Laughter on the Clock

During a student-judged round of Grammar Olympics: "Ms. H. (the student judge, called by her last name as I call them by too), come holla at us (reminiscent of the graffitti -- if you can call it that -- scrawled on the Bailey tennis courts, reading, "Holla atcha boi")!"

During analysis of a modern poem with the honors class, student JB says: "Ms. Nelson, is it OK if we do the suspended hand rule?" RW and I burst out laughing, becuase JB meant to say, as I always do, "we will suspend the raising hand rule for this activity."

Ahh, laughter on the job.

Goodbye, Ms. R.

Something really sudden and sad happened at our school. Well, all disappointments at school occur this way. Suddenness is implicit in urban school system functioning. The janitor on my hall got transferred to another school because of intra-staff conflict. I can't beleive she didn't tell me before she left. I hate the fact that her cozy janitor closet, down my hall by the stairs and library, where my 7th block and I make a pit-stop every other day, is now occupied by a stranger. The new lady is fine. But she is no Ms. R.

Ms. R. had a florescent spirit. She was loving, very intuitive about the students (she knew their business, somehow), and truly part of the faculty on the English hall. We adored her and happily threw our 10 bucks in every Christmas for her gift.

I am shocked and dismayed that precious human souls get tossed around carelessly in organizations. The way urban schools are set up (the employment structure, the way large numbers of state employes are managed) enables coworkers with a bone to pick to use the bureaucratic apparatus as a tool for personal vengence. It's so effective for disgruntled higher-ups because it's such a clean-cut way to stick it to someone. No blood, no malice, no unfair play....or so it seems.

Showing out and Sins of Omission

Ugh....what do those have to do with each other, you're wondering. Well, to be blunt, not much. Just two thoughts adjacent in my brain today.

Showing out: a colloquailism used in my school to mean, "acting up, making a scene, or exhibiting in some way unbecoming behavior." Or, sometimes, it is used jokingly to relay that you did something memorable that stood out. Well, a student told me I did this at prom. (It's amazing the reputation propogation Facebook pictures can accomplish, so non-prom goers (i.e., my underclassmen) can suddenly be vitual participants and commentators from afar. In fact, it's almost like you have to have vicarious experience in order to have a peanut gallery stance about it; if you were there, what need you say (to prove your inclusion)? OK, so a sophomore in the lunch line said to me today, "Ms. Nelson, I saw you at prom -- well, on Facebook. You had your dress and your red glasses. You blew up tuating."

Now, you're thinking, I really need explanation. This colloqialism is fresh off the conveyer belt, I believe. It's pronounced sh-ou(like "ouch)-a-ting. It means, you made an impression that was likeable and popular. Hmm. I'll take that as a compliment!

Two: I pray that in these last 6 class periods before the state test, I give my students everything I can to equip themfor the test. That I not be lazy and only just-enough-it. I know I would regret that! To live a regretless life...what a blessing that would be!