Stop this train, I want to get off and go home again!

Today sucked.

I promise I don't write this blog to air out my complaints or solicit sympathy.  I know very well that no one likes to read a laundry list of "reasons my life is miserable today."  I honestly started it so that people could keep up with my teaching adventures.

Well in order to keep up with my teaching adventures, you need to know that it sucks.  Today I had an M&M lab planned where they used the different colors of M&Ms as their data to create graphs.  Sounds fun, right? Sure was nice of me to buy them chocolate with my FAT paycheck, huh? Especially when they are so kind to me every day; it's only what they deserve.

I will admit on my part that I probably should have planned a little better.  But who could have guessed that six hours into my day I would be sitting at the front of the room with my head in my hands as candy flew around the room, fights broke out over stolen M&Ms, and 1/4 of the class was engaged not in my graphing activity but in a freestyle rap about how this class sucked.  If I were feeling inspired as opposed to furious-slash-exhausted, I would have added a couple of verses myself.  After they left my room in complete disarray (which I left untouched to deal with tomorrow), I stared at a stack of 18 calculators that needed to be returned to the math teacher down the hall.  He had loaned me 20.  Great.  

They don't respect me, that's all there is to it.  I don't know if it's because I'm not even a decade older than them, I don't know if it's because I'm new.  "MOVE, Ms. M!" Norman says playfully to me in the lunchroom.

"I don't take orders from 13-year-olds."

"And I don't take orders from 23-year-olds!"

There's no way he could know that (I told them I was 40), but I kind of see his point.  They see me as almost an older sister they can mess around with. "Snow BUNny!!" they all call after me down the hall.  Whatever the hell that means.

I took up my first note today.  It was pretty much the highlight of my day (which, granted, isn't saying a whole lot). It happened to be between Rashee and Kia.

"So I was spittin game to Precious last nite but then I got back and said sumthin about Yasmine in my status and Precious saw and was like why you actin foney? I was like no Yasmine my girl.  Then Yasmine textin me mad cuz I was with Precious before. She just

mad cuz I said I didn't want nothin serious."

"Dam. Dats fckd up. You gon break up wit Yasmine? What did Precious say bout u HA?"

After I took it up ["Mannn, Ms. M--Chill! Why you takin my stuff?"], I kind of forgot about it until lunch.  I read it in the cafeteria and made an immediate beeline to Rashee and Kia.  I put my arm around Rashee.  "Rashee, man. You KNEW Precious was going to see what you put about Yasmine in your status.  That was just STUPID.  You were ASKING for trouble; I don't even feel sorry for you!"

His eyes got wide. "Man, Ms. M know about Yasmine! Where you get that information at?? KIA! She know about Precious! Where you get that information from, Ms. M?"  Realization flashes across his face. "Ooh you read my note! She read the note, Ki! Ohh, you WRONG for that, M. You wrong. WHATEVER. It ain't nothin.  It's all good and I'm still talkin to BOTH of them!"

It's 11:15. I've got a study guide to create and grades to calculate. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.