This morning in the gym I was [not really] surprised to see Melanie, in line with her class, sporting new braided extensions, looking suspiciously happy and in full uniform. I gave her my best good morning smile and then went to the Parent Coordinator and the Principal and made my discontent very apparent.Their responses:
"I don't know, she's just here..."
"I guess this is for the best--Jamaica wouldn't have helped her."
"I mean, she is supposed to be at another school but what was I supposed to do?"
"I'm sure she will be on her best behavior, she is very scared of those girls who are after her."
"Don't' worry, she probably wont leave your classroom today; she's too scared."
Um, thanks. All I need is for the additional concern of her being sexually assaulted by boys or physically attacked by girls when she flees my room because she's not in the mood to participate in the shared reading. And then I'm liable. I am going to give it 2 days to be resolved and then I'm threatening to call ACS or the UFT myself. I'm so sick of this incompetence. Mel was fine in class today, mostly because I treated her like an angel and felt a lot of sympathy for her, which I normally do until she turns all demon-lady on me.
We worked on laptops today for the first time, comparing and contrasting the websites for the major NY newspapers [Times, Daily News, Post] and talking about the priorities that different newspapers put on different kinds of news. It was actually a pretty intellectual conversation and the kids were into it because I let them play around with video clips afterwards.
The funniest part of my day was when I went to the teacher's cafeteria [shared by all 4 schools] to pop some popcorn, and a teacher from the upper grades was exiting as I was entering. As she held open the door she looked at me kind of skeptically and said "Wait, are you a teacher?" to which I replied "Yeeeeees..." And a number of other staff members started laughing [none of whom I knew because it was during the 8th grade lunch period]. Apparently she thought I was a student! I'm sorry, but I may look young but not like middle school kid from the Bronx young. On many many levels.
This happened once before when I was entering the staff bathroom on the first floor and I kind of brushed it off thinking that she maybe thought I was a visitor to the school and not a staff member.
We are planning a Spring Formal for May. It is going to be heeeeee-larious. I can't wait.
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1 comments:
Jamaica? We'll see about that. I can't tell you how many parents have told me about how they're about to ship off their son/daughter to Puerto Rico, Florida, Upstate, D.R., Honduras, the moon, and in every one of those cases the kid stayed in my class year after year until finally they ended up. . . down the block. Last year I had a kid who didn't do a lick of work. Every day he told me, "I don't care because I'm going to PR next year." "Yeah, right you are." In Sept. he was on my roster "Ah, Ha!" I thought. I was right. But then he never showed up. Months went by. Maybe it was true. And then one day in January, there he was, tanned and relaxed, and back in the sixth grade. "Welcome back, Carlos! I knew you'd be back." If this girl's parents were really worried they'd get a safety transfer. Maybe they just don't care.
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