Today I had a typo in one of my problems and had everyone in block 1 change a +18 in an equation to a -9....During 3rd block, after it took a half hour, screaming "SHUT UP" 3-5 times, giving the class the silent treatment AND telling them to teach themselves out of the book, we were finally, mostly, back on track. I was walking around to check problems 3-6 (the mess up was #10)...I wanted to help Brendan, who always has a lot of difficulty with my class (and a lot of attitude), I said, great job Brendan, how did you get all those? Walk me through what you did...Then I asked, wait, how come you crossed out that 18 and changed it to -9? He had no answer. Then he told me he'd gotten it from the group across the room....the group I had just told 30 seconds before coming to him, the group he was not sitting with since before lunch. Hmm, interesting, Are you sure Brendan? Then he went off and told me to shut the fuck up out of his face, how dare I accuse him of cheating.
Fast forward to 4th block. Same scenario. Students who never get it work ahead, I go check their work. They don't cross out the 18, but just add a 9 to solve the equation--puzzling? I ask where they get the 9, they have NO good answer. Are you sure? Where is that 9 from. Oh Ms. Sudow, you are right, let me erase it. I push a bit further, the same fight insues. I get yelled at, told I am accusing them of cheating, told I think they are stupid, and told I am the reason they are failing. Well Daniella, I'd rather you didn't cheat, especially on a worksheet, since it's really no skin off my back, but if you are copying people's work now it means you are not getting it and therefore won't be able to pass my class.
When Daniella's phone is out for the 5th time and I am asking the entire class to make sure they put away their phones, she says to me, how do you know it's a phone Ms. Sudow. Well Daniella, I know what an Android phone is since I GOT ONE FOR FREE WHEN I WORKED AT GOOGLE. That almost shut her up until she told me I should never have left. Well Daniella, sometimes I definitely think that too.
Lesson of the day: Full Moons make Whites Creek kids crazy. Lesson 2: Pick your battles. Maybe accusing them of cheating is not the right thing for me to do. Instead I should have just had them walk me through their steps, make sure they get it, that's all I care about anyway right? I need to be calm, cool and collected, and the bigger person--no more petty.
