My new student

Let's call him Tommy. Tommy is one of those active kids who needs to make everyone laugh, who needs to question and rebel against the rules, and who disrupts class a lot in a "look at me" kind of way. He's cute, and certainly isn't the worst kid I've ever seen, but he's acting out enough to make a nuisance out of himself in class.

Today, he was in full swing, so I was following procedures with escalating consequences for his behavior. I told him my expectations, warned him, moved his seat, and finally, advised him that I was going to give his parents a call tonight. He told me that I couldn't call his mom because he lives with his dad. I said that was OK; I'd call his dad. Then he said, "Well you will have to call the devil because I used to live with Satan. Actually, I am Satan." I gave him one of those long hard "teacher" looks, he said he was just playing, and I moved on.

After school, I pulled his file to look up his number...lo and behold, he lives in a group foster home and hasn't lived with either parent in years, which almost always means his home environment was abusive and unsafe. His emergency contact number is a social worker. His behavior makes a lot more sense now, and I feel like crap. He's brand new and I didn't know his circumstances, but I still feel like he's been trying to tell me something that I just didn't hear. His situation doesn't excuse his behavior, and it doesn't make him exempt from disciplinary action, but it does mean that he might require a little special handling.

There are too many Tommies in the world.

My New Tattoo

My birthday is next week, and this is my favorite present. My new tattoo is the extreme female bloody red orchid. For me, it symbolizes womanhood, maturity, birth, femininity, and independence. I've reached a point in my life where I'm finally doing what I want and refusing to hold my tongue. It's been a long journey, but I have arrived.

One year later...

Well, I created a blog a year ago, with every intention of recording my first year of teaching, but that didn't happen. I almost forgot I'd even created this until last month when I was going through some links. Looking back, I can't believe how fast the past year went by. My first year of teaching was a blast. I learned so much about myself, educational politics, kids, classroom management, and more. Sometimes, I felt like I barely had time to breathe, but in the end, it all worked out OK. I feel much more prepared for this year, and like my work is half done. After all, I can use the same framework as last year, basically. I became the team leader last year, and will be continuing in that responsibility, which is fine. I'd rather organize things myself than wait for someone else to rise to the challenge. The biggest task for the TL is organizing the SST schedules (Student Support Team), and I'm pretty good with deadlines, so it's a nice fit for me. My depression is so much better when I'm working and active, so unlike some of my colleagues, I'm glad school is starting up again. The first day of school is Monday -- hopefully, I will actually use my blog for teaching notes once in a while!

Sibling Update

My brother's hearing/sentencing has come and gone. His license was revoked, he has to attend alcohol abuse classes of some sort, he has fines to pay, but he didn't have to go to jail...this time. The one time I tried to talk to him since this incident, he hung up on me. Fuck him. I'm all finished with that subject.