A Day at the Park

A Day at the Park, originally uploaded by Organica59.

Haram

As a teacher I try to individualize my language to each student understanding. The other day one of my Muslim students came up to me and said he lied about something. I in turn tried to be funny and yelled "Lying is Haraam!"

Suddenly a little boy responded, "Yes, Ms. O?"

And both myself and my Muslim student cracked up. Yes, one of my students is called Haram.

The hilarity of life.

My Boys

"My boys" is often how I refer to my students. Regardless of the daily annoyances, suspensions and fights we are still family. After a long day of chaotic madness, they still call me over to the basketball courts to play ball when I am rushing to my car. Sometimes if they see me in the halls they get so excited to see their very own teacher, they wave--just like children--although they rarely admit they are still children with needs of affection and attention. I understand.

My boys come from all walks of life. Contrary to what most people think, a good number of them come from loving and caring families who care for their child's future and well-being. One student lost his mother last June in a deadly car accident; another lost his dear mommy to cancer this past December. I understand.

It makes things easier to know where they are coming from. Not all of my boys go home to a warm bed with a mommy and daddy. Only recently I learned that one of my students--who is extremely bright in a gifted kind of way--lives with social workers at a shelter. He doesn't have a mommy to go home to. Dad isn't there to teach him about the world. He goes home to strangers every night. So ya, if little Johnny explodes in class when someone picks on him repeatedly, I understand. It's okay if he pushes desks around, screams and runs out my door. I probably would do the same if I was in his situation. And the other boys? They know his situation and purposely make it worse for him. It's the world of boys, a jungle you must learn to survive or you will be eaten alive. I understand.

My boys are sweet, mean and a handful have anger management issues. It's difficult to get into their world. They are all different. I see 90 of them on a daily basis and each and everyone has their own set of pet peeves, likes, and stories. They all have stories.

A couple of days ago one of my boys assaulted me. Thankfully, nothing serious occurred. This particular boy has issues and on this particular day he decided to unleash them on me. The authorities were called in, he left in handcuffs and I was left with a major decision, should I leave my boys?

A Mint-Flavored Balloon

It was green with mint. It lightly floated in the classroom. It touched a student and bounced to its next victim at once. Students reacted oddly to this particular object. They jumped, screamed and let out a loud "ewwwww!"

It finally reached me at my teacher's desk. I grabbed it almost ready to throw it out the window when I realized what I had between my hands.

A condom.

Banana Split

Banana Split, originally uploaded by Organica59.