I was just thinking to myself last night that what this winter needed was a really nasty cold snap to interrupt the beautiful weather we've been having. This cold snap, I thought, could even come right before the weekend. That would just about even everything out.
Last night, at around eleven, I looked outside to see nothing but wind-blown snow. It was whipping through the trees, piling on top of the occasional stray walker, and blanketing the city in general. Unfortunately, the storm only lasted an hour. Why is that unfortunate, you ask? Well, the storm left about an inch of snow, an inch being just enough to turn every sidewalk into a skating rink by nine the next morning. Suddenly, walking to and from school became a chore again. Two or three students sprained their ankles on the school steps, which were just about the most dangerous things I've ever walked down in life.
And the wind stayed. It made the ice glassy and it freezes the ears. I'm now looking forward to a weekend of reading and cleaning the apartment. Which is good, because this week hasn't exactly been a living, breathing joy.
It all hit a climax sometime yesterday morning when my 12th graders pretty much exploded. They somehow got on the subject of Swedish tables, a sticking point in their prom. The guys insist on having a lot of food, the girls want the money to be spent on other things. I normally let little scuffles sort themselves out (I won't do that anymore), but this time things got out of control too fast. One of the girls, after yelling something about the guys' mothers, stood up and starting screaming. I walked in between the two warring groups, and kept demanding that everbody quiet down. There was feet-stomping, yelling, and general hostility, but nobody crossed my line.
The whole thing ended when the girl who had stood up threw a mostly empty coffee cup at the group of guys and led her small camp storming out of the room. The guys and I spent the rest of the hour sorting things out. There were a few groups around the room who weren't involved, and they were actually doing the work I had asked them to. I made sure they understood my appreciation for not taking sides and doing what I wanted them to.
By the end of the hour, I'd made sure the guys understood how idiotic the whole argument was (apparently it was just the latest episode in a long history of animosity), that I wouldn't take sides even if I saw some sane reason to do so, and that--despite their protestations that it was bound to happen in any class--if it happened in mine again, they would feel it from my end to.
Anyway, it was only 10 and I already had a bit of a headache that would carry on through my eight hours of school that day. At least the eighth graders were civil, a pleasant surprise. They actually made the day easier, and continued doing so today.
I can't say the constant rising of new problems is fun, but like a change in the weather, it makes things interesting.
Posted by Rob at February 12, 2004 05:57 PMYup, one of the good things about being a young teacher is that I have the authority to say "I remember how important everything was senior year..." and after I say that I remind them about how much they should want to remember the good times. That seemed to work pretty well.
The one big saving grace was that the class speaks conversational English almost flawlessly, so we were able to take the conversation anywhere we wanted. That helped a lot.
Posted by: Rob at February 14, 2004 09:11 PMOf course, this was supposed to be "I wonder if, in seven more years, _the_fights_ about all things computerish in the company I work for will seem just as insignificant and futile, and what will the fights of the future be about..."
Posted by: Peter Pentchev at February 12, 2004 08:05 PMGlad to hear that it's not just Sofia that gets a share of funky weather :P Well, come to think of it, it *is* February, after all - and you probably know by now what "Malyk Sechko" means...
As to the students' fight, well - thinking back to my own 12th grade, what, seven years ago? Er, this does not make me old yet, does it now? :P Anyway, I can remember a lot of quarrels back then, a lot of fights even, and the reasons for most of them seem kind of insignificant now... I wonder if, in seven more years, about all things computerish in the company I work for will seem just as insignificant and futile, and what will the fights of the future be about...
Well, thanks a lot for this distraction, and the memories of high-school years that come back each time I read your blog entries! Guess I should be getting back to work now, if only to avoid another one of those insignificant-in-the-future quarrels :P
Posted by: Peter Pentchev at February 12, 2004 08:04 PM