It's Always Different Around the Holidays

It's like Through The Looking Glass. It's like April Fool's in November. It's like being tripped up by some cosmic banana peel and hearing a faint celestial laugh-track in the background.

Everything is different around the holidays.

This morning I had an observer, a young woman just entering a teaching program who must complete 16 hours of observation. Mine was her 16th hour. I really didn't want her to come during my 1st period, but that was the only time she was available.

So, I warned her in advance. This class and I are at odds. We're negotiating about several things: appropriate behavior, disruptions, not calling me a bitch out loud when I give you a zero for not having completed homework, etc. Tough crowd.

So of course, today, they were completely on task, participatory, and charming - except for a brief, limp rebellion at the back table when two students refused to answer questions I knew they had answers to. The first one said, with a huge grin, "No, I didn't do that one." The second one, asked to answer the same question, grinned and said, "I didn't either." Drama.

We moved on. The problem with their collaboration is that the other kids are tired of their disruptions, and won't play. It isn't insubordination until everyone's in on it. With just two, it's just kind of...sad.

My 3rd period class, which is all about the luuuuv but often can't stay focused, was completely focused. One kid slept through the directions for the assignment (despite me waking him twice). He came to me a little while later to say he was confused.

I said, "That's because you slept through the directions."

He said, "I did. I apologize for that, and for the extra time you have to take to re-explain it to me."

Can't a teacher even get a good excuse any more? An "I was resting my eyes," or "I was just thinking with my head down"?

In my fourth period class, the class that is always good natured and on-task, there was open rebellion. Cranky, fussy, rude, only class that didn't get through the entire lesson because they complained and complained.

Go figure. It's the holidays. Everybody needs a break, I suppose.

*****
Sidenote.

Best Slogan EVER, seen by the side of the road today:

Falcon Boxes. It's a box! You put stuff in it!

I must be delirious, because I can't stop laughing over this.