You'll be here four more hours!

My supervisor came in for an hour on Tuesday morning as part of the Teaching and Learning Initiative he and I are participating in for our school corporation.  The idea is that we do a narrative on what we observe and then look for strengths and ideas for improvement.

He took three pages of notes in less than an hour.  I was amused by his noticing the traffic and the noisy pencil sharpener (like a machine gun, he said!) which I never notice at all.  The morning was particularly chaotic because there were 16 students, an all time high for the year.  Two young ladies had not been there for three weeks and then just showed up.  Three young men came in late and took their time to settle in.  Three students were very new to the class and not used to our routine.

My supervisor said it was a very good experience for him to see what it is like in a classroom again.  As he left, he thought to himself Mary has four more hours of this today and then two more days this week!  He was very positive in his comments and I was happy to have him see us at our craziest.

However, that kind of day is not ideal and I made some changes.  The three young men were told to show up on time or not come.  Two of the young men came on time, in fact early, to the afternoon class which was fine.  One did not show up.   I'll send him a note regretting his dropping out of class.  One of the young ladies will be told to take a "leave of absence" due to her erratic attendance.  She didn't come anyway the rest of the week. The rest of the week was much calmer and more productive.

But I am very tired at the end of each day and desperately need some down time at home before I recover.

Real life math

I belong to a numeracy list serv that has had a discussion of "word problems" and how often what teachers think are real life problems are condescending or irrelevant to students' lives.

This week N sent me an email in the evening with a sketch asking if he could call me.  I had supper first and then wrote Sure.  He didn't call, but we discussed the problem the next morning.  His supervisor had asked him to produce four of a certain object according to the sketch by the next morning. He said he panicked but was able to do so using CAD.

We were both pleasantly surprised when we used the Pythagorean theorem to solve the problem the next morning.  He said that our solution was exactly right and that was how he had made the object.

Excused absences?

"I am sorry I missed the week... st paddys day yeah.. umm went to jail for a week.. this week is spring break right."

This is the email I received from B on Tuesday in response to the one I sent asking if he was OK.  No, he wasn't OK, but when he did return to class on Wednesday, he seemed very nonchalant about a week in jail.  He said it wasn't the first time.  At least he did not smell like booze and he came back.

His inappropriate language is no longer a problem.  He said it was a habit when he first came in and he couldn't help it.  But he has demonstrated enough self-control to stop it.  I will need to let him know that I admire him for that.

The Joy of Texting

Yesterday I thought I should try to reach two young men who had not been in class all week.  I was tempted to let them go because I have not been impressed with their motivation and dedication to attendance.  But in the interest of giving them another chance and giving me another chance to measure gains, I texted them both.  Within minutes or less, I had responses that clarified their absences with assurances that they would be in class on Tuesday.

Texting is the way to communicate with many students these days.  I wonder if I would have gotten an answer by calling.  Email does not get much use although I have worked on getting everyone an email account for job search purposes if nothing else.

Next year?

I had been thinking of asking my supervisor to give me just one class next year, not two.  I am really tired at the end of two classes.  I have to think about and plan for so many students.  It takes me a long time to do so at my usual Friday morning kitchen table routine and to keep daily attendance records.   Earlier this year I was despairing about my ability to teach the younger students who gravitate to the afternoon class because noon is even too early to wake up.

But several of those students are no longer in the class, three of them because I "wrote them up."  The students who were really bonded to the previous teacher are also gone.  In many ways, things are better.  There are a few more grown-ups in the afternoon class and that helps.  Some are nearing their goal of a GED and that also helps.

I know I am doing what I do well.  Is it pride or a willingness to serve to say that I think it is my calling to keep doing what I am doing, at least for one more year?

BD and K--a follow up

BD has been sober for three weeks, I think.  He has come to class quite regularly and is making progress.  He even sent me a nice email last week saying he enjoyed the class.  He has a very tense look about him.  Today he looked particularly pale and stressed.  But every day is a step ahead and I am so glad for his progress.  I saw a nasty word on his folder, but I have heard very little of that from him lately.

K, on the other hand, has been running away from home according to her mother who called. Her mother said she met a guy from Elkhart on the internet and had been meeting him.   K also called me from Elkhart to say she wouldn't be in class for a while because she wasn't getting along with her mother.  So there are two sides to this story!

Follow up a few months later:  Others have told me that K is pregnant.   She also left with videos belong to the library that H had checked out and he was left with a $90 bill.

Hazards of being H

I told H I had felt concerned about him when I was thinking about his leaving the Bulls game Saturday night and getting home.  The thought of him being on public transportation that time of night in Chicago worried me.  I told him I felt like his mother!

He said that his lawyers paid for a cab for him.  This meant signing a voucher after arriving at his niece's house.  He said that the police saw him and the cabbie and stopped to ask what was going on.  He mentioned his lawyers' names and they got out of there fast, he said.  They are all familiar with the Innocence Project!

I also asked him about J who clearly had designs on him and hasn't been in class for a week.  He said he broke up with her and told her not to contact him any more.  She has been repeatedly texting him and leaving voice mails.  He had been deleting them, but his lawyers told him to keep a record just in case.  She is a bit scary, I think.  He mentioned something about a knife and I don't know what that was about.  I didn't ask for clarification!  He is vulnerable because he is recently out of prison, due to make a considerable amount of money because of his lawsuits, and because he is just a really nice fellow.   I hope and pray he is smart.  I think he will be.

I was touched

My afternoon classes have been very hectic with many students.  H stayed all day and if it were anybody but him, I might have said that the morning session was enough.  He works very independently and just checks in with me every once in a while with his questions--which are good ones.

He always helps me clean up the room, putting away the computers and helping me carry things to my car. Today he left before I was finished and I said good-bye as he was walking out the door.  He stuck his head back in and told me to be sure to lock the door.  He knew this was my routine and he was reminding me!  I felt cared for!

I think it is amazing that he is such a kind and sweet person after all those years in prison.  He just does not seem hardened and cynical.