Epiphany in Baltimore

2002-06-05

Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com

The last two days have been like night and day in terms of relations with students.

If I had had time to write last night after staying here at school until 6pm with a group of hard-working kids striving to get work completed, then it would have been a joyous entry. It was one of those days that you can hang your hat on, a day where everything went right, where respect was mutual and learning was penultimate. It was a great day.

After school, a number of struggling kids came to my room for extra help. It was grade-motivated, but who cares? They were there. The first kid is Anton. Anton is a quiet, light-skinned boy with glasses who sits in the back of the room, usually drawing. He's always really nice, but has a hard time getting work in and ended up getting a 61% in my class last quarter. This quarter, he's getting a 56%. He's struggling to pass, and probably would'nt at the pace he was going. I admit I haven't been the best teacher for him. Quiet kids who don't seek out much help are generally not my strongsuit. He's bright, but not enough not to pay attention in class.

So it great to see him come in for help. When he came in, he explained to me that he often struggles with work at home, and that's why he doesn't do his homework that often. I stopped him right there. "Anton," I said. "Do you think you're smart?". His nswer was immediate and assured. "No."

I told him that until he starts to believe that he is smart, that he can do this, then he won't be able to. I showed him a recent test he had done. Anton's opening and second sentence to a BCR were brilliant, showcasing his expansive vocabulary and complex writing - well above the normal level for his grade level. Then, he stopped the answer. I told him how good his first couple sentences were, how it was the best start to that answer that I had in any of my classes. He didn't seem to believe me, but I sold it well - he eventually did. I then went on and on about how he's got it in him to do great, he just hasn't taken it the final step. And that it's about self-confidence. I gave him a long "teacher" speech while he sat and listened. I then helped him through a BCR that he was struggling with. He stayed for an hour and half, working on his writing.

The other two kids that came in were Tevan and Gunther (all names are fake, by the way). Tevan is another sort of classic underachiever, but he's of the "class clown" variety. He's got gold teeth, always has to have the attention on him, and we've had a very up-and-down relationship this year. On one hand, he tried out (and made) the baseball team at my urging. We have the same birthday so we've had that connection. There are times when we're cool. But, at other times, our relationship has sucked. He's antagonist, and I let him bug me. I like him, and he knows he can take advantage of me at every opportunity he can. So he has. He's loud and obnoxious most class periods.

But it was nice to have him there. One-on-one, like most kids, he's a really nice boy. I finally got him to come in after school. After he told me he couldn't come in after school ever because he would not have a ride and the bus stops going at a certain time, I offered to drive him home. He finally took me up on it.

Gunther was the other kid who came. I've never had a problem with him - he's a great kid. He's another underachiever, but he's at least he's an "A" student getting "B"'s. I like him a lot, so it was nice to have them there.

Anton stayed a while, and then Gunther and Tevan stayed until 5:45. I gave them both a ride home. They both worked so hard, getting stuff done, working on their writing, and in general just being great kids. They were earnest, hard-workers.

I gave Tevan a ride home to get his stuff, and met his mom. She was a nice lady, and talked to me about being a single mother and keeping Tevan away from drugs and street corners. About how he brings home work that she can't help him with. About the shoddy middle school he went to. About the fact that he has no positive male role models in his life. Etc, etc, etc.

Tevan got his stuff, and I drove him to his baseball game. I almost stayed to watch it, but was exhausted and needed to get ready for my evening plans that never actually materialized. We chatted the whole way about baseball. I left with no doubt in my mind that he was a great kid.

Today, that same great kid left my classroom saying he wanted to "slap" me.

We'll get to why... My 2/3 period was awful today. They didn't do their work, they whined, they bitched, they were unruly, they were obnoxious, they were yelling out the door, they were getting up to see what was going on outside.