Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The Reason I Quit Blogging
I never wanted to have to write about a kid dying. I knew I would have it happen eventually. I knew I had kids who made dangerous choices and lived dangerous lives. I never, ever, ever, thought I would write about a kid like Monae Turnage dying.
You can google her name and look up all the awful details. I taught her for 3 years. She never missed a day of school, she sang in the church choir. I taught her brother, Malik, when he was in middle school. He is one of the nicest, most composed young men I have ever met. Monae was part of the debate team. She came to Saturday School. She loved being the boss of things and she wanted her teachers to love her more than she wanted anything in the world.
She went to a neighbors house. He was a 6th grader. He was playing with a gun. It went off. Monae was shot. They dragged her still-breathing body outside and hid her underneath some trash bags. On Sunday afternoon, as the neighborhood was doing a full-on search for her, the 6th grade boy led Malik to her body. She bled out underneath some trash bags in the alley less than a block from her house.
Monae Turnage was a good kid in a bad place and she is dead and sometimes that is very hard to deal with.
Rest In Peace, Monae. Even though I doubt you are resting at all. I bet you've already re-organized heaven and explained to everyone the proper way of doing things. :)
You can google her name and look up all the awful details. I taught her for 3 years. She never missed a day of school, she sang in the church choir. I taught her brother, Malik, when he was in middle school. He is one of the nicest, most composed young men I have ever met. Monae was part of the debate team. She came to Saturday School. She loved being the boss of things and she wanted her teachers to love her more than she wanted anything in the world.
She went to a neighbors house. He was a 6th grader. He was playing with a gun. It went off. Monae was shot. They dragged her still-breathing body outside and hid her underneath some trash bags. On Sunday afternoon, as the neighborhood was doing a full-on search for her, the 6th grade boy led Malik to her body. She bled out underneath some trash bags in the alley less than a block from her house.
Monae Turnage was a good kid in a bad place and she is dead and sometimes that is very hard to deal with.
Rest In Peace, Monae. Even though I doubt you are resting at all. I bet you've already re-organized heaven and explained to everyone the proper way of doing things. :)
May 7, 2013
On May 7, 2013, I stayed after school for over an hour talking with a student about God. He told me he didn't believe that God existed. Through our conversation, it seemed more like he was angry with God for all the deaths he had seen in his young life, and he didn't understand how so many dishonest people called themselves Christians. I told him that, for me, God exists in the love that people feel. I told him that I alone couldn't come into that school building every day without some feeling that there was something bigger than me to get me through. I am too flawed to do this on my own. It was an incredibly powerful conversation, and an amazing insight into what a 14 year old who grew up surrounded by violence feels. I cried in the car on the way home.
On May 7, 2013, I went to Chipotle because they were giving teachers free burritos. I saw a former student there. He was one of my original babies who caused everyone so much grief, but I loved him with my whole heart. He was there with his teacher. She said he had been voted Most Likely to Succeed. He was going to college. He was amazing and she couldn't believe all the stories of his middle school antics. Gang life? No way! Not this guy. He stays late for study help, he leads his classmates to do the right thing. I cried in Chipotle.
On May 7, 2013, one of my babies was murdered. He had been middle school best friends with the student I saw in Chipotle. He got involved in gangs and he never got out. I saw what was happening to him but I didnt know how to save him. It's like watching somebody drown but no matter what you do you can't get out there to throw the rescue line.
He was funny and he was smart and he sang to me on my birthday and they didnt even put his name in the paper. He was just a 19 year old shot on Greenmount.
He's the one that, if you didn't know him, you'd say he's a thug and he chose that life and good riddance, or some other nonsense. He's the gangster that sells drugs and robs people and does all of those awful things. But before that, he was a sweet little boy in my 3rd period class who brought me candy and cried in my room when his father died.
Sometimes the sadness is so overwhelming that I can't cry.
On May 7, 2013, I went to Chipotle because they were giving teachers free burritos. I saw a former student there. He was one of my original babies who caused everyone so much grief, but I loved him with my whole heart. He was there with his teacher. She said he had been voted Most Likely to Succeed. He was going to college. He was amazing and she couldn't believe all the stories of his middle school antics. Gang life? No way! Not this guy. He stays late for study help, he leads his classmates to do the right thing. I cried in Chipotle.
On May 7, 2013, one of my babies was murdered. He had been middle school best friends with the student I saw in Chipotle. He got involved in gangs and he never got out. I saw what was happening to him but I didnt know how to save him. It's like watching somebody drown but no matter what you do you can't get out there to throw the rescue line.
He was funny and he was smart and he sang to me on my birthday and they didnt even put his name in the paper. He was just a 19 year old shot on Greenmount.
He's the one that, if you didn't know him, you'd say he's a thug and he chose that life and good riddance, or some other nonsense. He's the gangster that sells drugs and robs people and does all of those awful things. But before that, he was a sweet little boy in my 3rd period class who brought me candy and cried in my room when his father died.
Sometimes the sadness is so overwhelming that I can't cry.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Blog 2: Return of the Blog
I know its July and this is a teaching blog. I also know I haven't written here in over a year. I think I'm gonna start it back though. I'm going to a new school. I'm going to be a part-time teacher and part-time counselor. We'll see.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Times When You Shouldn't Be Having Sex
When you think you are the only girl in the class who can use a tampon because you are the only one who has had sex.
(Also, when you are in 7th grade but what do I know)
(Also, when you are in 7th grade but what do I know)
Don't Touch It.
Some of the kids went on a field trip the other day to Luray Caverns.
They were told not to touch the formations in the caves because the oils on your skin make the formations stop growing.
This is what I was told today:
Damontae: "yooo, Miss Vinson, Desmond ain't gonna grow no more because he touched the formations!"
Desmond: "IT WAS ONLY ONE MISS VINSON I SWEAR! I WANT TO GROW!"
They were told not to touch the formations in the caves because the oils on your skin make the formations stop growing.
This is what I was told today:
Damontae: "yooo, Miss Vinson, Desmond ain't gonna grow no more because he touched the formations!"
Desmond: "IT WAS ONLY ONE MISS VINSON I SWEAR! I WANT TO GROW!"
Friday, February 10, 2012
Define Imaginary
I had to hold a class an extra period because a teacher was out. They had an assignment to make up their own country (the name, the language, the climate, everything.)
This boy whose last name is Finney said:
"Ohmygosh! I have a great name for my imaginary country. Finland!"
This boy whose last name is Finney said:
"Ohmygosh! I have a great name for my imaginary country. Finland!"
Never!
This kid got suspended for 5 days for stealing a teacher's Iphone. He came back after only 3 days. I asked the Assistant Principal if he was going to send him back home.
"No, I don't want to antagonize him."
Of course not.
"No, I don't want to antagonize him."
Of course not.
More Things That Are My Fault
Once a month these inspectors come in to see if the custodians are cleaning everything properly. (They don't.) The inspector came in my room and my room passed inspection. If my room had failed inspection, the cleaning crew would have been fired. The inspector told me that I need to stop cleaning up in my room for the next MONTH so that my room will fail inspection and the cleaners can get fired. Since I've been cleaning up after myself, my passing score raises the average too high and so no one will get in trouble.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Wednesday Workout
We have half days on Wednesdays so that teachers and staff can attend Professional Development. Since students are here for such a short time, the administration decided to take this opportunity to have the kids to Test Prep for the standardized tests. Our principal started calling it "Wednesday Workouts" because we are "working out" their minds. She encouraged the staff to wear their workout gear to emphasize this point. Apparently it wasn't articulated very well to the students.
"So, Ms. Vinson, we have to leave so you teachers can go work out?"
"Do y'all go to the gym or do you work out here?"
"Is people doing jumpin jacks and stuff?"
"So, Ms. Vinson, we have to leave so you teachers can go work out?"
"Do y'all go to the gym or do you work out here?"
"Is people doing jumpin jacks and stuff?"
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