Excursions

One day, at about 9:45, a student from the office comes around announcing that an assembly will be held at 10:00. There is no P.A. system, and this level of organization is by no means suspicious, so ten minute later my class and every other class on my hall marches to the auditorium. We find it empty, and are told the assembly is not until the next day.

Another day, at a similar time, I get a message from the asst. principal that I need to take my students to the auditorium and report to the conference room. Class stops, and we go. I find that I had been called to an emergency meeting of the discipline committee to discuss a student who is to have a conference in mere minutes, and in order to ascertain that we all, in fact, agree that he be recommended to the alternative school. Twenty minutes later I find my class unattended in the auditorium, impressively well-behaved, and to a chorus of groans lead them back to class. (They asked me if I got a paddling.)

This Monday about ten minutes after the start of first period I get a message that I am to take my students to the library. I ask why, and where I am supposed to go myself, and I learn that I am going with three other teachers to Water Valley High School for the day to have a sort of mini-conference on how they improved their school. All of my classes sat in the library.

This semester I’ve had three conference days (one conference plus the Water Valley excursion) and one sick day. I have always had lesson plans and materials for the students to work on. I have not had a single substitute and those lessons and materials have always been ignored. If I’m not there, they sit.