Random Tidbits:
Conversation between myself and Jonathan, who happens to be one of my favorite junior-highers despite this conversation:
Jonathan: Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Me: I don't know....
J: The chicken, because that's what God said happened!
Me: Well yes, that's what some people believe...
J: Yeah, God knows everything, it's in the Bible
Me: Yes, although not all religions read the Bible
J: Yeah, it's weird....also apparently it's illegal to make people tell you their religion
Me: That can be personal for some people....
J: I just appreciate that they do a good job to keep the evolution teaching to a minimum in science classes
Me: (In my head--AAAAAHHHH) (To Jonathan): Wow, you guys come from a different world than I do, I will just leave it at that.....
My working relationship with Hannah continues to evolve, and I learned some interesting information about her home life today which has made me consider adjusting my expectations, even though it pisses me off. She is a 7th grader with a 1st grade reading level, so that already gets her frustrated and, in her mind, excuses her from having to do work while willing her to be a social butterfly. Today I was helping her and Keisha, another 7th grader who gets some help (though not nearly as much) in Special Ed. Keisha was working hard to answer the questions, as Hannah applied lip gloss and attempted to occasionally copy off of Keisha's paper. Apparently she is not used to putting forth effort in this setting, because she resented me being there and she "always just lets Keisha do the work anyway." Not okay with me, as I told her, and did manage to get her to open her book and start to look up answers (with quite a bit of guidance from me). Ultimately, she did apply herself, but had to leave early, asking me as she left if we could finish the assignment in the after school program. I was pleased that she wanted to do this, and obviously agreed.
Of course, once we started the program, she was found wandering the halls checking out boys ("Oh man, I just wanna see Kyler Hazen's sexy, hairy legs!"), and I made her come into the classroom. I reminded her of our agreement to do the work, but she insisted that she just likes to do the work at home. I told her this was homework time, and we were going to work on this assignment. She replied that she needed to do it at home because her dad helped her a lot, and it quickly became apparent that by "helped" she meant literally did the work for her....given, she can't read so does need substantial guidance, but apparently he just finds the answer, points to it, and tells her to copy it, without any reflection or discussion of the material. I learned later from Mrs. Olmos that both of Hannah's parents have zero expectations of her academically--they do not care about her academic progress, nor will they support us if we try calling them to make Hannah work harder. Their only concern is her behavior, and this attitude surely explains why she is still illiterate at age 13.
Not to mention, a girl that I completely and totally loathe, and who happens to be Hannah's cousin, doesn't make the situation any easier. As I was instructing Hannah on her homework, Amber told Hannah that her "mom has a rule that she can do all of her homework at home," and that essentially Hannah didn't have to listen to me. I try to be sensitive to all of the issues these kids go through that may affect their behavior in school, but with Amber I just can't. She is a horrible, horrible, manipulative b-word, and she has had a HORRIBLE influence on Hannah. Of course up until about a month ago Amber wouldn't talk to Hannah ever because she hated her, but all of a sudden she let her in, and Hannah, happy to have a friend, is demonstrating a tendency to go over toward the dark side. At this point I want to focus more on preventing that as much as possible, and worry about Hannah's academic performance later.
PORTLAND WEEKEND (Never gets old)
Kayla, Lauren, and I are reuniting in Portland for a reunion unlike any other--the Bridge to Brews 10k. We're all going to FINISH the race without puking or dying, and have a beer-soaked celebration with the rest of the finishers afterward. I'm sure there will also be all sorts of reminiscing and quoting of high school yearbook entries as well.
Monday I also have 2 meetings lined up with contacts who are going to give me ideas on where to look for jobs. I also have an interview on Friday in Seattle, but I think they want someone who can start right away. Either way, the organization sounds really cool. And it is an honor just to be nominated.
HAPPY ROCTOBER (the way I see it, every month is Roctober)
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