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.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Carowindz


We went on a field trip to Carowinds yesterday. For those of you who live outside of the Carolinas, Carowinds is an amusement park.

It. Was. AWESOME.

Initially, I was skeptical, as I have only ridden two big girl roller coasters in my entire life. Heaven forbid I give my boys any more ammunition on the "Ms. M is wimpy" front though, so I bravely attempted every last roller coaster there. The boys were thrilled that I was willing to ride the scariest rides with them and begged for me to take a turn beside them.

Highlights:

I convinced Dante to put his hands up with me during the biggest drop in the whole park (the picture at the top), which merely resulted in him grabbing my raised hand and holding it so tightly my rings made indentions in my flesh.

During one line, Rashin (one of my gay students) asked my if I'd had breast surgery. Umm, if I had, I'd better have asked for a refund!

Je'Corey talking me through a particularly stomach-wrenching ride. "It's gon' be OK, Ms. M!! Just hold onto that lil knob right there an' quit trippin'!"

My autistic student chanting "I believe, I believe, I believe" while we climbed a summit then yelling "I FEEL LIKE I'M IN HEAVEN!!!" as we descended. Then, at the bottom: "See what happens when we confront our fears, Ms. M!? [high five]"

My favorite ride, however, was with stoic Willie, who screamed like a girl the ENTIRE two minutes of another roller coaster. Hilarious. Tears streamed out of my eyes and up my forehead (that's a first).

It's so nice to hang out with these hilarious, dynamic and crazy fools when I don't have to teach them or discipline them. Aka every other day of the year.


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