As Friday wraps up the week, kids are obviously excited for the
first weekend of the school year. Being a teacher, I think I am going to start liking Mondays more than Fridays pretty soon, as Monday means the children are tired and not as energetic. Listening to teachers in my life, this seems to be true throughout the country. And if these teacher's no what they are talking about, I am not looking forward to the next full moon, as they say it seems to be twice as bad. (The image is of my 'most likely' favorite preschooler at Yvonne Learning Center, Zachary. This picture was the first time he has ever seen a picture of himself, or so he told me)
Being the first week of school, my 3 boys that I am tutoring thought their homework and grades didn't matter, just because it was a sort of review for them, as I try to figure out where they are at educationally. As I asked them to get their homework out for writing yesterday, no one moved. "You guys get it all done?" I ask as they all shake their heads and smile. Of course they didn't do their homework. Who does anymore? "Alright, well, since you didn't do the writing, we have to do it now so that we have something to work with during class. So, after I mark these zeros down in the book, I will tell you what you are to write," I inform them as I get my computer out to record the zeros. "But, Mista Isaac, I got tired last night and fell asleep!" "Thats fine," I say as I think of a good idea for them. "You can do the writing assignment right now. Take out a pencil and paper and write a page on how children should be punished for not completing homework." Trying to sound smart they say things such as the following: Clean the whole school, write lines, give us more homework, run us extra at football, and smaller things such as don't eat lunch. I talk it over with the principal and return to the class. Since they feel this is the appropriate punishment (they obviously do since they wrote it) I made sure it all happened. I "OKed" it with the other teachers and the boys stayed after school, sweeping and mopping the whole school, then cleaning the white boards. If this didn't upset them enough, I had them get out a fresh piece of paper, open to "Charlotte's Web." "Since I obviously can not teach you guys how to write properly, I know a guy that might be able to. E.B. White is pretty good at it, and since you don't want to read and write a summary about it like assigned, you can just learn from Mr. E.B. and write the story word for word," I tell them as I get some very hard stares. They write for 30 straight minutes without saying a word, knowing that I really meant business.
The rest of the school day consisted of them not finishing their reading assignment, getting zeros on the test I wrote over the story, having another story read to them as I made them stand so they wouldn't fall asleep during the story again, more F's on the test, incomplete math homework, and followed up with "incomplete homework" slips sent home to all the parents to be signed and returned. Smiles were not present as the boys left the classroom. I pull one aside that could do the work if he tried, but just is too lazy. He is the type of kid that everyone likes, and he uses this to try and get away with not doing his homework. "Put a smile on your face man," I say as he walks past. "I can't Mista Isaac. My dad is going to beat me when I get home unless to take this note away from me. Have you ever had a butt whoopin' Mista Isaac?" I inform his of the size of my dad and growing up with brothers who crack his other brothers in the head with golf clubs, or pitchforks through hands, and many lashings with belts from my past. "Dang Mista Shue. You come from a scary place!" he says as a smile seems to creep out. I just let him keep thinking that as he walked on to start cleaning the school.
I feel bad doing this to the boys, but I have to stand firm and let them know that I am not always there just to be a friend to them, but to make sure they learn as well as learn some discipline.
The evening was filled with a much needed nap, followed by a trip to a local Irish Pub to listen to a traditional Irish band. It was some good music to listen to, as the band was literally 2-inches from our table. At one point I leaned over without thinking and hit the guitar neck with my head as it was being played. Only a smile followed in my direction though as he was drunk enough to not care. As we left the pub, police lights filled the entryway with the road being completely blocked off. This is not a scene you want to see in the city on a weekend night, especially when there is a police officer with a tripod and camera snapping CSI shots or debris in the road. Debris consisting of a shoe in the middle of the road and something we couldn't identify walking by, but looked important. While walking to the car, we hear word that someone was leaving the restaurant (most likely intoxicated) when they were struck by an oncoming car. That must have been the car sitting in the middle of the road with the camera now pointed at it. Sure enough, as we walk by, the hood looks like a taco shell, as something obviously was struck quite hard with the windshield being totally smashed with a big hole right in front of the driver. We have tried to look up what happened, but it didn't seem like a big enough story to cover in Miami. Not when the Coast Guard is finding $100 million in cocaine trying to be snuck in, or when two human feet are found severed near a local river. You just never know what is going to happen next in Miami! I love the excitement of the city life!
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