Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Nine Days... in August....

Okay... So on August 13th, just nine days from today... I start back to school for the 50th time in my life... yeah... 50 years of walking in that classroom on the first day of school and expecting a miracle... and getting at least fifty a month. I love teaching. I really do. I try to imagine myself a little old lady (which, by the way, is getting easier) and I really can't see me NOT in a classroom unless it's in a studio making things with little pieces of lace and paper, GLITTER, and ink... I love that just as much or more... I really do... But for at least one more year, the decision, as hard as it was to make, has been made, and I'm heading back in... "She's going back in!!!" (imagine chopper sounds and a uniformed marine waving me in to the gunboat at the last minute!)......

I watched on Facebook last week as one of my next year's sophomores, (I'll call her McKinley), was trash-talking her friends. They were repeatedly spatting back and forth with amazingly bad grammar and spelling about which of the bunch is the smartest.... I was really interested since not many scored on the basic level of the recent test battery our school offered... Most of them were adamant they were the smartest... I love all these girls, but I think they are all very smart, just usually so uninterested in education that I found this amazing and curious---- that even one of them would care about being smart. Cute, oh heck yeah. Cute is where it's at.

McKinley, for instance had written a note in my class last year (which I confiscated) that remarked she'd like to take Mrs. (Me) upstairs and bang my head in locker 'bout 100 times... She was definitely "off" of me that day.. I sent her a little note that said I figured she better eat a better breakfast the day she planned to do that because I was a BIG woman and I wasn't going up those stairs without a fight... McKinley came down to my room after school and apologized and said she really didn't mean that earlier note... Which I knew.. Kids get mad... I understand. I kind of wanted to bang the head of the KFC manager in the locker 100 times today because I thought he could have been kinder when I didn't know a combo from a value meal... But I think I digress..

McKinley finally Facebook announced the winning statement, the ultimatum that ended the spat... She wrote, and I quote: "Well, I don't care what any of you think. I am smarter than 97 percent of my friends and the other 4 percent don't count!"

Okay... nine days... Hover the aircraft carrier... I'm going back in...

6 comments:

Becky K. said...

O.k. I had to read this out loud to the family. They laughed with me. Gayla, you are a gem. I love that you didn't flip out with all kinds of police and fear of the threats in the note. Your response was truly great!

As for that last Facebook statement....well, I think the math teacher has some work to do too.

You are so right...it is most likely not intelligence at issue here.

Thanks for the laugh.

Becky K.

Megan said...

Oh, wow...that is HILARIOUS!!! I'm excited to start another year of teaching with you. :)

Anonymous said...

I loved your post. I retired in June after 28 years of teaching, the last 10 in middle school math. I had to laugh at the student's comment. I hope she was joking. (Please tell me she was joking............)It will be very different this fall when I don't return to the classroom. Enjoy your year!

Gayla said...

And Anonymous... I'm pretty sure she wasn't joking... :-)

Barb said...

Hi Gayla, I have you linked for the Rooster Party. So glad you are joining us. Thanks for displaying the Button....I will add your name to the drawing.

See you on Friday or before :-)

Barb

Lisa Pogue said...

SOOOOOO funny!!!!!!!!!!