i should've worn pants
today i had my first up close and personal teacher experience with a fight. back in junior high and high school fights were the highlight of my day. i learned today that it's VERY different when you're on the other side of the situation.
towards the beginning of class i saw two of my kids gesturing towards the door with the universal "what's up bitch, let's go" signs. you know, arms up in the air, shoulders shrugging, neck bobbing out like a turtle. one of my kids has had a history of older guys harrassing him, so i decided to investigate. i stepped into the hall and called to the boys. yellow shirt boy (from here out to be referred to as YSB) whipped around and began violently yelling at me. now, i may be small and look like a nice person, but i do NOT handle confrontation well, especially when it comes from kids like YSB. i fired back at him that he WOULD stay where he was and that we were going to visit with a principal together.
as i started to make my way down to YSB, my student came out into the hall to explain that he didn't rat the guys out. YSB turned his rage from me to my student. right about then the mother hen in came out in full force. pushing my kid back in the room with one hand while telling YSB to back off, i could feel the rage building inside me. my kids may be brats and thugs at times, but nobody will mess with them while i'm around. with my babies tucked safely away back in 114, i turned to find the assistant principal yelling at YSB. the kid just didn't know when to quit and his anger just kept feeding on itself. my principal called the police officer who was conveniently located in the office next door. i returned to my classroom shaking and basically speechless. my kids asked if i was scared and i respsonded "no, i'm just really pissed."
to be completely honest, there was a slight moment of panic when i realized that i was about to hold apart 2 kids who were about 6" taller than i. however, i'm pretty proud that i kept my composure and didn't back down from the little punk.
more than anything, today made me think about the state of american education. violence in schools isn't limited to the inner city. teachers everywhere deal with the reality of a lack of physical saftey every day. it isn't enough that i have to broaden their horizons and fill their little noggins with knowledge, i also have to try and make sure they don't kill each other. pray for us all.
towards the beginning of class i saw two of my kids gesturing towards the door with the universal "what's up bitch, let's go" signs. you know, arms up in the air, shoulders shrugging, neck bobbing out like a turtle. one of my kids has had a history of older guys harrassing him, so i decided to investigate. i stepped into the hall and called to the boys. yellow shirt boy (from here out to be referred to as YSB) whipped around and began violently yelling at me. now, i may be small and look like a nice person, but i do NOT handle confrontation well, especially when it comes from kids like YSB. i fired back at him that he WOULD stay where he was and that we were going to visit with a principal together.
as i started to make my way down to YSB, my student came out into the hall to explain that he didn't rat the guys out. YSB turned his rage from me to my student. right about then the mother hen in came out in full force. pushing my kid back in the room with one hand while telling YSB to back off, i could feel the rage building inside me. my kids may be brats and thugs at times, but nobody will mess with them while i'm around. with my babies tucked safely away back in 114, i turned to find the assistant principal yelling at YSB. the kid just didn't know when to quit and his anger just kept feeding on itself. my principal called the police officer who was conveniently located in the office next door. i returned to my classroom shaking and basically speechless. my kids asked if i was scared and i respsonded "no, i'm just really pissed."
to be completely honest, there was a slight moment of panic when i realized that i was about to hold apart 2 kids who were about 6" taller than i. however, i'm pretty proud that i kept my composure and didn't back down from the little punk.
more than anything, today made me think about the state of american education. violence in schools isn't limited to the inner city. teachers everywhere deal with the reality of a lack of physical saftey every day. it isn't enough that i have to broaden their horizons and fill their little noggins with knowledge, i also have to try and make sure they don't kill each other. pray for us all.
2 Comments:
Good for you. Way to be brave. I respect you for going to work and dealing with such things each day. Teachers are the unsung heroes of our age.
By
Anonymous, at 11:01 AM
you are amazing. period.
and i dont like thinking about the state of the american school system, at all. i involuntarily begin shaking my head and scowling.
miss you.
By
jasembera, at 8:08 AM
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