Friday, September 09, 2005

blustery day

I have successfully completed my third week as a real teacher.

The weather, in all its windy, rainy, cold, and cloudy glory, speaks volumes to my day.

It all began as a typical Friday in my world.
I woke up late, the coffee maker was empty, and I had left my raincoat at the school.

I got to work with a song in my heart and swing in my step.
(the song was "So What," from Metallica and the swing had something to do with a sharp pebble in my shoe.)

Class work began as it should.
Kids listening.
Kids working.
Kids quiet.

Math, my favorite class, started the downhill spiral.

Now don't get me wrong.
I know I have spoken often about the terrors of teaching, but I do love my job.
For the most part everything is going great.
There are just two students that have a habit of driving me nutty.

In math one of my students decided to skip.
I guess learning the finer points of Mean Median and Mode did not intrigue him.

Almost a half an hour into class he was caught by the principal, slouched into the classroom, threw down his books, and collapsed in a heap on his desk.
Head down.

So, far I have said nothing.
His head is buried in his arms, feigning sleep or apathy.

"Sit up Student," I say, mid-sentence.
The rest of the class giggles.

I continue with the lecture while standing dangerously close to the offending child.

"Sit up Student," I repeat in a louder voice.
The rest of the class giggles again.

"Last chance," I attempted again, this time trying out my teacher voice.

Still his head remains pressed firmly against the surface of the desk.
His arms creating a pillow.

The class is slowly losing respect for my.
I can feel their urge to disobey my growing.
Instruction is slipping away.

I move in front of the student's desk.
"Alright, here goes."
I pull the desk forward several feet.

He starts at the sudden lack of sleeping surface.
He looks at me scowling.
The rest of the class howls with laughter.

I am the teacher. You cross me, you lose.

In defiance he tilts his chair back against the wall.
"You want to lose that too?"
He knows I'd do it.
He relents.

I win.


True to the cliché’ form, you win one you lose one.

In a later class I allowed a Student to scampered into the library for a new book.
A few moments later The Principal motioned me into the hallway.

The Student was caught talking trash about me, in Yu'pik.

There is a Yu'pik word that is vaguely similar to my name.
It has a meaning that is related to a female body part.

Another teacher whispered the word to me.
It's one of those words that you just don't say out loud.

I believe it's pronounced "oo choo"
Now you know a Yu'pik curse word.

Comments:
So Jody, how funny is your name's similar word given what we used to call you?

C'mon. Laugh. You know it's funny.

Sorry he was picking on you, but I did have to laugh at the mental image of you terrorizing the sleeping kid :-)!

And to think-- we all thought you'd be selling homemade jewelry on a corner in clifton (decked out in gypsy skirt and huge hoop earrings), feeding stale gummy bears to the passing children... awww, our little Jody is all grown up!


~Amy

P.S. Glad to see you solved your spam problem :-)
 
Oh-- and did you order the ipod?

~Amy
 
amy, only you thought that i would be making jewelery and handing out stale candy.
and i still have time to accomplish that.

and the name you evil evil people used to call me related to the wrong part. this word means something more female.

and, yes, yes i did terrorize that child.

by the by, it turns out i have to wait to get paid to buy the ipod.... or maybe i'll just get satilite radio...
 
I still think it's funny that your nicknames all seem to come from "nether-reigons"!

~Amy
 
JODY!!!

I have ripped (or kicked) the chair out from underneath sttudents a plethora of times. My rule was SIX FEET ON THE FLOOR AT ALL TIMES. Watch for bruises on the elbows but other than that... highly effective. It's like corporal punishment masked as natural consequences.

--Christina.

P.S. Only because I care, you have a "my" for a "me".
 
Jody,
Kids will be kids.
But that's why I always vote liberally Democratic and support the upholidng of Roe v. Wade.

Its not too late to sell jewelry in Clifton.

Okay, just kidding.

Hang in there.
~Brent
 
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