Friday, April 4, 2008

Highs and Lows

This week, the first back after our much-needed Spring Break, has been interesting. I guess I should say these four days, since I was out sick on Monday, not desiring to spread my fever to my colleagues (she said virtuously).

Fun times with a teacher on Wednesday who sent a student with a note saying "I need books on:" and listing five topics, none of which we had books on. In fairness to her, we probably should have books on a couple of them. Note to self for next book order. I wrote a note back offering to find articles on the subjects. Student comes back saying "She wants encyclopedias."

"Which ones?"

Shrug

Based on the list of topics from earlier, I select the A, N/O, and S encyclopedias and check them out to the teacher. Later conversations with the teacher reveal that, yes, she was aware that it was a last-minute request, and that at least one of the encyclopedias were useful. Count that one as a triumph over too little information.

Yesterday and today, Mr. Middle School Science Teacher has had his students in here to work on their Big Deal End-of-Semester project on human body systems. Yesterday, for two of the six class periods his students were in the library, he sent half his class to the library, and kept half of them in the classroom. Did this, in fact, mean that I had the privilege of riding herd on his Middle School Brats From Hell (MSBFH)? Yes, yes it did. Including the special ed student that he didn't send but who came anyway, the student whose name is a byword at the school, the student who, when he said that he wouldn't come to school today, the reaction from the guidance counselor was "Thank you, Jesus"? That student? Yes, yes it did. And did I, in fact, catch one of the MSBFH looking at various pictures of scantily clad females instead of working on his project and have to write him up and print off a list of the sites he visited? Yes, yes I did. Yesterday was a LONG day. There was fast food for dinner, as I felt in need of some comfort carbs.

Today, so far at least, has been better. There are, as always, highs and lows. Lows would be having to persuade the (approximately) 15- or 16-year-old middle school students that the female reproductive system is different from pictures of nekkid women. Highs would be when not one, but two students asking "Do you have any books we could use for this project?" Maybe, just maybe, they'll actually learn something from this project, instead of just copying and pasting the entire Wikipedia article. Maybe.

No comments: