Hairdo's and bad news

Hey folks. Updates are sad this time around:

I had a student bite me, kick me in the shins, and call me a shit. No joke. This kid is great--he's smart, he's funny, and he also has the worst life imaginable. He's the youngest in a house of 15 brothers/sisters/cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents--no parents because they didn't want to be parents. Anyway, this boy gets picked on all the time at home, so of course he would be the big bully in his class. He punches, shoves, cusses, destroys property, you name it. SO, last week he is fighting a boy in my class--I go to separate the boys, and this boy gets so angry at me for stopping him. I try to remove him, and then he bites my arm (no pierced skin), kicks my shins, and calls me a "Ca!" ("shit" in Mayan). I get the principal, and he lightly scolds the boy, makes him apologize to me, then gives him a new notebook and pencil...? yes. That did happen, and I was angry. I told the principal that he rewarded the boy for his bad behavior. He said, "Well, I'm not going to lash him. He apologized, and if he shows more good behavior, I will give him more gifts."

Ugh.

Fast forward to this morning at Assembly (the whole school gathers, prays, sings anthems, and then the principal gives announcements).

He calls five boys to the podium. He then says, "Look at their ugly hair. These boys are not to be talked to, looked at, or agreed with when they have hair like this. If you come to school with your hair like that ever again, you will be kicked out of school until you get a better haircut. I don't know if you think you're a movie star or some Hollywood actor, but your hair looks horrible." The whole school laughed at these kids, and some teachers dragged more "horrible haired" children to the front to be ridiculed. Their hair was no different from the boy hair we see in the states. It was jelled--some of it was spikey, some of it was a Jimmy Neutron/Elvis flip thing, and some of it was shaved a little smaller on the base of the head compared to the top. It was sad to see all these children looking at their reflection in the bulletin glass at their "unacceptable" styles. I sulked in the back whispering to myself "Two more weeks, two more weeks, two more weeks of this utter b-s." I also laughed a bit because both Andy and I would have been kicked out had we been teaching here over the summer: With his spikey hairdo and my pink-red-mullet streaks, they would have had a field day with us!

Then, when I think that this assembly couldn't get worse, he brings up the little boy from my class who kick/bit/shit me.

He says, "This boy has the devil in him. We need to pray for ____ because he doesn't listen to his teacher. He is naughty, and he bites, he kicks, he cusses. When you see him, pray for his behavior. I want his cousins, aunts, and sisters to watch over him at school so he doesn't act like such a bad little boy."

I seriously started tearing as I watched this boy enfold into himself--what embarrassment. How are these speeches productive? No wonder these kids have low self esteem issues. Ugh. I like teaching--but now I'm realizing even more that you have to stand for the school you represent. I hope that whatever job/school employs me, the staff and I will have an understanding about how we discipline children in a kinder and more humane matter.

Well, enough of that vent session. I do like it here. I love my class of kiddos:) Tomorrow I am observed for the last time in my student teaching career. It is all downhill from tomorrow:) Wish me luck!

Didn't do much this weekend but write lessons, chill in the sun with Beth, and did homework at this cute little hotel in PG owned by a couple from Idaho.

Anyway, I should get some sleep for this observation tomorrow--don't want to wake up with a bad do and get kicked out of the school ;)

Take care--more to come soon!

Also, if you get a chance, wish Andy luck--he's going to LA this Thursday for school. Give good juju or vibes for his flight, schooling, writing, and so on.

Talk to you later!