I have a radio in my office. I have a radio because I do not have an intercom in the theatre. So if we go into lockdown--I don't know. It's awesome. I had the same issue at Hinkley, I once let kids go at the bell only to have amin herd them back into the theatre yelling at me because I had no idea we were on lockdown. Is that safe? Is that necessary? Is that kind?
Also, I've been through a lock down at Hinkley- a real live shooting- and I just happened to be in the hallway when it went off and a counselor came screaming at us "It's real, get in lock the door! It's real!" Otherwise, I honestly don't know that I would have known. Until they started using the theatre house as triage and space to throw rando kids-I suppose I would have figured it out then. Maybe. Who knows.
So I have a radio.
Which means that I eavesdrop.
And by "eavesdrop" I mean the radio is on my desk and I turn it on and I can hear it.
This morning, at the beginning of first period while I was writing in my office, there were three calls for "support" for students inside of ten minutes:
* Refusing to check in at the main office. She just stormed in and headed to the stairway. Kids have to run their ID through a checkpoint to get into the building after the bell. There is a single human at the scanner who is behind a desk and reliant on student compliance to the rules. She has no back up near her,and is not a large person. So if a kid just goes "Nope" and pushes past, there's little she can do but call for backup on the radio.
* Refusing to behave in class, leaving the classroom, chased to the next floor by Culture Team, boxed into a different classroom and the call was for additional "support" in getting the kid out of the classroom and into ISS. The Dean said "Should I call his mom?" and the answer was "She's on her way". So that's how that's going. Sounded like they were trying to corner a wildebeast.
* Kids in the stairwell, herded down to the next floor and trying to get on the elevator, then running back up the stairs to another floor. It's like Chutes and Ladders around here.
This is ridiculous.
Teach your kids better, parents. This is not an US problem, this is a YOU problem that you've pushed onto us. We need a full staff just to wrangle these people who clearly do not want to be here. If the family cannot manage to control the kid or instill the importance of an education in them, then let them roam free in the wild. Make them get a job at 15. Stop dropping them off here when you know we're just gonna call for you to pick them back up again.
Let's say you're a kid with healthy respect and an interest in learning. And on your way to class these are the kids you encounter. And then while in class, these are the kids pulling all the focus from the teacher, making it impossible for you to learn. So you switch schools.
How is this beneficial to anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Other fun issues include kids drinking alcohol/drunk on the stairwell, running from teachers and Culture Team and flushing their vapes down the toilets, causing bathroom closures and major plumbing problems.
To be fair, at Hink the girls were using the toilets to chill their mini vodka bottles. So this is not a "This School Specifically Sucks" issue. At Littleton they got stoned down at the creek and attended class high, and filled their water bottles with vodka. Every School Is Like This. I promise you don't know because they're sweeping it under the rug.
The perks of spending time in three buildings across three districts.
I've seen kids hurl the N-word at people who tell them to go to class. I've been told to fuck off for suggesting a kid go to class. Two different buildings. One of them entitled, one a Title One.
Teachers know this. This is not news to them. If we're able to get ahold of a parent, they will flip it back on teachers. We're not engaging. Their kid hates us/hates our class. They're bored. How dare we teach a content required to graduate at a pace expected of all high school students. How can we not believe their precious angel who never lies. Or conversely---why can't we control their monster that they openly fear and refuse to parent?
A parent once lamented that their kids was in a gang. What should they do? The question sent back to them was "What consequences have they had growing up for disruptive or disrespectful behavior?" The answer was: none. They're "afraid" of the kid. So implementing a consequence at home at this point seemed useless. I suggested taking away their phone-at minimum, that was a start, right? Since the phone is also an issue in my classroom and I've been threatened when I required its surrender to enter class. No, she can't do that. He needs his phone.
But I'm a failure as their teacher?
Parents don't answer when we call because their kid is drunk/ditching/rude/failing. They don't attend conferences. Or, more heartbreaking, they are in an attendance meeting with admin and a court representative, and it's clear they have no control over their kid who has completely shut down, but nobody will take the step to remove their student from the building and get them more help than the school social worker can provide.
It's volume. Court dates for truancy are not as frequent because there are so many. The sheer volume of under parented, trauma raised, dysregulated kids has overrun the system meant to keep them in school.
These are facts. There is no room for your opinion or your own personal story of how you overcame trauma and poverty. You are not the majority. You are not the rule, you are the exception. Congratulations.
Meanwhile, I'm over here in reality unable to teach my content becuase your kid is disrespectful and won't participate, or stop talking, or return from the restroom.
I'll stop there. You get it.
Scene.
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