The Lion Queen

Don't mess with the Queen!

I have a friend who likes to tease me, saying I've been operating like a wee little pussycat though a lion lies within.

Well, today I roared...and five hours after school let out my teeth are still bared. You see, there's this student who has by and large taken his entree to high school to be 9 parts fun and 1 part work. Now to give him credit, he has turned in some assignments and they do show evidence of him paying attention from time to time, but he thinks he's slick.

How slick, do you say?

He thinks he's Delancey Street Shell Game Slick or Taxi Driver In A Far Away Place Snagging A Juicy American Fare Slick or I-Think-My-Teacher-Is-So-Stupid-She-Won't-Notice-Me-Blatantly-Cheating-Slick. BLA-DOW! I am sure there a lot of people who might not rate what happened next as high octane (after all, as another student informed me, "My teachers used to curse at me ALL the time"), but I was heated. And trust me, the whole class knew it. This little boy who doesn't KNOW me had the unmitigated gall, the untethered temerity, THE NERVE to cheat!!!

Now of course, upon reflection I probably should have handled the whole affair with much more aplomb and dare I say, finesse. On the other hand, I do remember experiencing a twinge of envy when I heard a student saying "Are you kidding me? I can't be late to Ms. So-and-So's class!..." because he knew she didn't play and he had to be on his game from jump. While I rarely have students come late and I do start work immediately, I've struggled to land a pace that inspires students too cool to be rushed and accommodates those who genuinely need a bit more time to process. It can be frustrating, and I am finding my generally accommodating demeanor to be a hindrance. This kitty has got to go somewhere--for real. There are way too many things to teach over the next 168 days for me to be putting up with laziness or other foolishness. Really!

I love classrooms because there are a zillion things to work on all the time, and finding the balance is like the ultimate Tetris game. Let's just say challenge inspires me. If I move at just the right pace, I will not only keep students engaged but I will maintain the balance of power (such an ugly, necessary word), use precious time on what matters, and give students a well-needed sense of urgency. Yes, urgency, because high school is a short ride with a looooong playlist--trust me, you don't want to know how many graduate without basic essay-writing skills. You just DON'T. Then there are the matters of making every lesson accessible to multiple types of learners, me being constantly reflective about what works and what doesn't, maintaining routines, and of course, breathing.

Still and all, I am delighted by what's possible--that silly, cocky freshmen who say things like 'these words are booty' when I give them SAT vocabulary will write circles around their competition on college apps; that their thinking will become sooo flexible that standardized tests are to them what a 2-mile run is to a cheetah; and that at least ONE student will say 'Ah HAH!' every say, week, maybe? Hmmm.

My students groan and talk A LOT about what they can't do, but all I can hear right now is my roar.