defending Mr. McGillicutty against the students' charges that I am the "main teacher" and Mr. McGillicutty is the "lame teacher." "We are both the main teachers," I say. Mr. Mcgillicutty just watches you from the back of the room and I watch you from the front," when Teh Big Cheese puts her scowling face in the door. "Don't let me catch you leaning on no counters up in my school," she hisses at McGillicutty. "You always doing nothing. Every time I see you you are doing nothing. You better get Mr. G to give you a job because next time I see you leaning on my counter I am tanning your hide."

She rolls out and then the kids all fall out. "We knew Mr. G was the main teacher. Better give Mr. McGillicutty something to do!" Ugh.

But I taught them a pretty successful class despite the hilarity. I taught them about conflict and then we talked about mood and tone in literature. I used paintings as examples, asking them about the mood, and they knew 6 of the 8 paintings I used, including titles and artists' names and bios. I was quite impressed. I need to visit Mr. T the art teacher and express my appreciation.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am shocked and appalled that the principal reprimanded and demeaned a teacher in front of a group of students. (even a know-nothing like McGillicutty) This is one of the most self-defeating and unprofessional things I've read on your looooong list of unprofessional and self-defeating stories from education in Baltimore!!!

It sounded funny as hell, and probably made you look waaaay better to the students... but sheesh, I can't believe the morons that run that show don't see what a terrible idea that is!


I swear to god, how much longer till they just let YOU run that place, and get rid of all those morons?!?!

:) jv

Geoff said...

I've been reprimanded in front of kids too--standard operating procedure!

Nick said...

What were the paintings??

Geoff said...

Basics like Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Water Lillies, Dali's Persistence of Mammaries.

They didn't recognize Goya and Van Eyck

Nick said...

So basically the modern ones they knew, and the oldsters are slipping away!