I experienced something so inappropriate, so disgusting and so insulting that I'm still not sure how to come out of it.
The incident happened in my 6th period class (these kids are amazing!). We were reviewing percent equations where the kids went around the Communications Academy to find examples of things that represented a "percent equation" in real life. After the scavenger hunt, each pair would present their "finding" to the class so the class could practice going from each of the different types of percent equation problems, and practice identifying them and solving each of the different types.
The scavenger hunt would take about 15 minutes, because there are more than 30 kids in my class, so it is harder because groups might get their first and take another group's idea.
In the middle of the scavenger hunt, Tito told me that he needed to go the bathroom (he even added "Yes, Mr. Yang, it's an emergency."). Tito's a very trustworthy student who does well in my class and tries hard. And since it was an emergency, I said yes, not really thinking too much about it... you know, if you have to go, you HAVE to go AND it was right after lunch.
Little did my 21-year-old first-year teacher self know, Tito was going to hook up with a girl from another academy.
Tito. An straight A student in my class... would go hook up with someone from another school DURING MY CLASS! As if he think's he's Mr. Cool because his teachers like him and his peers really like him and the girls really really like him that he can just go randomly pop in to the bathroom, hook up and leave. Pretend like nothing happened.
Oh, Tito. You're in 8th grade. Wait a little. ;)
Anyway, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
The rest of class went great. The kids had wrapped up finding their percent equation item and finished making an "answer key" to the particular percent equation they found in partners before presenting to the class. We walked back to the classroom to start presentations, Tito still not back yet.
I asked the security guard on the way back from the atrium of our Communications Academy to go into the bathroom and tell him that we were back in the room.
3 minutes later, when Andres and Manolo were presenting, I got a call to my classroom phone from the security guard. He told me about Tito.
I think that Maria, one of my students, noticed the look on my face and immediately assumed it was what she "knew". She sent a signal to the other students, and they picked up on the information too... while I was standing at my phone in shock, anger, disappointment and confusion.
The security guard told me that Tito and his "mistress" would be sent to the discipline AP immediately. My class continued with the presentations and everything was going fine according to the lesson plan after the incident. Until Tito came back.
"Oh, uh, Mr. O'Klay told me come back and get my stuff", he told us. I could see the respect that he commanded, as always, from the rest of the students in class. But I couldn't even bear to look at him. It was just too much for me.
I felt like all my work in trying to make them better people and better students collapsed with Tito. Tito was my student - my EXAMPLE - to the rest of the kids. Something like the incident today really hits you when after all the hard work, it doesn't pay off. Rest assured, the rest of my 6th period came up to me as the bell rang to tell me that my work will still live on in them -both the content I've imparted and the life skills I've taught.
Prior to starting this blog post, I checked my e-mail before leaving the school for the day. (I'm going to both enjoy this amazing day and meet some friends from high school in Central Park.) Tito e-mailed me saying "im sorry i disappointed u 2day bro. i should've thought about what u said before i did what i did. it felt good but now it doesnt becuase i realized what i did and what u taught us."
Now, as much as that message warms my heart in about 20 different ways, I still can't fully get over what happened today during 6th period. And I'm really unsure about how to reply back.
Tito will return to school on Friday. Tito and the girl he was with both got 2 days of out-of-school suspension. The girl was in lunch.
Anyone got any ideas about a reply? Or should I just not reply and wait until Friday to talk with him one-on-one face to face?
P.S. Today's the first day I'm leaving school at the earliest time allowed! 3:52 and 30 seconds! :) 60 degree weather and Josh/Susan/Sydney/Michael, here I come!
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