2 more referrals

Greetings from a scarce dry day in east-central illinois.

As teachers and people go, I'm probably one of the most lenient and willing to give someone a 2nd chance to make a better impression, say the right thing, or prove they are trustworthy. My father taught much the same way (I asked him last night) and so it comes naturally. I like to believe everyone is good and somewhere deep down know that the right way really is the right way.

It's a true fact that teenage brains are still developing. The Y generation is the NOW generation. They want things to be done instantly and want to react instantly. I know it but I have hope that at least a few of my students know when to rein it in. Naive? Maybe. But if I'm teaching as well as I think I am, by the end of the year some of these students will have learned patience and how to bite their tongue.

For now though, we have a long way to go. I have one student who has repeatedly acted defiantly towards me. She didn't have a job for a while. Then she got one after a ton of medical tests required for pre-employment (it was a hospital) and finally after a week of work and complaining how gross the patients could be and how rough washing floors could be, she was fired. There were a few positives in her daily input in class such as how much more over minimum wage those in her position make. Since that firing, she's used every excuse she could give me as to why she can't get a job. She's also missed several days. On top if it all, there is animosity between this student and the others in the class. Typical teenage stuff without any budging from how one feels about the other. Now my fired student has made great strides in trying to communicate and work with the rest in the class (coincidentally my smallest class of students at 7). The other folks not so much. All of these factors erupted into a week of explosions from both groups of students in my little class.

On Tuesday when I went over grades with my students, my fired student told me her excuses and I offered to even sit with her and help her fill out apps on the computer in my office. She had none of it. I was told after a few semi-pleasant exchanges, "kiss my a**". My student then stormed out of the room. I've made a little headway into helping this student feel better about herself. I've praised her writing which is among the best of all my students. I've praised her work ethic when she actually turns assignments in. I've also explained the things she needs to take on herself to succeed. And that's where the rub is apparently. I really, really dislike swearing. I think it's a form of speech that is unnecessary and has lost meaning. Those words you say need not be said and other, more powerful words make more sense than swear words. Check the dictionary. Improve your vocabulary.

Round two of the explosions was yesterday. My student was back and the class was down to 4 that day. We were talking about life lessons. One in particular was that if you think your teachers are tough, wait till you meet your first full-time boss. One of my male students who had been in a tiff with his mother (also his boss) said how he hated his boss right now. My normally quiet, fired student piped up that she thought his mom was a good boss when she worked for her. Well, my male student was like a match lit near a gas pump. He swore at her and said she didn't know what she was talking about. My fired student stormed out of the room for the 2nd day in a row and thus began a 15 minute lecture on my key life lesson: Think before you open your mouth. It's better to fill the air with potpourri than cow pies.

Neither student was in class today. I had submitted a referral for both yesterday afternoon. My fired student was suspended for speaking to me the way she did. The other got saturday detention and a day in dean's restricted assignment. It frustrates me because now both are missing class. And neither are likely learn their lesson or change their ways in the next few days. 

I'm sure there will be a future blog related to this week. I'll let you all know when it arises. In the meantime, I am trying to get every kid a job - even the fired ones. It's holiday hiring season. There are NO excuses. I think some of those sociologists are right. The Y generation is also the Lazy generation. Too much coddling and helping get by. Technology making everything easier. Perhaps that should be my other big life lesson. Paychecks list your "earnings" for a reason.

KB