THE DAY OF TESTS

I have never really known exactly what my boys have been learning.  It is always hard to really tell exactly what is going on in their heads.  Do they really do their own homework?  Well, when they turn it in.  I always hated tests growing up, but I knew that would have to be the way to tell.  I would offer the option of letting them write papers, but I know none of them would want that at all, therefore, I just wrote them tests.  Four of them to be exact.  English, Science, Social Studies and Spelling.  I thought this would really be an easy day, as I would just sit and work on things for next week.  Most teachers would know though, four tests on one day means grading four tests at the same time.  You can easily tell; I am a rookie teacher.  You only make these mistakes once.  It took all day and night to grade those things.  Especially english ones that do not have straight up yes and no answers.  These take forever to grade.

This aside, it was basically a good day.  There was some trouble with catching the boys attempting to cheat, but nothing too serious.  I good loud yell followed by threatening to rip their test in half gave them a good scare.  There is nothing they hate more than zeros.  Funny since they get at least one a day for not doing their homework.  

After school we had practice at the Little Haiti park, which is a very nice place.  It is a huge field that has lots of space.  It should since we have to pay to use it each time.  After we get there, warm up and start practice, a golf cart full of Haitian children and a leader showed up, moved one of the soccer goals in the middle of our field and were getting ready to leave.  Until the only 6' 8" white-man within a 5 mile or so radius started yelling.  "What are you guys doing on my practice field?"  The man acted like he didn't hear me and just started to walk away.  Remembering the beating we took the night before, I knew we needed the whole field to do sprints, and I was not going to have a soccer goal in the middle.  I tossed the balls to my boys and took off after the guy.  He got on his golf cart after seeing me coming and went to take off, but finally just waited to see what I was going to say.  I walked over and kindly asked him what was going on.  He stumbled around his words for a bit and then got very almost violent as he went off verbally on me.  He had orders to do that, and it was his park and he was going to do it, and I didn't need this huge field for such a little number of people.  He never would give me an answer to what he was doing.  Finally, after I told him I wasn't here to fight, but to just see why he was taking my field and if I was going to get half of my money back since I could only use half of the field, he said they were planting grass.  This proved to be a lie as we practice for two hours and never saw anyone again.

However, the local boys showed up to watch, so I went and talked to them assembled a team out of them to scrimmage us and put them on the field.  Didn't know that they were from a nearby High School that my boys don't like.  Lots of words were flying, but it was fun to finally see some enthusiasm to win in my boys.  I asked these guys to come back on Tuesdays and Fridays, so hopefully they will show.  It would be the best thing I know to get my boys fired up to finally win a game!!