So there's this student, "Julius", who has been nothing but a pain the entire year.  Not only did he turn nothing in, he intentionally tried to ruin every class in which he deigned to show up.  Screaming profanity: check.  Responding "you're too cute to try to boss people around, no one takes you seriously" when I tell him to get to work: check.  Murmuring "bitch" under his breath after every encounter with me that ended with him looking bad: check.  Accusing me of racism, inducing a meeting between me, the administration, and someone from downtown, in which I was asked to defend myself against the accusation, causing me to literally laugh out loud before I could stop myself: check.  And the final straw: using my beloved dry erase markers to try to tag up his binder, rendering them useless, and saying "They were BUSTED when I GOT em!" when I snatched them.  Needless to say, his average in my class is around a 55 (The lowest grades I give are 50s so no one gets too far gone).  He's a senior with 2 kids, will fail my class, and hopefully learn the valuable life lesson that you simply can't go around acting like an idiot and expect to have a diploma handed to you.

Oh wait, no, that's not it.  Supposedly I am the only teacher failing him (????!?!?!?!!) and graduation candidates are basically gods around here since the school's bond money is dependent on graduation rates.  It wasn't long before teachers were approaching me in the hallways with advice like "Ooo, I would pass him if I were you," and "He's so close to graduating, it would be such a waste to hold him back now."

Disgusted and horrified, I talked to my supervisor (badass lady), who basically told me that, vomit-inducing as it may be, there are some circumstances where the teacher needs to swallow any sense of decency and pass a kid.  The main argument in his favor is, he's passing spanish 2 (taught by a total push-over who wants to be everyone's friend) but sinking without trace in spanish 1.  Ergo, the problem must be with the spanish 1 teacher.

Trying my best not to spit with fury, I gave this delinquent a huge, custom-made packet for him to complete in order to bring up his grade.  When it was due, I asked for it, and he replied "What packet?  oh yeah.  I lost that."

This child will have a high school diploma within 2 weeks.  THE SAME high school diploma I have.
He evidently has plans to utilize his diploma to secure a job in an engine factory.  Be careful if you're buying a new car is all I have to say about that.



In other news, I wrote another referral yesterday on a kid who stuck his head in my door and starting hurling profanities at his friend.  (The friend, of course, was Julius.)  I'll show you the referral since I'm sure no one else will ever look at it even though it's sitting in the administrator's box right now:

On the plus side, in a few weeks I will be in summer classes, and then beginning of July I'm going to Europe for 6 weeks.  Sweet vindication. :)