It’s another day when I’ve walked with one student‘s incredibly STUPID decisions on my mind. One glass of white wine has helped somewhat. Two and I might as well go to bed ASAP.
So I’m now trying to focus more on the student who happily surprised me today.
Every year around this time, the school staff gets a “senior at risk” list. The risks could involve standardized tests that need passed, attendance issues, the absolute need to pass one class, or the absolute need to pass every class ever created. We are asked to “adopt” one or two of the little critters from the color coded list.
I am now the proud mother of a code green-light monitoring– and a code red- holy fucking shit what has this kid been doing for four years?! Green went to OGT tutoring today. Mom is proud. However Red really wowed me.
Red has passed all the standardized tests, but needs to pass every class ever created including mine. I’ve had Red in class for two years. We have an ok relationship; Red is likable, but the kid is NOT academically motivated. Combine ADD with an inability to look away from Twitter, an extremely laid back (practically horizontal) approach to everything, and a whole lot of weed being smoked. This kid, sigh. Somewhere all the citizens of Colorado, Snoop Dogg, and the ghost of Bob Marley are like, “I sense a disturbance in the force!”
However, Red occasionally blacks out and gets shit done. Other teachers don’t believe me, but it’s like the scene in Old School when Will Ferrell’s character blacks out and totally beats the real James Carville in a political debate. It’s a rare and magical event, but I bear witness to it.
One of the many things on Red’s to-do list towards graduation is the senior project. These projects can be practically anything a student wants to do. The proposal that Red submitted was going to be a food blog about going vegetarian for a certain amount of time. In typical Red fashion, the due date has passed. Also in typical Red fashion, there is lots of swearing that it’s practically done.
I saw Red at the end of the school day today and sat down with her in the cafeteria. She was going to go play basketball. Somehow I managed to segue back around to the senior project. Red promptly whipped out her smart phone complete with WordPress app and started showing me the blog posts. There were even pictures of what she made each day!! Red was two posts away from being done!
Brain:“HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! UNICORN!”
We talked about what food she made, what worked, and the day she cheated. Chipotle steak bowl, damn.
Red: “All I want tonight is some couscous with onions and some asparagus in there.” What teenager says that?
Brain:“Shit, that’s better than what I’m having.”
Me:“You know that needs spicy peanut sauce.”
Then I waxed poetic about my favorite non-gourmet way to make spicy peanut sauce. (Melt a glob of peanut butter in with whatever veg, add in soy sauce, and whatever spicy element is handy. I’ve used chili powder, red pepper flakes, and Sriracha sauce. Stir) Red and I parted ways. I was at school for another two hours accomplishing very little except a self imposed scavenger hunt for empty boxes. I won. But, man, I had couscous, peanut butter, and asparagus on my mind.
One grocery stop later, I had a better dinner than planned. Red needed a tweet.
Had to do a little cropping for privacy. If I loved you more, I would have whited names out in Photoshop.
Red was out there staring at her phone per usual and came back at me. She hadn’t been able to make her delicious dinner. “You want leftovers?” I jokingly replied.
That would make Red’s life.
A few tweets later, I was negotiating leftover couscous for the incomplete Hamlet study guide that would significantly change Red’s grade in my class.
HOW FUCKED UP IS HIGH SCHOOL THESE DAYS??!! I mean wasn’t it horrifying enough to see or talk to your teachers outside of class or….shudder …the school building? I can’t imagine Mrs. Eddy tweeting at me. Mostly because cell phones didn’t exist, BUT STILL!
Fucked up or not, the Tupperware is packed. I hope to exchange it for class work tomorrow. Fingers crossed that writing this hasn’t jinxed the deal.
The Next Day: Reality Check
Green got a granola bar and encouragement to go to more tutoring; but she and her sibling, who will probably need adopted next year, peaced out mid morning for an “appointment.” Knowing that this child missed a day of school to get her hair done, I assume the appointment translates to “Meh, it’s Friday. Whatevs.” Good supportive parenting here.
Red was ecstatic to get her spicy leftovers and told me so in a number of ways except by giving me the much coveted study guide. In typical Red fashion, there was lots of swearing that it’s practically done.
I have colleagues that get extremely emotionally invested in their special project students. Those student don’t all come from official at-risk lists, but demonstrate many of the at-risk qualities and the teachers recognize a need. However I then find myself trying to talk tearful colleagues off the ledge because despite all the support, the free breakfasts, the time spent, the school supplies, and encouragement, the special project still decided to make really bad decisions.
I have found this to be the pattern any time I have put more than the usual effort or emotional investment in to a student. I don’t have the time or the strength for tears. I’m either really excited- see the first part of the post- or pissed- see reality check.
Obviously, I will keep “mothering” Green and Red until graduation, and they will absolutely get me excited only to disappoint me again.
I am at a loss for how to wrap this post up in a way that isn’t negative. I’m not looking for accolades for my efforts. They are just another of the million expectations piled on to the job “classroom teacher.”
So IDK. I guess this is almost mostly done so…..Peace out.
possumscatsthingsgnawingatme 