Class with Group 1A today was, well, not dull.
* Gerardo was absent today and when I passed his desk to make that note on his card, I couldn’t find his card. I asked the students nearby where it was and a couple tried to say that it was never there. Many don’t seem to understand that the cards are on each student’s desk before class because I put them there and am thus aware of any missing cards. The card reappeared on the desk before the end of the period, but it was vandalized with a permanent black marker. Gerardo’s name was scratched out and replaced with “Pig” and there was an accompanying drawing. On the side with points and comments, it was written “Good job, keep it up you pig.”
At the end of class, when most students had already left, a girl came up to me and told me who the guilty one was. That student caught wind of what she was up to and called out, “______ tu madre.” Well, that earned the student a direct pass, accompanied by me, to talk with the principal. In front of the principal I explained that besides damaging the card, the remark he made to a classmate was cruel. I told him that he had no right to make a classmate feel uncomfortable, and now she surely would be with him in the group. The principal escorted him into the office to call his mother and set up a “citatorio” – discipline meeting with administrator, teacher, student and parent or guardian.
* Miguel and Jissett couldn’t stop looking at and talking to each other during class. I’ve already worked on a seating change for Monday.
* Anllelo must have had ants in his pants, as he couldn’t stay seated.
* Richi, as always, had a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth.
* With ten minutes left in class, I was reviewing one student’s pen-pal letter (yes, we’re STILL working on them) when he let me know that two students were fighting on the other side of the room. I don’t know exactly what happened, but as soon I reached José Francisco (small for his age) he was on his feet with Carlos (quite large for his size) standing behind him. They each predictably accused the other of causing the problem. It became a bit more serious when I saw that José Francisco had a gash in the top of his hand. It was a small puncture wound and there was blood. I went to my desk and found some paper to scribble a note to the principle that read as follows:
José Francisco and Carlos were fighting in class and now José Francisco’s hand is bleeding.
I signed the note and made a line on which the principle was to sign – if the boys decided to bring it to him. I talked with them outside and gave them the note to look over, leaving them the alternative that they could work it out on their own. A couple of minutes later they slipped back in the classroom saying that they were fine.
