Moments of Awakening: Chapter 38

Moments of Awakening: Chapter 38

What a week, I tell myself as I sit in my back yard and breath in the beauty of this California sky on this mid November morning of my sixty-ninth year. On Tuesday it was Mr. S’ ELD classes. I had subbed for him earlier in the year and his eighth graders had given me a really hard time, making animal noises, laughing and coughing as I mispronounced their Spanish names. I let them know that I was really disappointed in them. “I’ve known some of you guys since sixth grade and it really makes me sad to see that you’re less mature now than you were back then. Remember, I’m here to keep the learning going while your teacher is away…” And I realized that they were bunching up on me, “the enemy” in their identity as a “minority.” This is one reason why we should not group students with language difficulties together. Though many of our born English speakers are reading and writing at just as low a level as the E.L.D. kids. How come there are no white kids in the E.L.D. classes? I ask myself.

Anyhow, Tuesday they gave me a little less trouble, but still they are not putting forth their best effort. During the social studies lesson, we are reading as a group. Half the students are not following along. Several times I stop the reading and explain to them that if they don’t read along they are just wasting their time. “You might as well stay home, if you’re not going to read along. You know, you not only pick up historical information, but you can improve your vocabulary and your reading skills…” I tell them. We struggle through four or five pages with most students just pretending to read.

“You guys don’t know how important reading is. I know you have difficultly reading. It’s not your fault that you’re behind grade level. But, it is your fault if you stay behind. You have to make super effort to catch up. No one else is going to learn to read for you. This is something you have to do for yourself. How are you going to get a job if you don’t know how to read?”

“I can get a job in construction. My uncle works in construction. He don’t know how to read. I can get a job in construction,” Eddie tells me.

“Yea sure, as a laborer. I have a friend who doesn’t know how to read. He’s an excellent carpenter. He’s been promoted to foreman several different times. Each time he had to give up the foreman job because he couldn’t fill out the paper work. And, what happens when you have children and your little boy or girl says daddy read me a story? You’re not a man if you can’t read,” I tell him.

Wednesday it’s Mrs. Boulder’s class. The first two periods are not too bad. Then I get a group of remedial students for three periods straight. Mrs. Boulder has left new seating charts and I tell the students that they better be in their assigned seats are they’ll get detention. As I take roll, I discover that Arturo is sitting in the wrong seat. “You belong here, up front. Move,” I tell him pointing to his seat.

“Mrs. B. changed my seat yesterday,” he tells me.

“That might be, but today we’re going by this seating chart. So, move,” I say and write his name on the board.

“What’s that for? I’m moving. How come you wrote my name? I don’ believe you,” Arturo whines as he makes his way to his assigned seat. When he gets there he slams his book on the desk.

I put a check by his name.

“Now what? I moved didn’t I?” he screams. This gets a big laugh from his classmates. I add another check to his name.

“Score one for Mr. D.!” Brandon shouts. I write his name on the board. “Oh Mr. D. come on bro. If I get in trouble today I’m gonna get suspended. Come on Bro!” Brandon tells me. “You gonna rap for us today, Mr. D?” from another student. “You be here all day?” “I don’t believe you gave me two checks. I didn’t do nothing…”

I have to write up three referrals before the class finally settles down. With the three main trouble makers gone and several of the worst students absent, the rest of the day goes by fairly easy.

Thursday I sub for Mr. Z. The first two periods go by pretty easy. Then, I get his remedial kids for three periods in a row. Again, they want to play hassle the substitute. There are the usual kids not sitting in their assigned seats and the effort of getting them to move. Several students don’t have their English books, and I have to switch them around to share books. Then there is the student who yells we already did this page. I write names and add checks and finally get the lesson started. It’s a difficult lesson where they have to identify independent and subordinate clauses. As we read the rules and examples together, I notice that Jeff doesn’t have his book open. “Why aren’t you following along?” I ask him.

“I already did this page,” he tells me.

“Good, open your book, follow along, and you can help us learn the rules.”

“No, Mr. Z doesn’t make us do the same page twice. I’m working ahead,” he says.

I write his name and put a check beside it. “What the hell was that for?” he asks. This draws a big laugh from the class. I put a second check beside his name. “I don’t believe you!” he shouts.

I add a third check and tell the class to copy sentences one though ten from their books and we’ll work them out together after I write up Jeff’s referral. On the referral, I write refusing to do work, and disturbing entire class. I hand the referral to Jeff. He reads it over and starts for the door. “Liar,” he says and slams the door behind him. Another big laugh from the class.

“O.K. let’s take a little time off lunch,” I tell the class and write a one on the white board.

“You can’t do that.” “We have to have time to eat.” “I’m telling my mom.” from the class.

“I can take five minutes off your lunch,” I tell them and add another minute. There are muffled complaints but they continue to copy the sentences. As I write the first sentence on the board, a piece of eraser flies through the air and hits a student in front.

“Who threw that?” Sammy screams. This draws another big laugh. I change the two to a four, and write Sammy’s name on the board.

“For what? I’m the one who got hit. Why don’t you write up the one who threw it?” from Sammy.

“Tell me who threw it and I’ll write a referral,” I say as I add a check to Sammy’s name.

“Jennifer, Jennifer,” several students say pointing to a quiet girl who sits in the middle of the room.

I change the four to a five.

“Can we earn our time back?” asks one of the students.

“We can earn our time back if we start working on the assignment,” I tell them and go back to the white board. We do the first and second sentence together. The phone rings. “You want me to answer it?” from a student in back.

“No, thanks. All right, copy the rest of the sentences and we’ll correct them together,” I tell the class and go to the phone.