Graduation night

The final final exam was today.  Interestingly, one student, who will get the dubious honor of being Fred 13, cheated on her final exam.  She would never have gotten caught if it weren't for the fact that by the time I handed out 8 exams, she was finished answering 30 chemistry problems. I told her that she would have to take another exam or get a zero since she didn't have time to answer 30 problems in less than five minutes.  She assured me that she just guessed at them all.  She's never without a lie on her tongue.  I caught her with her cell phone during a test earlier in the year and she lied to the principal about it and got off the hook.  She again ran to the principal.  I refused to budge on this.  Principal told her to just take it again.  I mixed the questions up and handed it to her.  She refused to do it.  Then she started whining about how she didn't feel she should have to do this and she didn't know why I was making her do this.  I told her that I believed her to be a cheater and I knew she was a liar and she had to prove me wrong.  She got mad and said she was going to tell her mother what I said about her.  She left and I gave her a zero.  On a high note, graduation went very smoothly and only lasted 40 minutes!  Now, I'm looking forward to a relaxing three day weekend so I can job hunt! :-)

It wasn't as bad as all that

Well, all the dread and agony I had felt over dealing with this class for three hours was a big waste of energy.  They were downright decent and respectful.  Of course, there were only six of them. Supposed to be 8, but two were no shows.   Freds 1 through 3 were half of that group.  Fred 1 decided at the last minute to skip the final and have a D for the year, so that certainly cheered me up.  They were so quiet at lunch that I didn't even know where they were sitting - so unlike yesterday, when I had to go to their table twice over them banging on the table and wrapping too loud.  After their exam, they watched Rango.  Well, four of them watched Rango, one girl laid in the floor and slept.  Last eight students tomorrow morning for their exam, then all I have to do is clean out my room and the lab, turn in all papers, keys, etc., and head back north to look for work.  I really hope I can find a school that I love next year.  I'm so sick of moving!

Oh goody, just me and the monsters

Well, sophomores finished exams today.  I had two who blew the final and failed for the semester. I'm making them both re-take the final.  Maybe it was too hard.  After all, it was open book, and I did have them write down the page numbers to find answers, and they only had two hours to find 37 answers.  Not sure how much more I can "accommodate" those two.  But, I can't let them fail, so I guess I can give them their old test back and have them correct the ones they missed...while I stand over them and make buzzer noises if they mark it wrong again.  Tomorrow's the day I dread.  The only class I have to test tomorrow is that lovely one I'm always going on about. And, of course, the only nice kids in that class exempted the final, so the monsters will be the only ones there.  Oh, and just to make sure I suffer thoroughly, I have them for three hours!  Oh yes, I get to take them to lunch.  Hope I don't hurl.  I know, two tests to go, then payday, pack and run for my life!

Seniors done, sophomores next...

Seniors took their finals today.  Had a couple who didn't show up for their final.  Too bad for them.  Funny thing was, we went over every single question that was on their final.  I even had them look up the answer in the book and write down the page number.  Then I let them use their books. Believe it or not, one person made a hundred, and four failed the exam.  Go figure.  Maybe the sophomores will do better tomorrow.  I did the same thing for them.

Another lovely parent meeting

You remember Fred 4, right?  The one who hates me?  The one I wrote up a couple of weeks ago?  Today, F4's mom sends me an email wanting to meet with me before final exams (which are Wednesday).  I agree to meet with her this afternoon.  Now, I already knew what she was going to ask.  I knew she would try to get me to drop the write-up so her child wouldn't have to take exams.  But, I think it is so pathetic that a parent cares more about her child's GPA than about her child's character.  Basically, she asked if I would take back the write-up.  I told her no.  Then she says that the reason she is asking is because her child has never had to take a final exam before.  I told her I was sure F4 would have no problem passing the final.  Then she tells me that she's worried it might bring down her GPA.  I then explained what happened when F4 got written up and what has been happening everyday since about Thanksgiving.  Apparently, the rudeness, smart mouth, bad attitude aren't any concern to mom.  She's not even worried about her child passing.  She's just worried about keeping that high A. Finally, after realizing I was not going to change the rules for her, she says that her daughter asked her to come in and try.  I think if my son treated his teacher the way F4 treats me, the first thing I would have done before begging for exemption would be to have my son apologize to his teacher, then try to wriggle out of final exams.  It was all I could do not to just stand up and shout "Oh my God, people!" and walk out of the meeting.  I know, I know, just a few days left.  Tomorrow seniors take exams and Wednesday everyone else does.  Get me through the week, Lord!

OMG! How much longer till summer?

Field Day was a success, pretty much.  We only had three issues:  a fight, a kid with tobacco and one with alcohol.  There were some kids playing dice in the boy's bathroom, but I couldn't get in there to catch them.  I almost got out of having to get in the dunking booth, but some students, apparently, were saving all their tickets for when I went in.  So, after listening to them moan about how unfair it was that I wasn't getting in, I got in. The water looked like they got it out of the river, complete with smell.  I REALLY didn't want to go in.  The seat didn't drop all the way, so when you went in, you got caught on the edge of the seat which snagged your leg.  All I could think about was that person who got the flesh-eating bacteria in the water in Georgia.  Luckily, out of the twenty or so who wanted to dunk me, only about six succeeded.  One kid - not even one of my students - ran up and just pushed the target, dunking me.  The kid got three days after school detention and didn't even know me!  My reputation must be spreading like wildfire.  Afterward, I went to change and when I got back they were all in the cafeteria eating lunch. I don't know where all the teachers went, though, because there was only one teacher in the cafeteria when I got there.  After lunch, the talent show began.  You know, it is amazing that some of the kids you think have absolutely nothing going for them, end up being the most talented.  I heard some kids sing better than anything I've heard before.  A group of kids did a play about temptation that gave me goose bumps.  Of course, right after that, a student ran into the bathroom.  After a while of her not coming out, I went in.  Apparently, the play made her suicidal.  I let her tell me her story, then discussed the fact that what she was going through right now was only temporary, and in a few years, she will be able to stand on her own and pick her life.  She could do anything:  travel the world, heal the sick, create a new website.  I told her that the guilt she feels for what her dad is doing is useless.  It won't change his behavior and she has to realize that, as hard as it is to face, we can't help those who don't want help.  Sometimes all we can do is advise and then stand back and watch them screw up anyway.  Feeling guilty for what someone else does is counter-productive. I told her that instead, she should focus on her future.  Look up the college she wants to go to online and see what courses they offer.  Determine what classes she should take next year to help her be prepared for the classes she will have to take in college.  I think it helped, but when I noticed where she had stuck a pencil point into her wrist, I took her to the guidance counselor.  She did tell me that she was glad I had come in to check on her and not someone else.  Maybe I helped.  Got home around 4ish, exhausted and sunburned.  Thank goodness it's Friday!

Field Day tomorrow

Not too bad a day, considering.  My seniors had review today, which is completely unnecessary since the final is open book, but I spent about fifteen minutes reviewing every question on the exam before watching a NOVA movie about how smart animals are.  The kids seemed to enjoy the movie, and the ones who usually start trouble slept through it.  I stayed about an hour after school to check on which seniors exempted.  Got those marked in my grade book and will give to their homeroom teachers tomorrow morning.  The Field Day festivities begin promptly at 8am tomorrow.  From 8am until 12pm, we will be having the powderpuff football game.  For those of you unfamiliar with that, it is where the girls play football and the boys cheer.  I think the game will probably be over by around 10am.  My group of teachers are setting up a dunking booth.  It will start at 10:30am.  I'm scheduled to be in it around 11:30am.  At 12:00pm, all students will have lunch until 1pm, then from 1 until 3, we will have the talent show.  I will then go back to my classroom to make copies of tests for next Tuesday.  I will also figure out exemptions for my 10th and 11th graders.  Might even go ahead and make their tests out also.  I'm still a little peeved that the worst class I have will be the one that I have to keep for three hours during finals.  Oh well, it's practically over.  I'm packing my house up and packing my classroom up.  All that's left is exams and clean up.  This is the easy part.  YIPPEE!