Restraint

Those of you who have had the pleasure (hah) of knowing me for many years, may know about my lack of tact or restraint and some have gone so far as to suggest I may have a potty mouth.

Yesterday I had three high school classes to instruct because the English/history teacher was home ill. My first class was the grade 9s who have a reputation for being little shits. They weren't bad, not great but I could deal with them. The second class was fine no problems there. The final class, I was warned about by the students in my first class.

Let me say here that I think I am a patient person it takes a lot for me to really lose my temper. I am a potty mouth but it is usually in the context of a joke, or merely voicing an opinion.

Anyway the grade 10s were bad. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD. I was told to call the principal if there was misbehaving, I didn't really want to do that because once you surrender your authority it is hard to get it back. But as a supply teacher I have no follow up abilities with the kids and they pretty much ignored me so I called the principal...no answer. I waited a little while and called again, no answer. I was stuck with these kids in a room for 80 minutes, while they pretty much did whatever they wanted. They drummed on desks, the sang, they played soccer, and one of them showed up half way through with a big envelope which he opened and shared with the rest of the class "Ahmed is often disruptive in class..." NO SHIT!!! No sooner did I stop them from doing one stupid thing, then they started doing something worse. They were given an assignment to finish by th end of class, and only 5 of the 14 handed it in. I was told after the fact that there are 5 boys in that class that would have been expelled in any other school but because the school needs a certain number of highschool kids they keep them in strictly for the cash. The culminating event of the afternoon was having the soccer ball thrown at my head. I kept that ball, and holy shit you wouldn't believe the histrionics that caused! "Oh miss they will kick me off my team!!!" "Miss why are you being so mean??" "Miss we didn't do anything wrong!"
The last one came from Omar who had been as gross as he could possibly be all afternoon long. I lost it I went up one side of him and down the other and I didn't swear which took a great deal of restraint. I was going to write out a list of the misbehaving assholes but decided I should instead write a list of those who behaved because that was only 4 names.

I want to teach them again. Not for revenge or because I am a masochist but I want to go back to show them that they didn't get the best of me. I didn't get personal with any of them, I repremanded them for their behaviour and told them there were consequences for behaving that way. It was a challenge and it was what I needed.