strangest things said today

First: "I didn't have time." This, when I asked a kid (not the race-riot-instigator, the other home instruction one) why he didn't do his homework over the past five days.

He is wheelchair bound and can't leave the house and has to do absolutely nothing all day except watch TV, text message, and play PS2. I laid down the law and didn't give a shit about making him feel good about himself. He shouldn't - he is completely lazy. In 1.5 years of high school, he has passed three classes. He is absolutely capable of all the work, he is just one of the laziest slugs I've ever met.

He is so eager to get back to school and escape my tyranny. At least he's polite. Unfortunately, he's on the fast track to dropping out of high school and being a permanent slug/leech. Because he's not like my kids who drop out, who do it to work full-time and support a family. He just thinks that life is all about being lazy. And for that, I got no patience.

Second: "Will you adopt me?" from a kid in my 4th period. He's apparently all about adoring me right now, which is very, very strange. I know his home life sucks, but I'm not all that. I know his other teachers are mean, but I'm really not all that. Then they spent most the rest of the class period wondering aloud about what my home is like. Quiet, that part they got right. And I couldn't figure out why everybody is all obsessed about mothers - it's because of this Sunday, and Mexicans do love their mothers. (OK, ethnic stereotyping, but 99% true.)

Third: "We'll be using your classroom tomorrow." Well, at least I got notice this time. What sucks is that I USE MY CLASSROOM TOO. They send me to some other classroom where I don't have my textbooks or overhead projector or materials or computers - which is what my kids are doing this week! ARGH! How am I supposed to teach in these conditions?

I'm kinda giving up on that. Oh, I'm still pretending to teach and all that, but nobody really gives a shit, so I'll go through the motions. Instead, I'll just be Zen about it all. I have this one kid twice in a row and he is the quietest, shyest person I have ever met. He's finally started to open up a little to me, but he won't talk to anybody else, not even kids. And every time I talk to him, I have to totally change me - I get quieter and slower and calmer. He's better than blood pressure medication any day. I think I need to thank him. The kids don't aggravate me much at all - it's just STUPID ADMINISTRATION. I vented loudly and clearly today about it, and I do hope that Flanders tries to talk to me about it again. He is INTERFERING WITH MY TEACHING. Fuck him. About that, maybe I'm not so Zen.

I'm just trying to not go to REI tonight. One day at a time.