When I subbed at the middle school last week, I was asked to fill in for the aide who works with youth who have detention or in-school suspension (ISS) as they call it. When I arrived for her shift I saw a youth waiting in the room. I made a comment about it when I went to sign in but thought that he was just there for homework support. I didn’t know he had reacted to a situation (someone had been teasing him – bullying him) and got physical. It just so happened that the dean of students saw him and wrote him up. Nothing happened to the youth who had provoked whatever it was.
He waited at the table with questions regarding his homework in math. Oh, no! I have been helping out with regrouping in second-grade math. The sixth graders more complex problems threw me off. I couldn’t remember any of the formulas.
“If Hector cuts 25 logs every 15 minutes, how many logs will he have cut in 35 minutes?” The answers are multiple choice. I look at the choices. 36, 24, 41, 58 . . . . I really don’t remember the choices except for 58. I had tried doing the formula but seemed to be missing a step.
“Well, we know that 30 minutes is twice the amount of 15 and so that would mean 50 logs. Being that there is only one answer that gives us over 50, I would say that one. I’m sorry I can’t figure out the formula.”
There was another that the principal showed him was similar to another he had done on another page. But then he had two questions that were more foreign. What???? Math is like Klingon – I suppose there are some people who understand it. I’m just not one of them.
His social studies teacher came in and looked at me. She said, “Oh, good. It’s you.” Another indication that this boy (I’ll call him Sean, though that is not his real name) is basically a good kid. More than one instructor came in throughout the day to make certain Sean hadn’t been “fed to the wolves” so to speak. I ended up with four youth at the end of the day. Two 6th graders and two 7th. None were horribly bad in my presence, but the 7th graders engaged in conversation, folding papers, shooting crumpled paper into the garbage, looking out the window – anything that didn’t involve education or being quiet. They’d been warned several times NOT to talk, NOT to move from their seats, AND to spend their time wisely.
When I was relieved for lunch, I suggested to Sean to have the other aide assist him with the problems we had missed. When I returned a third aide was trying to figure out the problems as well. I was so happy to realize it wasn’t just me who was having a problem. I told Sean to tell his instructor that neither his mother nor three aides could figure it out and it was, therefore, unsolvable by any human on the planet.
By the time I left the two sixth graders were doing what they were asked. I ended up writing up the other two. My words may have added more in-school suspension for today. I did not work at any of the schools today. I chose to stay home which was wise on my part as I really haven’t felt well today. I did get my assignment finished and turned in. Next week’s subject is Medicare.
