Threats from Students

One does not often get threats from students, but I have had one or two.

One time a year or so ago I had a student sitting in the middle of my class say to me, "You're afraid of us." The way I dealt with it could have been a disaster, but it worked. I approached the student and when I was about three feet away I lowered my face opposite the student's and said, "Not in your wildest dreams. I wasn't afraid of the kids when I worked in Juvenile Hall, and I'm not afraid of you, either."

This past Friday I subbed for a new teacher and had classes of about 34 students. The teacher gave me excellent instructions in writing about the classes -- who which ones would probably be difficult, which students (about two or three per class) I could trust because they were honest, and what needed to be done.

I saw a few familiar students in these classes and I lot I had never met before. I don't remember if I described the very little ninth-grader who still sucked his thumb and who called me a "mother-fucker" a year or so ago. He appeased in one of these classes this past Friday. He still sucks his thumb and he still acts up in class, jumping out of his seat, talking, running around and causing a disturbance. It was interesting to me to see that he still follows the old behavior patterns even though he must now be in tenth grade, and that he seems not to have matured appreciably either emotionally or physically. Also in one of Friday's classes was a very large, very intelligent student I had had in classes when I spent two weeks teaching a physiology class a year or so ago. This student did his work, didn't say much, but was noticeable because of his dress. I am not sure iuf he is trying to give the impression of being a cross between a Nazi naval officer or a policeman, but his garb, very dark blue and covered with pseudo-military accountrments, is striking.

The worst class of the day was the sixth period, where a group of about eight students sitting in the center and back of the class tried to act up, create disturbances, and cheat on their tests. I wrote up one of them and sent him off with security. A few minutes later while my back was briefly turned a voice from that general section of the room said, "You better watch out for your Camry now."

I have started parking my Camry in a disabled space next to an entrance to the school. A great many people come by this spot, so I have no doubt the student had seen me there with my car before. I have reached the point in the deterioration of my hip that while I wait another two months for my hip replacement operation I must take pain killers for walking. Before this, I had parked my cart several blocks away in an area the students don't go -- on the advice of my wife, who used to work for the Berkeley School District. Pain or not, I think I shall go back to parking in that same area. Obviously, even if the car were damaged I would not know which student had done the damage. But pain or no pain, it doesn't seem worth taking chances.

I am thankful that for the next six weeks I will have special education classes that don't include last Friday's students. More about that tomorrow.