The Hallway

Saturday, October 6, 2018

For the past five years I spent my day in a classroom on the first floor.  While I had issues to deal with the number of occurrences were pretty spread out.  With my move to the second floor, a floor where the higher grade levels are located, I didn't think I would have to deal with hallway issues.  Sadly, I was wrong.  So wrong in fact that I expanded my view from the back of the classroom to my view from the hallway.  In my last blog post I mentioned a couple incidents that I witnessed and thought that I could put the hallway incidents on the back burner for a while and just stick to the inside of the classroom incidents.  Sadly, I'm wrong again as I have a few more incidents that I think you may find quite interesting.

Round one of my view from the hallway.  OtherT4-M is easily the most visible hallway incident in the school.  People, we are talking about daily visibility as this scholar pretty much refuses to do anything and when the mood strikes him he just walks out of the classroom.  When I see him in the hallway I ask him about his leaving the classroom and when I do he proceeds into his work avoiding mode and starts moving away from me. I've been involved with scholars like this for years and I've decided that I'm no long going to follow a scholar around the school trying to convince him or her to return to the classroom.  Instead, I pulled out my cellphone, called the office, told the office what I saw, and then go back to helping students that are interested in getting an education and do some math with them.  Eventually this work avoiding scholar gets corralled by an adult and is returned to his classroom.  As this adult is leaving my hallway area I thank the adult for the assistance but I also know this.  The adult was successful in returning the scholar to the classroom but that scholar is just sitting in that classroom and is still doing absolutely nothing.

About a week or so ago my frustration level with OtherT4-M got the best of me.  The BigB#4 was visiting the second floor and was walking in my direction after passing OtherT4-M in the hallway doing his best at work avoidance.  When the BigB#4 was a few steps from me I pointed at OtherT4-M and said to the BigB#4, "do you see that scholar, he has fallen through the cracks and its very frustrating for me to watch him continuously doing nothing."  Right after saying what I said, the BigB#4 sat down directly across from me at my half round table.  As BigB#4 sat there I'm thinking to myself, "did I say more that what I should have said?"  Knowing what I'm thinking I said to the BigB#4, "if I was out of line I'll apologize."  The response was immediate, "you were out of line."  Then I heard the following, paraphrasing, "I'm aware of this scholar.  I know that he does not belong in a general education classroom.  I've been trying to get him tested so he can get the help he needs.  I've been trying for four weeks and so far I can't convince anyone to have him tested."  I've said it before and I'm going to say it again.  This is an overhead problem and for those of you that have been following this blog for a while you know exactly how I feel about the overhead personnel at the schools corporate office.  This group, in its entirety, does not remove obstacles for teachers, they create obstacles for teachers.  And right now a scholar that needs help, lots of help, is not getting it because some overhead person will not take ownership of this scholar and have him tested.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Round two of my view from the hallway.  My day is over, it's time to go home.  Rather than take the express route to the first floor I decided to take the stairway that is on the opposite side of the school from where I have my view of the hallway.  ST-T3 is walking his scholars back to the classroom.  As I approach the end of the line I noticed that there was quite a gap between the middle of the line and the back of the line.  I'm not exactly sure what caused the gap but I saw that there was an animated conversation going on between two ST-T3-M's.  I'm now within three or four strides from this conversation when the eruption started.  It looked like Ali versus Frazier, the Thrilla in Manila revisited, by two third grade scholars. As I approached the two scholars one of them step back from the altercation, pulled his hoodie up over his head, put his head down, and charged his opponent swinging with both hands.  It seems appropriate at this time to remind everyone that I don't make this stuff up.  When I reached the fight scene I moved my body between Ali and Frazier and not using my therapeutic voice told them to stop.  I then got the attention of ST-T3 and let him know that there was a fist fight at the end the line of his third grade scholars.

Round three of my view from the hallway.  It's time for the two classrooms that are to the left of my half round table in the hallway to rotate.  The first group of scholars exited their classroom and lined up in the hallway to my left.  Note, the ST-T does not exit the classroom with the scholars.  Instead, ST-T closes the classroom door and takes a seat inside the classroom.  Sitting across from me at my half round table are three of T4's scholars and we are just talking.  The scholars that are supposed to be rotating are just standing in the hallway unattended and they are getting loud.  One of T4's scholars yelled at this group of scholars to be quiet.  I immediately addressed T4's scholar that yelled out and told her to stick to her own business.  In just a matter of a couple minutes the same T4 scholars said to me, "Mr. Schultz, those kids are fighting."  When I looked to my left, two M's were exchanging punches and I hesitated for a second.  When one of the M's sent a right hand flying at his opponent and hit his opponent in the eye I stood up and stopped the fight.

I'm now seated at my half round table.  I hit speed dial on my cellphone and called the front office to make them aware of the incident.  I also called FBG to see if he was available to assist with this incident.  A short while later LittleBigB#2 and FBG arrived, the two combatants were removed from the area, and I'm back to my conversation with the T4 scholars.  Eventually the T4 scholars had to rotate to their next classroom and I was sitting alone and enjoying my brief respite from the chaos in the hallway.  As I was sitting there this thought entered into my mind.  ST-T's scholars were in the hallway.  They were loud, a fight broke out, phone calls were made, help arrived, the scholars involved were removed from the scene, and during this whole incident ST-T was sitting behind a closed classroom door, doing only God knows what, and was totally unaware of what just happened.

When I hit the publish button that is located in the upper right hand corner of my screen this will be blog post number two hundred and thirty-six.  Truthfully, this blog was difficult for me to write.  Twice I almost blew it up but decided to continue.  This blog post, and the one preceding it, have some pretty negative stories in it.  Stories that could lead someone to believe that I'm not sitting in a very good school.  That couldn't be any farther from the truth.  I enjoy walking into this school five days a week and I will continue doing so until someone kicks me out.  Sure, there are bad days but when I started writing this blog I made the decision to write about the worst and best of what goes on in this school so you would have a feel for what teachers have to deal with on a daily basis and I will continue doing that.

T4, OtherT4, and all of the other T's in this school are on a well deserved two week fall break.  This was a tough blog to write but I'm going to continue for one reason.  I already have the outline for my next blog post and I know right now, when you read it, you know that I have my happy face on.

PS - I've decided to snatch the sadness of this blog right out from under your feet and leave you with this.  This past Friday I got a directive, "Schultz, you are going to participate in morning check in."  "Yes, Drill Sergeant," and I moved towards the center of the room and parked my butt on the top of the hexagon.  "Drill Sergeant, I wrote a story last evening, can I read it?"  Drill Sergeant, addressing the class, "Mr. Schultz wrote a story and he is going to read it to you so sit like a frog."  Prior to reading my story I mentioned to the scholars that they were going on fall break at the end of the day and then went into my best rendition of song lyrics written by Roger Waters, "hey teacher, leave those kids alone."  Before I could finish the first sentence of my story I was interrupted.  Off to my left I hear T4-M talking.  "Mr. Schultz is the name of that song Another Brick in the Wall?  Ladies and gentleman, can you visualize my happy face?

PSS - for my personal safety, although it may be forgotten before fall break it over, there was a tad bit of hyperbole in that previous paragraph.