Day from Hell but at least there's baseball!

I'm really burnt. I just got home and it's almost time to go to bed. I've been out of the house since 7:40 a.m. My day of teaching was followed by my night class in West Philly. I need to do some lesson planning but it's not working. My mind is too fried. Teaching all day and then going to a useless masters class is too much. It bugs me to take a class, pay all the money, and have the professor not be able to interpret her own syllabus. Something is wrong with that.

Today was a day from Hell just as I figured it would be. It started easily enough. My students lined up pretty well, came upstairs without problems, and settled down and began writing their morning work. I worked on writing some reminders for a few minutes before I realized how quiet they were. They were writing. I allowed myself to savor the moment because quiet occurs so infrequently in my classroom. I should have left right after savoring the moment because ten minutes later things were out of control and it never settled down - 9-3:09 was like a street fight.

I get so upset about this. I am a teacher whose students don't want to listen to him. They talk all day long. What can I do about it? Everyone says "give them consequences" or "throw them out" or "pick your battles." Pick my battles, huh? I've picked them. I want them to stop talking. The problem is they don't get the message. They don't want to get the message. They aren't even meeting me half way.

At least my other colleagues are having this trouble, too. More howling and banging from the students across the hall. Other students from other grades and floors just run the halls at will.

I teach so little and deal with so much crap. Kids that sit and glower at me for hours. Kids that destroy everything that I give them. Kids that want to kick my ass, threaten me, and push me. I'm sick of it. They don't teach us what to do about this in any of the professional developments from the school district. They should. The School District of Philadelphia is full of kids like this but nobody mentions this or how to deal with them. They should because our classes and schools are filled with these students. Perhaps it's because no one knows how to deal with them? Perhaps no one can? Whatever the reason, no one ever says the words. We never say that the kids are responsible for their actions. We never do anything and nothing gets better. Bottom line, no learning is happening in my class when 20 out of 39 want to screw around at once. No learning would happen for anyone in that environment.

Speaking of learning, we are going to see how much they've learned. Spent all day covering everything on our walls so the students won't get any help for the PSSA tests. PSSA starts tomorrow. Will the ice cream truck pull up next to our window during the test. Will the school police go outside and ask the guy to move?

I'm reading a neat book: Al Capone Does My Shirts. My students should like this one (once I teach them about Alcatraz [how can you not know about Alcatraz?]).

Baseball season is on! Wonder of wonders, the Phils won their opener. I'm going to send good thoughts their way. It's only a matter of time before the wheels come off and come off they surely will.