Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Twin Portraits of Despair
1. Grim Silence: This morning when I walked up the stairs of Underwood High, I noticed a remarkable sight on the corner of a nearby intersection. Given this district's relatively sordid past history, a news truck is never a welcome sign. But there it was, large as life and twice as natural, perched on the corner with its antenna extended skyward. I had no idea why it was there, and the next time I had a chance to look out the window, it was gone. Only later in the afternoon did I discover that there had been a shooting near the school. Apparently a former student had returned to Underwood, fired a few shots near the building, and threatened school police outside the school with his gun. This was not his first incident...apparently an off duty police officer suffered a heart attack trying to restrain him during one particularly violent outburst. What remains interesting to me is that officially no one in the school mentioned the issue. Not once! Which leads me to wonder if there will be any mention of the subject at professional development on Friday.
2. Cutting Words: If the news of a shooting was not sad enough, I had a chance to see a former student today. Way back before I had started this blog, this student was number 34 (of a district mandated 33). She had once refused to return a quiz saying that it was hers and that I "wasn't fucking teaching anything." Following a detention where I attempted to reach out, offer individual tutoring, etc., I dismissed #34 and arranged to have her transferred to another class. Since she had not chosen to take physics in the first place, it seemed a mutually beneficial arrangement. Imagine my surpise then when it turned out she was enrolled to take Physics 2 this semester with my colleague, the head of the science department. (Complicated story behind that...apparently it's an elective and students just decide to take electives, not specific subjects.) Anyhow, I saw #34 today in the hall talking to a friend and as I walk past she loudly starts commenting about how much she now LOVES physics because the head of the department is great and actually KNOWS HOW TO TEACH. After hearing from one of my freshmen how I had no control of my class, it was like a final twist of the knife for the day. They may not be able to tell a mile from a milligram, but they have a astoundingly keen grasp of social interaction...
1. Grim Silence: This morning when I walked up the stairs of Underwood High, I noticed a remarkable sight on the corner of a nearby intersection. Given this district's relatively sordid past history, a news truck is never a welcome sign. But there it was, large as life and twice as natural, perched on the corner with its antenna extended skyward. I had no idea why it was there, and the next time I had a chance to look out the window, it was gone. Only later in the afternoon did I discover that there had been a shooting near the school. Apparently a former student had returned to Underwood, fired a few shots near the building, and threatened school police outside the school with his gun. This was not his first incident...apparently an off duty police officer suffered a heart attack trying to restrain him during one particularly violent outburst. What remains interesting to me is that officially no one in the school mentioned the issue. Not once! Which leads me to wonder if there will be any mention of the subject at professional development on Friday.
2. Cutting Words: If the news of a shooting was not sad enough, I had a chance to see a former student today. Way back before I had started this blog, this student was number 34 (of a district mandated 33). She had once refused to return a quiz saying that it was hers and that I "wasn't fucking teaching anything." Following a detention where I attempted to reach out, offer individual tutoring, etc., I dismissed #34 and arranged to have her transferred to another class. Since she had not chosen to take physics in the first place, it seemed a mutually beneficial arrangement. Imagine my surpise then when it turned out she was enrolled to take Physics 2 this semester with my colleague, the head of the science department. (Complicated story behind that...apparently it's an elective and students just decide to take electives, not specific subjects.) Anyhow, I saw #34 today in the hall talking to a friend and as I walk past she loudly starts commenting about how much she now LOVES physics because the head of the department is great and actually KNOWS HOW TO TEACH. After hearing from one of my freshmen how I had no control of my class, it was like a final twist of the knife for the day. They may not be able to tell a mile from a milligram, but they have a astoundingly keen grasp of social interaction...
