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, February 28, 2011

Hello, My Name is Dr. House.

Shakeem is sort of a baby thug. Not a real one, but he wants to be. He steals stuff all the time and has been sent off to boot camp more than once for getting caught with weed, weapons, etc. He basically raises himself and has a pretty shady life outside of RMS, from what I know.

I kind of like Shakeem because he's really chill and he looks after me in his own strange way. For whatever reason, he's decided that he likes me, so I do my best to cultivate that relationship (I'd like to keep my speakers and phone, pleaseandthankyou). It's difficult to balance the fine line of keeping him on my side and still exercising my authority over him.

Today: "SHAKEEM. I swear if you open your mouth ONE more time while I'm teaching..."

"I'm sorry Ms. M but I gotta 'mergency. Maybe you can help 'cause you a science teacher."

I sighed. "What?"

"Whatchu think dis is on my arm?"

I took a quick look as he lifted up his sleeve. "Honey, that's ringworm and you need to get you some cream, STAT."

Devin burst into laughter beside him.

Shakeem looked horrified. "I slept on dis guy's couch..."

"Did that guy have a cat?" I asked.

"Naw he ain't got nothin.'"

"Well what he 'got' was ringworm, and now you've got it it too, baby doll."

"Is it...is it gon' crawl out of my arm??" Shakeem looked like he was about to throw up.

"No, it's not actually a worm. It's a fungus."

"EEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!" the whole class screamed in unison. I had to hide my giggle as I watched all the color drain from Shakeem's face. No, Shakeem, you are not a gangster. You are a 13-year-old boy with a fungal problem and you are scared out of your mind.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)