Mrs. G's back in School

Friday!!

The last day of the first week back. Not much has changed, the place didn't fall to pieces without me! The "girl drama" is in full swing and the boys all bathe in cheep cologne. Less is more is the mantra of the 8th grade floor!

Work has kept my mind busy. I have a new schedule, my student is going to a private school, so I am back in the classroom, two math classes and two ELA. The math I enjoy, but the ELA...what is a conjunction?? and don't even ask me to spell anything. I now know why my mother would say"look it up"...she couldn't spell either!

I enjoy my job most of the time, and I am good at it. I connect with my kids, sometime understand them more than they understand themselves. I think it's because I could have very easily been one of my kids. I work with a boy who has become one of my favorites....who knows why. He's unkempt, a bit skanky, but there is just something about this kid.  He wants to go to Monty Tech next year but they wont take anyone with his behavior issues, so he wonders why he should bother to stay on track.

Today he came into our room mad as hell. One of the teachers gave him a zero for an essay she said he didn't pass in. I know he did it, he did it in academic support with me. Did he pass it in, he says he did, I believe him. He redid the essay and passed it in, she accepted it but told him she is taking 10 points off the top for being late. Very unfair when come to find out  his is one of 10 essays in this class alone she can't find. Another reason for this kid not to stay on track.

The teacher in our room will be the mediator between them. What bothers me is when this kid or any of our kids know they are treated differently because they come from our room, no matter how "good" they have been behaving.  One detention since September, no suspensions, attendance better than it has ever been and some teachers still wont cut him a break.

It bothers me that a kid so smart who is really trying to "do the right thing" gets the short end again. If he keeps it together he sees no benefit, Monty Tech has written him off as trouble, teachers wont believe he isn't lying. If he gives up and "throws in the towel" and reverts to the mouthy kid who hardly comes to school, never does anything they can say see we all knew he was just a punk. I guess all I can do is keep doing what I do, encourage them to improve, praise them for their successes and help them learn from their failures.