Monday, June 27, 2005

Where's Alice Cooper When I Need Him?

So, I started Summer School today. I don't mean my Master's class (which I can't stand, but whatever). Nope, I mean the school I am teaching this summer. Didn't Alice Cooper say, "School's out for summer," in his most famous song? And if you've never taught school in the summer, it's, well, hellacious. The students do not want to be there. The teachers do not want to be there. One of my colleagues explained that he was only there, because he really, REALLY, needed the money now that he has a kid. He kept telling me, "it's only 24 days, Leab. It's only five weeks."
Still, it honestly made me miss some of the kids I work with during the year. In the "Reading for Standards" classes I am teaching, I had to give out a test today. One kid just looked at it, put it down, and waited out the time. He handed it in with no answers given, and when he was asked, "why didn't you do anything," he responded, "I don't know. Maybe I'm just stupid." Talk about giving up before the race even starts. He doesn't care. He apparently has a job waiting for him the real world, so why does he need high school? In typical teenage fashion, he refused to listen to my reasons. It reminded me of another student of mine. She's brilliant, but she never listens. Then, having not listened, she exclaims, "No one understands or tries to help." You have to love the teenage frame of mind: No one gets me, no one tries to get me, but if they try to understand, it's an invasion of privacy. Awe-inspiring, isn't it folks?
So, for the next five weeks, I will toil through curriculum I don't really know (and I admit that as I have never taught reading before and was told it would be Math) with students who don't want to be there in a school with no air-conditioning and not enough fans. So If you see a post like this (see below) in the next few weeks:

ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH. Hebba Itouilky. Brain melty, mushy. Fly, Walker, fly!

You will know why. Hopefully I can make a difference for one of them (I was supposed to have a total of 70 today and got only 18).
Oh, and one more thing. Shameless plug alert!!! Go check out little (haha) Meridita's Site (also known as Meredith). If you go, don't mention me, you just might get banned. Now, go hug something you care about and think happy thoughts, children. Tomorrow is a brand new and (hopefully) better day. Ha ha, desperate cynicism...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

those damn teenagers! *shuffles feet* thanks for the plug... : )

Voix said...

Hang in there - it will be over before you know it. Teaching reading is fun if you can trick them into it. Do you have access to a computer lab? There are some cool internet activities out there if you can take a break from the curriculum every once and a while. Good luck.