Day #7

No quarter today. 2nd period class acted up so bad I went ballistic and gave the entire group detention. I told Mr. E, the math teacher, to hold them after school for me and I would come to collect my pound of flesh.

Last period class was just as bad. I gave the entire group detention. I started with 20 minutes, and a rash of kids complained and rained abuse on my head. "You don't like 20 minutes?" I asked. "You're right, 20 isn't good." I changed the 2 to a 3 on the board, to more complaints. "What? You're not happy with 30?" I changed the 3 to a 4. Decidedly less abuse and complaints, but still a couple kids whining. I changed the 0 to a 5. Then it started. Kids shushing each other, saying "he ain't playin'!" It got quiet, I was able to teach my lesson, and I changed the 45 to 30, then to 25, when they got noisy again and that's the amount of detention most of them got.

After school it was a bit awkward to manage the two classrooms full of detainees. I had to straddle the doorways, which are fortunately only a couple feet apart, and let kids go one by one (some kids always do the right thing, so I let them go when I give the "whole class" detention). Kids who complained got chores: putting up chairs, picking up papers, washing the boards.

I can't teach if the classroom isn't orderly and quiet and if the students are distracted by chaos. I will master the chaos. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.