Hello friends, family, and strangers (I flatter myself)! I am a recently-graduated girl finding my way in the "real world" (apparently, I've been floating around the fake world for the past two decades). Many of my friends' "real world"s consist of cubicles, nine-to-fives, marriage, babies, and other such grown-up things. My real world looks a little different. Yes, I still get up and go to work every morning, same as they do. But instead of battling fax machines, computer programs, disgruntled spouses and dirty diapers, I arm myself against a legion of 14-year-old boys. Well, 83 of them to be exact. You see, I teach 8th-grade boys' Science in an inner-city, high-poverty school. What it is not: glamorous, prestigious, boring. What it is: humorous, heartbreaking, and the most challenging thing I will ever do.

The stories I tell and the people I describe are real; you can't make this stuff up. If you are new to my blog, I hope you'll start at the beginning and fall in love with its characters, just as I have.

Monday, January 17, 2011

thanks, bruh-bruh.

My favorite thing ever is when my boys get protective of me. It doesn't happen very often, I assure you. Most of the time they're way more eager to cause me pain than save me from it. But there are always a few moments when someone will say or do something toward me that makes them bristle, and I think it's the cutest thing ever.

One of my classes spends 90% of the time "working" each other. For those of you who don't know, to "work" someone is to make fun of him relentlessly. When taken to the next level, it is called "flaming" someone. The topics they exhaust every time include but are not limited to footwear, mamas, clothes, oddly-shaped or sized body parts (heads, ears, feet) and lack of success with females.

Occasionally, someone will cautiously throw a boot joke my way in the midst of a flaming session. For some reason, the fact that I wear boots a lot is a popular topic of conversation among them. I guess from that paired with my accent they assume I ride horses and lasso cows after school. Anyways, this is as far as they've ever come to "working" me.

Today I yelled at this class for playing too much, then told a few of them they'd be sitting with me during gym time instead of playing basketball. Needless to say, those few were pissed. When we got to lunch, the flaming session I'd stopped in class immediately resumed. Jokes were thrown back and forth between the boys. After a few minutes, someone got my attention.

"Ms. M!! Ramone jus' worked yo boots! He trynna flame!!"

Immediately, two of the boys who had just been furious with me for having to sit out during gym started scolding Ramone. "BRUH. You better NOT be trynna work her! I'll come across the table atchu in a hot minute!"

"Yeah, you work her and you finna get flamed SO BAD by all of us!"

Another: "Yeah, bruh. I ain't never worked a lady and I ain't finna start now."

Ramone threw his hands up. "I wasn't! I wasn't going to! I swear!"

I smiled to myself. Apparently their frustration with me didn't negate their loyalty to me!

It's definitely an uphill battle with those kids; holding on to the little things like that is crucial to my sanity! Speaking of which, thank you so so much for reading and leaving your thoughts here. Those of you who helped narrow down which stories to submit and everyone who leaves encouraging words: you make my day! Really, truly. It is so fun to hear that people I've never even met and people all the way across the ocean (hey Callie!) are keeping up with these stories and these crazy boys!

Happy MLK day, homies.
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. callieJanuary 17, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    what a day... the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day, one of my best friends is coming to visit my new home, and i got a shout out on my fave blog ever :) lucky me!
    i introduced my in-laws (both teachers, both christians... needless to say, they can relate) to your blog while riding in the car last week, so don't be suprised if you start getting more followers from down under.
    PS, the program at Vanderbilt sounds AMAZING... keeping you in my prayers!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    I have no idea who you are really, but I too am a graduate of UA and work in the Admissions office there now. A lady I work with introduced me to your blog, and I have been keeping up with it for the last several months. I can not begin to choose a favorite. Keep up the good work, you are doing an amazing job with those boys.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnnJanuary 20, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    Callie! I'm so glad you're still reading! I'm going to have to send you a picture so you can have faces with the names.

    And hey, anonymous! You work in the admissions office? Please do tell Ms. Susan Alley I said hello!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)