Teaching...

I just have to share this story with all of you because it still makes me laugh when I think about it.

A couple of Fridays ago we had a pep assembly the last hour of the day. The students have to meet with their 11th hour class for attendance then we are dismissed over the PA to the main gym. My students were dismissed and I waited for a couple of other teachers in the annex to walk down to the gym. We also stopped to use the restroom so we were a little behind schedule, therefore we should not have run into any students in the hallway for they should all be at the assembly already.
Unfortunately, we did come upon a group of four students, three girls and one boy. One of the other teachers asked what was taking them so long? The boy (who happens to be one of my students)replied with, "What?? What are you talking about...." Yeah that was about the time he finished scanning the group of three teachers and his eyes met mine and suddenly his words began to trail off and his eyes got as big as saucers! With fire in my eyes I just stared back at him and said, "Excuse me?" He made an about face and quickly began his retreat back to the gym. I semi-shouted, "Is this some one's bag on the ground?" Yes, in all of his excitement to get to the gym on time he forgot to pick up his bag off the ground, so he once again had to enter my presence to pick up his bag at my feet. My fellow science teacher said to the other teacher (who happens to be a first year teacher) "If we only had a little bit of that power..."
Problem for this kid was that our journey together did not end there. Thinking they had out run us or something when we rounded the corner, these same students were being notified by another teacher that freshman sit upstairs. Upstairs is where freshman ALWAYS sit, therefore it unnerved me again to see this boy defying yet another teacher! Again, our eyes met, there was another about face, and a "BOY, YOU BETTER MARCH IT UPSTAIRS!! THIS IS NOT YOUR FIRST PEP ASSEMBLY!!" At this point I am breathing down this boy's neck as we both march up the stairs. "You have just earned yourself a personal escort to all future pep assemblies!" He quickly found a seat. The other science teacher once again turned to the new teacher and said, "We have so much to learn from her!"
There are times when the look in a student's eyes makes my job so worth it!