Fake Spring, Beastly Children, and Sweet Indulgence

Spring was once my favorite season, back when I lived in TN. It was so wonderful watching the trees slowing turn green and watch the daffodils come up. Over there, once it started warming up, it stayed that way. Out here, one week is gorgeous and warm, and the next it snows. My classroom joined the "freezing cold spring" club and spent a week being frigid, too. On teacher work day, my next-door neighbor teacher and I fixed the thermostat, and he accused me of trying to rush summer. SOMEBODY (probably the beastly children) had managed to turn on the AC, and it was on all week (possibly longer). Oh well. It took all day today, but my classroom is now at a nice, comfy 72 degrees.

Speaking of beastly children...I thought I'd seen the worst last semester, with my 9th graders in 3rd period. Now I know the truth...when you're a teacher, you never see the worst. You think you do, but then a couple of kids (or a hoard) decide to take up the challenge and break the record. To give you an example: last Thursday was the last day of the quarter, and my last day with said beastly children (since this is CTE and we rotate every quarter).

Billy was sitting on top of his desk with his legs stretched out over the desk in front of him, and he wasn't listening to us gentile folk asking him to get down. Little Timmy, whose seat is full of stinky 7th grader feet, gets impatient and yanks Billy's desk backward. Billy and his desk overbalance, and he topples (and OH it was a magnificent topple) to the ground, and is up seconds later hollering about suing the school and suing me, and suing Timmy, blah blah blah. Meanwhile, I'm at his side trying to make sure he's really okay, and Mary Jane is in my face yelling about how I can't take her rubber bands, she bought them with her own money, she's going to take this straight to the principal, blah blah, "I HATE this class! I hate this class! Hey, did you know I HATE THIS CLASS??!" I gave up on Billy and tuned out Mary Jane. Since it was the last day, I wanted to play CTE bingo. The kids usually enjoy that.

Cartoons by Andertoons

For the first 10 minutes or so, it was me yelling clues into the mic while certain beastly children screeched abuse at me. They finally figured out that no one was listening and it's a lot more fun playing bingo and winning candy, so they shut up. Except for Billy, who continued his desperate campaign for attention by scooting his desk around the back of the room and hiding under computer desks. Whatever.

I was so very relieved when that bell rang and the kids left me (hopefully never to return..unless I get them for keyboarding or they take tech next year...). There were a few who came up and told me how much they loved the class and me, and I gave them candy. Some kids are sweet and wonderful, and others are...beastly.

I feel a little bad about Billy. I found out from the resource teacher the next day that he's got it pretty rough--Dad passed away at the beginning of the school year, and he was on suicide watch for a little while, apparently. Poor kid. In my defense, I tried both positive and negative attention, as well ignoring him. Nothing worked.

After all that crap, I feel like I deserve a reward. So this Thursday after school, I'm going to See's, and I'm buying myself a box of chocolates. :) Hey, it'll be my birthday, and I'm spending it alone. I deserve some indulgence.

Yum.