THE PRINCIPAL THAT CARES (AND SWEARS)

Wednesday was a terrible day. But it was amazing in a lot of ways, too. Either way, nothing in my fourth period class will ever be the same again.

On Wednesday, my fourth period class made me cry. There was not one particular thing, but many little things, like poison darts, that broke through my defenses and just tore me down. Students blaming me for picking on them too much (they bring it on themselves), telling me class is boring (they bring it on themselves), telling me I don't pick on OTHER students when they talk (they bring it on themselves, too, but in a positive way), not listening, not respecting, talking too much, never doing homework (ever), and so on. After class, with my heart in my throat, I went to talk to the principal, a fantastic man, about my woes and more or less plead for help.

"Write down the names of the people causing trouble. We'll have a meeting right now."

So I wrote down the first six names that came to mind--student who give me grief every day; when they are absent, class is smoother. I could have written more, but the others grief-makers that day were not so bad, so I wasn't thinking of them.

Then all six of them were called out of their class, filed into my class with the principal, and sat down.

In the most angry, serious voice I have ever heard, he started, "Ok. Right now, you are going to do something you normally do not do in this class. You are going to shut your mouths, and you are going to listen. And nothing I say is going to be funny for the next 10 minutes."

He then proceeded to detail every action that he assumed they did in class, with amazing accuracy, and told them how they should respond to me in the future. I now feel more empowered than ever before, and know how I can respond to their actions. Hopelessness gone.

But this is awesome.

Favorite line: "What you have been doing so far this year is BULLSHIT! [pause] That's right, I said it. It's bullshit. And if you wanna go home and tell your parents I said it, do it! I'll tell them the same thing. That your behavior this year has been shitty and you need to change."