"You be dressin'!" (And other stories from my week of orientation.)

Last week was my school's orientation for their incoming seventh grade students. Technically, it is an orientation for "potential candidates" since some students may not be invited to enroll if they are deemed a poor fit with the community and some students are on the waitlist and may not get the chance to enroll. Last year, I had a blast, the kids were adorable and the week flew by. What a difference a year makes.

This year, I taught five 45-minute social studies classes of 10-15 young ladies. It was trying to say the least. Although I do enjoy the curriculum - I use their reading of Witness to guide lessons on tolerance (meaning respect, acceptance and appreciation) and history. We taught for four days (M-Th) and then went on an "all-orientation" field trip to the National Museum of the American Indian. Now, that is one of my all-time favorite museums and if you ever come to visit me, I will certainly make sure it is a stop on your trip (if for no other reason than to apprectiate the unique design and fantastic cafeteria), but it is not an ideal museum for a school trip. And certainly not when the school trip involves 115 rising seventh graders, all of whom are students of color and none of whom are particularly interested in being there.

You may already know that I generally relate much more easily to my male seventh grade students than my female ones. This, I think, has a lot to do with the fact that I have little experience in my life to help me relate to/deal with the "queen bee-drama queen-don't you say my name out your mouth" attitude that so many of my girls bring into the seventh grade. Regardless, teaching 57 girls all week was a major learning experience for me. Not that it was all bad. As usual, there were some great moments. Enjoy!

Title track: Professional dress for female staff means no jeans, no casual shirts and no shorts (during orientation). Footwear is also watched, but no clear guidelines exist. Given the heat, I wore a lot of skirt/capri & sleeveless button down combos with dress sandals this week. Upon seeing my Wednesday outfit, my fourth period had this to say:
K: Ms. Miller, you be dressin'!
Me: Uhm...thank you. ::confused smile::
R: No, for real. You do be dressin'. Your outfits are tight.
K: ::quickly:: For a teacher.
::whole class nods and makes low noises in agreement::
Me: Well, I try. ::smile::

All together now ::shaking head:: "Seriously?!": In teaching tolerance (and using Witness), it is important to address the KKK: their history; their purpose; their philosophies. The students love this part of the week b/c they hear a lot about the KKK without ever knowing much about them. After an exercise on the history and philosophy of the KKK, the students check their understanding with a crossword puzzle, which we then go over. It was during this review that our brand new assistant principal decided to observe my class.
AP: Don't mind me.
Me: ::internallly:: I won't. ::externally:: Welcome! Please have a seat - we're just reviewing our crossword puzzles! ::to students in enthusiastic tone:: Who can answer 5 Across?
Students: ::silence and anxious looks at AP::
Me: ::even more enthusiastically/encouragingly:: C'mon! Don't be afraid of pronounciation, this was a hard one! Who can tell me what we call the idea that whites are better than other people of other races?!
Students: ::almost all raise hands confidently::
I think you can take it from there...(the answer, by the way, is "white supremacy")

Simple math: Before we are allowed into the museum, we are given an overview by a guide. Mind you, it is about 90 degrees and sunny and we're standing in a circle, three deep, around this 20-year-old guy who is trying to be heard over the traffic without any electronic assistance. Not so much, guys. Nice try though. The overview is basically just a threat - behave or we'll kick your whole group out. Do they give that speech to the school groups from Kansas too? Anyway...we walk into the museum where we must gather in this "holding area" until everyone is through security. There are 115 kids and about 25 adults. The security guard yells at the kids for blocking the path to the restroom, then the guide yells at the kids for blocking the path to the cafe and then the guide looks at me exasperated and...
Guide: Don't they know how to be quiet?
Me: There are 115 of them in here. They are being quiet.

Cranky old white lady (and no, I do not mean me): We are at the museum and my group of ten girls are exploring the section on Native American beliefs and religions. It is dark, with stars overhead and several television screens playing various short films. The space is enclosed (and therefore prone to enhancing sound).
T: Look, a movie!
::girls crowd around television screen::
A: Oh, I know this story! It's about a girl and her sis-
Cranky lady: SHHH!!! ::glaring::
Me: ::externally:: Girls, keep it down please. ::internally:: Get a grip lady, it's a three minute video on repeat.

I am so glad to have the next few weeks off. I adore teenagers, I really do, but it was definitely time for a break. And now it's time for bed.