Middle School

Today was supposed to be my first day of daily Middle School classes, I came to school prepped and ready! Armed with my short list of classroom rules and plenty of energy to pumped these bored kids up. As I am setting out the materials for out first task in walks my boss, J, asking me to instead head to their classroom and help the sub with the math class (apparently neither J or the sub are very good at Pre-Algebra...odd!). So in I walk trying to switch sides of my brain and awaken the knowledge I had so desperately shoved away for fear of a return of the dreaded MATH CLASS FROM HELL...(yes, probably the reason I went into the arts). Well turns out I remember even less then I thoughts. HA. Oops. Thank goodness for the teacher's book. After a moment or two I managed to figure out how to add fractions again....actually not that difficult if you have the answers in front of you.

The best part of doing this was when I walked in and introduced myself, and told them that we would be starting an art class, not next year, but this week, they all perked up! Holy crap another class that actually likes to do art, I am way spoiled here! They are also a little less bold in their misbehaving, which will be a nice break from the mean high schoolers and the screaming lower schoolers.

I wish that the school hadn't put students in my art class who don't want to be there. It really does nothing productive for anyone (well maybe the teachers who are getting a break from them). But seriously they don't work, which makes more work for me, less time on the kids who actually want help, and they are just going to get crappy grades which won't help them graduate (which is why i think some of them are in the class...just for the credits), so they'll just be here for longer, causing trouble because they are bored, angry and stupid. I think it's a dumb idea all around. Arg!

All that being said, my classroom is getting filled with some really cool art work! Something is happening that is working. GO ME!!