Kids took the MSA Math test this morning. I didn't even attempt to teach anything this afternoon, I just took the 7th grade boys out to the basketball courts in Carroll Park. They quickly formed up a game of 5-on-5 and some other kids started throwing the football around. About ten minutes in and a class of 6th graders showed up. It was 50 degrees and a bit windy but we had a pretty good time playing outside and burning off the stress of high-stakes testing.
Then Ms. F started taking her 6th graders back. I kind of wanted us all to walk back together but MuMo rolled his ankle playing hoops so I had to get the logistics together on who was helping him back, which delayed my departure by a few minutes. By the time we got gimpy back to the building I'd missed all the drama: apparently some adult man started harrassing Ms. F's sixth grade class, in particular one girl. He solicited sexual acts from her and kept demanding her name from other kids and threatening them if they wouldn't tell.
When I got back to the school the sixth graders were crying and the cops were arriving and there was a big mess. Rumors were flying that the man was in the school and kids were calling parents on cell phones and parents were calling the school before the story was even known by more than a handful of teachers and the 7th grade boys were worried about a hostage situation and they wanted to bank someone and it took a while to find out what had really happened, which was distasteful enough.
Carroll Park is a great resource and we use it all the time, but there are some fucking pervs over there. I see them lurking around in alcoves and under trees. The girls talk about men always trying to lure them up into the orchard. Fortunately they know better than to listen to those clowns, but now we'll have to decide whether or not we need to change our policies about the Park and using it for the students without more careful coordination to ensure there are always two adults with any group of kids. Scary shit.
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