Semester winding down.....
Well, I'm in class right now giving final exams...which is way better than taking them I might add! Its been an interesting end to the semester...here are some highlights (or lowlights):
-Since I'm a "madatory reporter" of child abuse I had to tell the police about a former student of mine who came to school in a wheelchair. Her mom has bipolar disorder and is in and out of a mental hospital, her dad works all the time and this poor 15 year old takes care of her younger sister and brother. They all were home schooled, which scares the hell out of me. I had her in summer school 2 years ago and was the first teacher she ever had. She confided a lot in me and thats why when I saw her in a wheelchair, my heart leaped into my throat. I heard her tell her other teachers that she had a growth spurt problem....but when I asked her privately, she told her her dad was "wrestling" with her. She said he was mad and she kept him away from her siblings. He injured her hip and he has a herniated disc in her back. Bastard...this girl is soooo petite and sweet and quiet. The school police liason called her down after I told him and she admitted all to him so its being dealt with.....so sad. Some people do not deserve to be parents!
-I have 2 freshman kids who are dating each other in 2 of my health classes. The girlfriend wrote the boy a note, talking about sexual things (stick figure drawing of sexual positions) and how one teacher is pissing her off so bad she wants to kill her.....and the boy's mother found the note while she was doing the wash. She held the note over her son's head and if he did anything bad, she would turn it into the school. Both of these kids are "A" students and really sweet....but for some reason Mom turned the note into the school authorities and suspended the girl b/c of the threat to the teacher. Yikes!
-THIS ONE IS INSANE!!!!!! I had this student last year in Health class. He's a short white kit with scrappy black hair who does his work but keeps to himself. He got an "A" in my class. This year he's been dressing a little differently, black Anarchy shirts, trenchcoats, baggy cargos, black gloves and pentagrams.....total Columbine style. I saw him at the Homecoming dance sitting by himself the entire time just staring at the crowd...it was creepy.
WELL, he had on one of those wallets with the chain attached to it. We don't allow those b/c it could be used as a weapon. When the dean saw it, he asked the kid to remove it...kid refused. So he escorted the kid to the office and when he removed it, it was attached to a big, sharpened metal stick! Also in his back pocket was an arrowhead. Wait, it gets better. Then the dean asked what else he had on him...to which the kid replied "nuthin". When he checked his cargo pants pockets, he had a butterfly knife in one and a double bladed butterfly knife in the other!! Good lord! Wait, it gets better. The dean then asks him what he's got in his backpack, and of course he says "nuthin." He checks it and finds several real metal sharp ninja stars!!!! Last but not least he finds a disc.....he puts it in the computer to reveal its contents.....how to make a bomb! Doubt he'll be returning to school here! Scary part is that he walked around all day with that stuff, and who knows what he's brought to school other days. Glad I never pissed him off, I could've been shanked to death!
posted by Teacher Tori @ 10:12 AM
10 Comments
10 Comments:
Tori, As the father of seven (4-girls, 3-boys) I appreciate the problems you face teaching sex education. I was really amazed to read that in today's world, sex among teens is frequently iniated by girls. What you discover as a parent, is that you can talk till you're blue in the face and be totally ignored. Luckily, our kids listened, not perfectly but they're doing well. The peer impact is difficult to overcome.
Then I read a WND.com story by Joe Kovacs ("Extra Credit" 12-14-05) about women teachers and sex with boys. The list was amazingly long. Having been personally abused by a neighbor woman at 12-yoa I have some lingering issues even all these years later.
I have heard though, that many girls are chosing to wait until marriage. If there is a positive message in AIDS it is that it seems to be forcing kids to wait, and a 10 to 12 per cent failure rate in condums certainly wouldn't be called safe sex in my estimation.
At 26 you're very young. At my age, I'm a too far out of it for young people to listen because suggesting dicipline or restraint of any kind is demeaned by Hollywood in every movie and TV show producers make.
It may seems like an impossible fight...don't give up. You sound like the kind of teacher the kids need. NG
Good Lord, what is up with kids today? That kid with the weapons is just wrong.
I grew up in Kansas and we often had guns (rifles or shotguns) in our trucks, in the rear window just like a redneck. :) We never had a problem with guns or violence (outside of the regular brawl in the hall). My buddy even was allowed to bring a handgun into shop class to make custom wood grips once...
Things have change. Oh, and most kids had pocket knives... I even had a butterfly knife. But we never even thought about hurting other students or doing something to the school.
I have no idea what would drive a kid to do something like those in Columbine.
Just be careful out there and thanks for being a teacher!
I remember when I was in high school (the early to mid-80's), it was not uncommon for kids to bring knives, stars, and nunchakus to school (I still have the black butterfly knife that I used to carry). The key difference between us and Mr. Columbine there, though, was we just did that crap to look cool (not like that makes it any more right...). That kid sounds like he has some serious issues.
i had another student back in october who brought a BB gun to school and he was expelled...things have changed in the post-columbine era. Things like "A list of teachers or people I want to kill" is taken very seriously.
Wow, creepy. My parents are teachers. Some of the stories they have shared are similar. You never get used to the level of disturbance in some kids, much less their weirdo parents.
Now my Dad teaches at Juvenile hall and subs at a state prison... he says the inmates are better behaved than his wretches in public school!
12 19 05
DaYUMMM TT: You have a lot to deal with each day! And you teach because..? Clearly you must be called to do it, my parents are both teachers too and are called to do their jobs but their stories are similarly disturging. Keep it up!
The kid in the trench coat in all probability wasn't dangerous. The kid most likely was being bullied or going through a phase.
I remember teachers complaining about the army jackets and combat boots. Students smuggled in all kinds of weapons but I do not remember any incedents.
i dont care as much about the way he dresses...i have students that dress like that who are straight A great kids. I don't care about that as much as the disk with explicit plans how to make a bomb!!
oh and the double blade butterfly knives, sharpened metal sticks and ninja stars
Most schools hava a zero tolerance and the kid will be suspended and sent to a shrink. Even back in my day there were kids that carried weapons.
I owned a motorcylcle jacket and a wallet with a chain. It didn't stop me from being a law abiding adult.
The weapons are a concern but that is what the professionals are suposed to handle. Let the cranks with the masters in child psych and no life experience deal with them. It would help if these "professionals" were trained in the streets rather then reading Chomsky and Mother Jones.
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