"the worst class in the school"

I have finally gotten a call from my favourite school. It's the one I volunteered at before teacher's college, and it's super multicultural, which I really love. So I'm pumped. I arrive sufficiently early, and someone who I don't know, but who turns out to be the vice-principal, takes me to my classroom. It's the one I volunteered in. Perfect! I tell her how thrilled I am to be here, and how much I love this school, and how she should call me any time. She explains that she's looking for "regulars" and is thrilled to meet me. Amazing! The day is off to a wonderful start. She pauses for a moment. "Now, I know you'll be fine..." she says gently, "but I just wanted to warn you that this is a really tough class." "Okay..." "So don't hesitate at all to call us if you need any help. We are behind you and will come to support you if you need it. Don't feel bad if you need to call us." I laugh, perhaps a bit nervously. "Okay."

The bell rings and the kids start streaming in. I'm standing outside the classroom happily greeting them, answering some pleasant and some rude "who are you?"s, and just generally psyching myself up for a tough day. Taking it as more of a challenge than as a threat...I can handle it.

"Hi, I'm the principal". She has found me in the hall, and has come to give me the low down. "Oh hi, I'm Rosilee Sherwood." "Hi. I just wanted to warn you that you have a really difficult class." "Oh thanks. I heard that." "So just don't hesitate at all to call us down if you need to. I can sit in your classroom for the whole day if you need me to. We will not look down on you if you call for help. We will look down on you if you come to us at the end of the day and tell us how horrible they were but you didn't ask for help." gulp. "And please send students to the office. I will be really surprised if you don't send anyone to the office. You have to be really firm with them or they'll walk all over you. Okay?". double gulp. "Okay." "I can't punish them tomorrow for something they did today. It doesn't help anyone to write a horrible letter to the teacher telling him about how bad they were but not doing anything about it." "Okay." smile "Okay. Have a good day." smile "Thanks."

I walk into the classroom still optimistic. The overwhelming message is "you can't handle this", and my response is "yes I can". So, the day begins. My first tactic is taking away gym. I hold that over their heads like a piano teetering at the top of a tall building. I put x's on the board, count down from 5, yell a bit, and put more x's on the board. They try to be quiet. They scream at each other to shut-up-or-we're-going-to-miss-gym.

Yes, they were horrible. Yes there were about 20 boys and about 8 girls. Yes they were throwing little bits of eraser at each other all day. Was I overwhelmed? no. Did I break down or lose it in a fit of crying or screaming? no. Did I send several students to the office? yes. Did the principal hear us from down the hall and come and stick her head in the door several times? yes.

It's nutrition break. I'm in the work room cutting something up. The vp walks by. "So how's it going?" she asks me. "Oh fine," I say with a smile. It is going fine. "Well, yeah, they are the worst class in the school" she says. I laugh, "Yeah, I think things are going okay".

Wow. Harsh. The worst class in the school.

It's the end of the day. Gym has come and gone, so there is no longer a threat in that. The next worst thing is to add minutes to the end of the day. I have decided to do a bit of a classroom clean-up to impress the homeroom teacher when he comes back tomorrow (although I wouldn't be surprised if he never came back...). This was not a good idea since it means allowing people to be out of their seats. Things have gotten to the point where kids are standing on chairs, throwing things, yelling and screaming. I am also yelling. The better kids (mostly the girls), have collected a giant heap of bits of eraser from the floor. I have counted down. I have yelled. I am now calling the vp. I say, "I need you to come and sit in the classroom for a bit." "No problem," she says. Students notice that I've called her, and they start getting worried and start to quiet down. They know this is serious. She comes in and starts right into them: She is ashamed that two supply teachers have had to call her to come to the classroom in the last two days. She is upset that as the oldest students in the school they are acting like seven year olds. She is disappointed because she expected more from kids who she knows have a lot of potential. They are quiet. They are not moving. I inform her that they will not be leaving when the bell rings and she agrees. We wait. "You have wasted my time, I will waste your time". Classic.

It's about two weeks later. I'm back to my favourite school, this time in a calm little grade two class. I see one of the students from "the worst class in the school". He remembers my name, and seems thrilled to see me.