Wednesday, March 1, 1995
I am so fucking pissed off, I can barely type.
Today, I stayed home with my sick loved ones, Lisa with the strep and Kyle with congestion and an ear infection. I went to school at one-thirty to prepare for academic detention. The following is the lesson plan I left for the sub:
WRWalters Substitute Lesson Plan Date: 3-1-95
Good morning! The classes have (checked) / have not ___ been prepared for my absence.
Here are a few guidelines to help you have a good day:
1) Greet the students at the door and direct their attention to the on-board agenda.
2) At the beginning of class, circulate throughout the room to get them on task.
3) Take roll as quickly as possible via seating chart, roll book, and computer print-out (on the clipboards).
4) Continue to circulate during the class period to keep them on-task and to answer any questions.
Below are the period-by-period directions. Please leave behind any comments concerning student success and behavior.
Thanks, BW
Periods 1/2; Course: English 9 (Tricia is the aide 2nd period; she’ll grade the quizzes from 2-28).
1) They are to have the rough draft of the 10 vocabulary words on their desks (the first word is ABSURD). As they complete steps 1+2+3 of the DOL (west board), circulate and make notes as to who has the sentences. Please make notes on the highlighted column on the top sheet of the clipboard (A=absent, T=tardy, O=no vocab., X=problem). Also, take roll on the roll sheet and the scantron.
2) Let them read in their novels (after they do the DOL) for 15 minutes. Bring them to a stopping point. Reveal the DOL behind the screen. Go over the sentence and the reasons for the changes. Have the students do steps 4+5 of the DOL.
3) Hand out copies of "The Monkey’s Paw". Read the first paragraph aloud, then have the students read to the end of Part One silently (it ends on page 3). While they are reading, cover the DOL with the screen and put the 2 questions on the board (1. What did Mr. White wish for? 2. How do you think he will get it?).
4) Tell the students that when they are finished with Part One, they are to answer the questions on a sheet of paper (they need to follow manuscript format). When they finish answering the questions, they are to read their novels.
5) When everyone is finished writing, have them read Part Two silently (it ends at the end of page four); while they are reading, put the new questions on the board (3. How did he get the money? 4. What do you think he should wish for next?). Also, hand back old work while they read.
6) Tell students when they finish part two, they are to answer the new questions, then read their novels. At the end of the period, collect the stories, answers to questions, and any old work or make-up work they have. Remind them to show up at Academic Detention at 2:30 (I’ll be there). Hide the DOL behind the screen and erase the questions before the next class.
Period 3; Course: English 4/4H (switch the TV cable switch [on the East wall] to "Antenna")
1) As students read, collect Vocabulary Journals, and put the overhead transparency (which is on the clipboard) on the screen. The Honors students are to do that assignment. Have them turn it in and read their novels (like the English 9’s) when finished. Collect the book checks.
2) When all are finished, show part one of Throne of Blood. Use both TVs and let Tricia or James run the laserdisc player and BarCodes (BarCode one). Put the Act One notes from the BarCode sheet (attached) on the board.
3) When part one of Throne of Blood is over (45 min.), read Act 3, Scene 3 of Macbeth aloud. Have students volunteer as characters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, 1st Murderer, Lennox and Ross. Allow for discussion.
4) If there is time, do Act 3, Scene 4 (witch and Hecate).
5) At the end of class, collect the Research Paper rough drafts.
Now here is what the sub left for me (exactly):
Date: 3-1-95
Teacher: Walters
Sub: Iris Cxxx
phone no. 482-xxxx
no aide showed up 2nd pd.
pd 1 -- I arrived after class had started as, although I was here early they sent me to the wrong room. So anyway, things were quite noisey. This class was not great as, it was hard for me to try + take roll, read notes etc. all at once. I wasn’t quite clear on DOI (sic) but, checked off ones who showed me voc words + the DOI sentence.
We then did "Monkey Paws" + answered questions. But, the worst thing they did was someone in 1st pd/ put gum on your chair, I sat in it without noticing it was there + therefore got gum on my pants + gum on your chair. -- I’m sure my pants are ruined + can only hope you get gum off your chair. I don’t know who did it, if I did they would have had a referral. (I didn’t realize until 1st pd students were gone.)
p.2. From not-so-good to just terrible. This 2nd pd. class was one of the worst classes I’ve had, as a teacher + as a substitute. Of, course the highlight was a fight between two students -- Luckily I was able to get between them + push black kid outdoors. Two other teachers came to help or their (sic) would have been a fist fight in class. If this wasn’t bad enough a 2nd fight almost broke out between Michael --- + another black kid. Luckily, it wasn’t quite as bad. I got Fines outside + Gilbert got the other kid to sit down. I think black kids in 2nd one was Jon ---. The only reason Gilbert didn’t get a referral written on him for early loud talking, not taking directions (sent outside 2) was I appreciated him helping keep the 2nd incident from escalating.
Others particularly bad was Diane --- continuous talking + no work done, Hector --- talking, fooling around. + others I don’t know names of.
Also, when the fight was going on they changed my name to Mrs. Horney and put FUCK on the board.
The first fight broke out when I asked Hispanic boy to read and black boy made some comment that I didn’t hear. + he (sic) 2nd argument came about according to Michal (sic) when he said something about Jon? liking boys, or something to that effect + guess it made Jon mad. They did settle down a lot after the first fight + the two boys leaving. I think perhaps maybe even a class discipline for boys + Diana. (other girls no problem, Jonathan --- okay) because if they get away with this they’ll be even worse for next substitute, so, feel that strong measures are needed.
pd 2 -- Glad to report class went very well -- Great kids, no problems. Watched movie + read "MacBeth"
I am now ready to quit. Tonight I go off to a kind of call-back for the Quorum Electronics job. I’m ready to take anything offered.
Fallout Begins
Thursday, March 2, 1995
Today was a really long day. The first two periods I kept them silent and working. I had both classes write about their impressions and responses to yesterday. And their responses were interesting to say the least.
During first period yesterday, students got up and changed seats, something they never do when I am there. They failed to listen, made fun of the sub, and talked without remorse. No one admitted to the gum on the chair incident. Typical "sink the sub" behavior. Disappointing but not too surprising.
Second period, however, had been shocking in their depravity. Hyperbole this ain’t. They walked in. They turned on the television (the school’s video period is second period, and we have the option of viewing the student version of CNN at the beginning or at the end of the period; I choose the end, so that I have control over whether or not we watch it). They switched channels. They switched seats. They flew paper airplanes. They fought. Over reading. One student told another who refused to read aloud (which you, oh careful reader, will remember was NOT part of the lesson plan) to "Just read, punk," which escalated into a full-blown confrontation (a colleague of mine joked that I must be doing my job if English Nines are fighting over reading...hardy har-fucking-har.). They wrote on the board. They stole marking pens. They fought over racial/sexual slurs (this is still unclear, even after the class’ explanations). They left the room a mess. They didn’t return all the copies of the story.
I find the behavior the classes reprehensible. Of course, I’m also learning more about the sub. Hamm tells me that after she had once had the sub in question she thought the lady was loony tunes; and the third period kids thought she was wiggin’, too...though after what she had been through, who could expect any less (or more). Some of her remarks I found disturbing to say the least, though. Her racial remarks and her less than conventional compositional style gave me pause. And the fact that the class was able to do what they did (especially the stuff they admitted but about which she had no idea) frightened me, too. But it still does not excuse their behavior.
Which brings me to... Academic Detention. Most of my period one kids showed up. Most of the period two kids didn’t (big surprise). So I spent about twenty minutes yesterday afternoon writing up conduct referrals for the no-shows (about twenty, all told).
During both classes, I had students who failed to attend yesterday’s academic detention sign conduct referrals and sent them (the referrals, not the students) up to the office. By the end of the day, I had received back the stack of referrals, with Saturday Work Detention assignments stapled to each. Finally, some action.
Less satisfactory was the response to the second period problem. Students who are involved in fights are supposed to be suspended. Yet all four "fighters" from yesterday were in attendance today. This I brought up to one half of the discipline team (to whom I refer as "Bubba Gump"--stoopid is as stoopid does). When I asked what the repercussions were for fighting, I was told that it is suspension. I explained the situation with the sub; I included copies of some of the student responses which named names. Then I handed over the names and student numbers of the offending fighters. The assistant principal (not the aging "failure hatchet man" [who is neither Bubba nor Gump] but another one, the African-American one, one of the three we have on our campus of 2400 students), he took one look at the four names and said, "You’ve got a heck of a group in that class. I recognize all these names." This means all of them are discipline problems. And he knows them already. As freshmen.
"That’s not the half of it..." and I rattled off four more names, Gilbert, Javier, Sal and Hector.
A whistle. A shake of the head.
"And I haven’t even started with the girls. This class has the worse dynamic that I have seen in nine years of teaching. It is the class from hell."
"I don’t doubt it."
"So I want sanctions. Hard ones. I want examples made."
"I’ll talk to John." The Gump half. "He supposedly handled this. I remember seeing Andrew in here yesterday. I’ll talk to him first thing in the morning...he’s not here right now...expulsion hearing...and we’ll see what we can do."
"I’d appreciate it." I said this, and I meant it. But I also knew what he meant by his statement: I’ll talk to Gump...and that’ll be it. No repercussions.
As usual.
Bright note: they didn’t steal my doormat. They threw it away. But Paul, god of mortals, super-janitor, employee of the month, saved it from the trash. God bless him.
It rained today.
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