Fight # 2 and Smart Kids

My kids were so smart this week! We've just entered the realm of Stoichiometry and all the math that comes with it, so I expected an automatic shut down from them. However, they have been totally patient and are really understanding what we are doing! I've instituted this daily quiz thing, called a Prove It, and they're invested in that. I'm invested in it too because it lets me see at the end of the day everything they understand.

Anyway, my 2nd and 4th periods, who used to be the classes from hell, have gotten really really good lately. It's weird...I just got 3 new girls in 2nd period, and they are all good students. I think that they have been influencing the others to do better. They've been the highest scoring class all week...and usually they're they lowest. My 4th period is better because a lot of them have stopped showing up. I used to worry about attendance and all that, but the ones who don't come NEVER work when they're there anyway, so at this point in the year, I'd rather not see them. I know that's not the best approach...but it's making the 12 who are there do soooo much better in school that I can't help it.

Wednesday brought a huge fight in my 6th period AGAIN, which pissed me off royally. It was the very beginning of the period and these two girls started arguing over a broken pencil. Before I could get to the front of the room, they were so loud that I couldn't talk over them. I started writing them a put out pass, but before I could even finish the first one, they stood up and started taking off jewelry and shoes. So I went in the hall to get an administrator, and by the time I got back in with one, one of the girls had the other pinned against the table and was bashing her head against it. Mrs. Stokes got in the middle, and Mr. Shaw came in to run crowd control as well. It all ended with Big Marcus (this kid's huge) picking up one of the girls while she struggled to get away. It started with her flung over his shoulder, but she squirmed enough to end up with him holding her around the waist with her upside down and her still flailing to get away. He threw her into the hall, and a couple of kids threw her shoes after her, and slammed the door. It was sweet. After all that, I lectured the class for about 20 minutes about how unsafe the room is. How can I possibly trust a class like this to do lab?

After all of this, Mrs. Stokes called me to her office to talk about it. She got extremely pissed because I didn't have a special educator at the time, and I'm supposed to. It's my class of 38 with 22 IEPs. Apparently they hired a new inclusion specialist just so I'd have someone that period...and I'd seen the lady once in the two weeks she'd been there. So if she doesn't show up everyday now, she's going to get fired. The class still blows, even with her in there...I'm pretty sure we're breaking some special education laws, and I might bring it up somewhere. Ugh.

Wednesday there was Hopkins, which I've grown to hate. I spend an entire 2 hours of my life banging my head against the table because my Methods professor is such an awful teacher. She is slow, gives us busy work, and is extraordinarily bitchy. I can't handle it. The only saving grace is sitting by Sarah Robinson and helping her bitch about the lady.

Alright. Friday was one of those marvelous days. The kids were supposed to have a quiz, but they weren't ready, so I decided to give them a catch-up day instead. For the most part, they got a ton done. I felt like I was running ragged all day because everyone needed me. I came home and 2 hours later I was still hearing "Ms. McCants! Ms. McCants!" in my head. But their grades did improve slightly. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they come up even more!