FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH

What things happened unlucky for me today?

1.  Had to drive Megan's Toyota Camry to work today, which is very opposite all around from my van.  Brakes push easy and gas is hard, complete opposite from my van, almost causing me to wreck.

2.  The boys were crazy, and didn't have any homework done, or respect for the teacher once again.  (That was not something special for today, but just a daily occurrence.)

3.  Gave a spelling test, on which my boys still didn't get A's, even though we worked on them for 2 hours each day this week.

4.  Had one of them refuse to do the reading assignment, which was a book report he had all week to do.

5.  Only got one plate of food for lunch, instead of two.  Usually she loads me full of food, but today it didn't happen.  Couldn't figure this one out.  Maybe she thinks I'm fat.

6.  Had a student announce to the middle school class that Mr. Samir and I preform sexual acts on each other.  Needless to say, we went off on him, along with the principal and he has to write 150 pages, front and back of "I will always respect my teacher," and he is not allowed in school until then.

7.  Had no idea what was going on in my pottery station at our DOOR formal gala tonight.

8. AND....for the first time had nothing really to write about that seemed interesting.

Today was very boring and typical, as it slowly went by.  Nothing stuck out, except for the fact the boys actually got B's on their spelling tests, instead of the typical F's.  It really was awesome to see them sit and work on it, trying to get good grades.  And for once, even though they weren't perfect tests, they were trying, anxious to see their grades, and happy with what they got as a grade.  I feel like we need to make adjustments to the class, getting rid of cancer once again, to help us out.  As bad as I hate to say this, there are two tumors in the class, and they are the two that were added halfway through.  The one boy is the one who made the sexual comment in class.  I then was approached by his sister-in-law that the boys in my class pick on him.  This turned into an hour long discussion with the principal and other teachers, giving all sorts of examples how bad this kid is in class, and he is most definitely not the victim, but the cause of everything bad in the classroom.  This kid has no discipline, and today, he made the (pardon my French) shit hit the fan in the school with his comment.  All hell broke loose, or seemed to from my eyes, in the office with the little meeting.  However, I was very pleased with the outcome, as the sister-in-law left more on our side, realizing how this boy acts in school.  I was glad someone from the family finally showed interest in the boys education and came to talk.  Now, hopefully we can get him on the right track in class, and finish this semester on a high note!  It is going to be tough, but I am still going to turn these guys lives around and make a difference in them before I leave.  If they don't learn how to read, algebra, or science in Mr. Isaac's classroom, they will learn that there is someone out there who cares for them, even in the darkest moments.  Who cares if he lives 31 hours away in a small, farm community in Kansas.  At least they know there is good in the world they are living in.