I came back to see that all of my crayons were broken into two or three pieces, scattered around the room. A giant tupperwear container of them, big enough to fit a couple pairs of shoes in. And every single one was split.
I had to throw them out. We can no longer use crayons in this class.
My floor is filthy, covered with ink splotches and crayon streaks, like Picasso and Jackson Pollock worked in grime instead of paint. The undersides of my tables are coated with gum and gunk. Graffiti is all over. Nigger. Bitch. Fuck this. Call -------- for head. Becca's got a big dick. All over my room. All over the bathroom's four walls and stalls. This girl has big titties, that girl has a small dick.
A student gave me a stuffed animal dog for my birthday, a toy that clearly used to belong to her. They ripped its head off.
Another student gave me a chocolate bunny for Easter.
They ate it.
The giant sign on my wall that says MISS J and has notes from all of my students from two years ago, thanking me.....a giant gash right down the middle.
The models I made for the sub, so they would know what to do, destroyed, torn to pieces.
Staplers, springless. Papers torn, hanging from the walls.
I wrote up a detention. The student came back to my room, ripped it to pieces, crumpled it and threw it in my face, swearing at me as he left. Two students fighting on the playground, punching each other's faces and bodies, tell me they don't have to go to the office, they don't have to listen to anything I say because they didn't do anything wrong. I get back to class and two more students are taking turns slapping each other in the face. I go off on them. The boy turns to me and says "Well, SOMEONE'S angry." Smirks.
What I considered some of my GOOD kids smoking pot in the bathroom. Kids showing up every day in tears, and can't focus because of what others have said to them.
I can't do this anymore.
2 comments:
I have your blog set up on my RSS feed, so that I can read it whenever something new is posted, and I've wanted to comment before, it's just that I don't know what to say to contribute anything...Anything helpful that is.
I'm not a teacher, I live in a completely different part of the country, and I've never heard anything even close to something like your stories coming out of my local school district. I recently read a news article that the Detroit public schools are closing down HALF of their schools. Class sizes will be 70 students per class. I live in Wisconsin, where all the talk lately is about teachers, public workers, union rights, wages, and now giant cuts. This morning I heard a teacher on the public radio station announce that they will be moving away from WI due to the issues our governor is creating. In my own town, school district representative announced that originally there were 5 to 6 teachers that would be retiring in the next year, but now, over 25 will be leaving. Senior, experienced people, walking out.
My worry, and fear, as my son is going to start school soon, is that the issues plaguing schools like yours, are going to spread to the entire country.
Cakes-
I too am from Wisconsin originally and have been keeping up with what is going on in my home state. It is so utterly disheartening isn't it? I couldn't stay in my state because it was nearly impossible to find a good job there because....well, its generally regarded as a good state to teach in. Wi is known for good education. Sad that that reputation is becoming so hideously tarnished.
Yet, despite how I feel right now, I still have hope. I am not so jaded that I think this is EVERYWHERE or that this is "just how education is." Its just how it is here, right now.
And, honestly, from all I've learned as an educator, I can tell you that as much as teachers can make a difference, it is really hats off to the parents. You're the ones with the biggest impact. Your son will be fine anywhere because he has you-- so at least take some comfort in that.
J
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