Adorable

It was a long day at school today. So long, in fact, that this morning seems like yesterday. But no, it was just this morning.

A brief word about why today was so long. It was Back to School Night! Actually, besides the whole "super long" thing, it wasn't too bad. The parents rotated through their child's schedule and spent 10 minutes in each class. I got to give my spiel about learning and policies, except instead of the blank stares of my students, I was met with the appreciative nods of my parents. I also got some phone numbers and emails, and they got mine. One mom was also very interested in volunteering in my class -- her son was not. But that's OK, because he's a Hellstudent. That would be at least one class where he wouldn't be Hellstudent. MWA-HA-HA-Ha-haaaaaaaaaaa.

Anyway, this morning we had a "William Inspection". Since I am now living in THE most litigious state in the Union, everything is controlled by one lawsuit or another. Sure, the intention is to give every citizen equal rights, but it's quickly becoming old. Sorta like getting transported back to the height of the PC movement.

ANYWAY. Back to Williams. This guy sued Cali because he (or his son) wasn't getting appropriate services. The school was rundown and the students didn't have their own textbooks. A deplorable situation, and one that should be remedied across this nation. (We called them "low-wealth schools" in NC, in Oregon they were just "failing".) But somehow, the solution is these inspections which make sure I don't have cords running across the floor and that all my students have textbooks to call their own.

What this means in practice is that I can't have a class set of books (regardless of whether or not my students can keep their books at home). So, I have to harass, cajole, threaten, and punish my students into bringing their heavy-ass (the technical term) books to class just to prove that we are not lying and they do indeed have them. It also means I have to spend two hours on a Saturday dressing cables in my classroom. Good thing I have all that TV experience, eh?

When they come to inspect the schools, they are supposed to do so quietly. But they didn't. A gaggle of inspectors (three inspectors and a school VP) burst into my classroom and actually took over. One lady was giving a pep talk while one dude was sitting at a desk taking notes and a third was harassing my students asking about their books. All of them had checked out books (thank God), but not all brought them. I've done my best, though; I have the consequences for not bringing a book posted on the wall and I write which book (big-ass text or kid-friendly soft-cover workbook) the student need on any given day. So, I probably won't get fired for the 5-6 kids who left their books at home (grrr).

But this is the adorable part. When the inspectors burst in my room and took over the show, I was desperately trying to figure out what was going on while the Hatchet Woman asked how many studnets I had in my class and I overhead the Ringleader asking my student about their teacher (me). The angels (ANGELS!) said I was a great teacher. Awesome. The best. I didn't even coach them on this. (I had no idea it would come up.) They didn't blink. Didn't miss a beat.

You don't even know how glad I am that the Big Show arrived during first period, and not fourth. Of course, they came back during second. Once is just not enough! And it seems they targeted the first-year teachers. Because I don't have enough to do or think about.