Today was another half day assignment covering 6th grade science, again. I'm not sure what's going on with the 6th grade science teachers around the city, but three in a row seems like more than coincidence.
The students weren't the most pleasant and downright insubordinate at some points of the day, but the dean of the school was pretty darn scary and was extremely helpful to me in dealing with the students. After making sure that I knew that she was just a phone call away, I threw her name around as a threat whenever the kids were too rowdy or noisy.
Picking the students up from lunch and taking them to their Mandarin class (Mandarin! How cool is that?!) was a total chore. After walking a small group up, I explain to the dean that the rest of them were running amuck.
When I picked them up from Mandarin to take them to science, I threatened to walk by the dean's office to drop a few of them off if they couldn't be quietly line up and remain silent during walk back to classroom. They shut up so quickly, I'm sure I heard some teeth clink. If only, I could have half of the dean's scare power.
At the end of the day, she came in and gave the class a riot act. She even asked me to point out who was in the group I walked up. Everyone who wasn't . . . was pulled from the class and suspended. Woah! Even I was terrified of this woman, but I guess that's what makes her a dean.
On a more positive note, the school is absolutely gorgeous! I mean, stunning. It's such a colorful and welcoming place and I don't think the students realize or appreciate how special that is. I went to schools with barf-green paint that shouldn't be sold, let alone put on walls. Seeing a school where every inch of wall, it seemed, was covered with posters, student projects, motivational quotes, and more was heartening to see. I even discovered a reading nook in the stairway, in between the 2nd and 3rd floors. A reading nook, I say!
On another positive note, my travels in Brooklyn were a lot more pleasant today. Google navigation took perfect care of me and the train station and school were easily found. No more getting lost for me. I hope.
Well, that's my adventure for today. Tomorrow I'm off to cover 9th and 10th grade Health/P.E. in the Bronx!
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