This student is an interesting one. He is at times too smart for his own good. It has gotten him into trouble, and it can make him appear very lazy when in fact he is just unchallenged and thus bored.
One thing to look forward to from this interview is that I ask him about his friends. He names the girl who happens to be my subject in my previous edition of an interview with a student. She had also mentioned him, saying that he lies a lot and that it makes her very angry. I didn't tell this student what she said about him, but I just let him speak to their relationship for himself. Kind of funny, I thought.
Also, enjoy his unabashed opinion on how I'm doing as a teacher.
How long have you been in this school?
Two years.
What do you think of it?
It sucks. It’s kinda fun. And boring at the same time.
Tell me why it’s fun.
I don’t know. We get to be with friends. Chill out. Play some music. Bunch of stuff. That’s it.
Tell me why it’s boring.
Sometimes the teachers repeat stuff that we’re learning.
Example?
Like what we learn in math, the teacher repeats it, like we already knew it from fourth grade and junk. Like it gets boring.
Do you think some of the students aren't bored. Like they don't already know it?
Yea. Some of them. It’s boring for me but it’s a good thing for them.
What do you want to be when you graduate?
Not sure. Something that makes a lot of money.
Why a lot of money?
So I wouldn’t have to struggle in life, and I could have everything I always wanted.
Name some things you want.
I would buy like some really expensive clothes and jewelry, like solid gold and junk, and sneakers every day. And some nice G-Shock watches. And lots of cars.
Would that make you happy?
Yea.
What would make you happy that you couldn’t buy?
That’s hard. Like safe, and um, like make it through life safe. Like not have no heart attacks and junk. Be healthy all the time. Not look like your real age. [He laughs.]
Tell me about your favorite classmate.
Um, my cousin, _______.
Who else?
And ______. [Who happens to be the last person I interviewed. She said about this student: "First of all he lies a lot, like to me, and we’ve known each other since kindergarten–we knew each other since we were like six. And it gets me real pissed off when he lies to me and then he becomes a hypocrite." And then I asked her why she thinks he lies, and she responded, "Why? Because he’s stupid like that. He’s just stupid."]
Why do you think these people are your friends?
Probably because they get along with me better than other people.
Do you ever get mad at them?
Yea, a lot of times.
Tell me about it.
Um, I don’t remember why they get me mad, but it’s always an argument, but after that they’re always gonna be my friends.
What makes you most happy in life?
Money. You get to calm down. Take off as many days as you want. Watch TV. Play some sports. Play Xbox or PS3, get a break from all that working.
What’s your favorite subject and why?
Gym and math and social studies. This class is English, right? Yea, social studies.
What did you learn in my class today?
Um, was I even in your class today? Oh, we was reading a book and were talking about…I forgot. I know it was about Lyddie and the two girls, the Irish girls, something they taught her… I don’t know.
What has been the most interesting thing I’ve taught you this year?
How there’s hidden clues about what’s going to happen in a story as you read along. What was that called again?
Foreshadowing?
Yea, that.
What do you like about it?
Like before; it’s cool cause you can predict what happens before you even get to that part of the book.
How do you feel when a student distracts the teacher?
That gets me aggravated. Like when a teacher’s trying to teach and it’s really interesting and they keep talking and disrespecting the teacher, and the teacher tries to quiet them down, that really gets me.
How could that problem be solved?
I don’t know. Those teachers could be more strict with students they need to be strict with.
If you had to guess, how many years do you think I’ve been teaching?
Probably four.
What grade do I deserve? If you were the teacher and I was the student.
Like a B.
Why?
Oh, cause when you’re trying to teach, like I’m loud and everybody else is loud, and it takes you a while to quiet everyone down.
Do I do a good job of that?
Yea kind of.
Why didn’t I get an A then?
Because you could do better to make them quiet. You could be like, "You want me to call your parents? You’re talking too much. Don’t you guys want to succeed this class and not fail with an F?"
And be like, if someone has his head down, be like, "Do you wanna stand up?" [He laughed really loud here.] Or when you see someone off task, ask, "Are you working?" Say people who don’t work get lunch detentions or whatever the first consequence is.
Do I give a lot of consequences?
You give lots. People get used to it and they don’t really care. I think you gotta make your [lunch detentions] very boring. Like make 'em write something down on a piece of paper for whatever they did. Like, "I will not talk in class." Make them write whatever they did, like that would be the worst work session ever; it would make me not want to have a work session. And if they don’t do it make it affect their grade.
Tell me one thing you need to work on.
Um, I need to work on writing.
So my class.
Yea. Cause I’ve always had trouble. You know, how you use grammar and junk. Last year we didn’t have [an English] teacher. We had a substitute for half the year cause something else happened to the teacher. That would be like our free time. Like they take advantage of the substitute.
Was it one sub or many?
It was only one. I don’t think he knew anything about English. He was just trying to teach us some stuff.
Do you know why the regular English teacher left last year?
Oh, it was a girl. I think she had a problem with her knee. She couldn’t walk.
Anything you wanna add?
I have a really good idea for a book: How a school can affect teenagers' behavior at home.
That's a really good idea. Maybe you should write it.
Nah.
Favorite ice cream?
Um, the mint ice cream with the chocolate piece inside. You know, the stuff that's green? Yea, that right there.
One thing to look forward to from this interview is that I ask him about his friends. He names the girl who happens to be my subject in my previous edition of an interview with a student. She had also mentioned him, saying that he lies a lot and that it makes her very angry. I didn't tell this student what she said about him, but I just let him speak to their relationship for himself. Kind of funny, I thought.
Also, enjoy his unabashed opinion on how I'm doing as a teacher.
How long have you been in this school?
Two years.
What do you think of it?
It sucks. It’s kinda fun. And boring at the same time.
Tell me why it’s fun.
I don’t know. We get to be with friends. Chill out. Play some music. Bunch of stuff. That’s it.
Tell me why it’s boring.
Sometimes the teachers repeat stuff that we’re learning.
Example?
Like what we learn in math, the teacher repeats it, like we already knew it from fourth grade and junk. Like it gets boring.
Do you think some of the students aren't bored. Like they don't already know it?
Yea. Some of them. It’s boring for me but it’s a good thing for them.
What do you want to be when you graduate?
Not sure. Something that makes a lot of money.
Why a lot of money?
So I wouldn’t have to struggle in life, and I could have everything I always wanted.
Name some things you want.
I would buy like some really expensive clothes and jewelry, like solid gold and junk, and sneakers every day. And some nice G-Shock watches. And lots of cars.
Would that make you happy?
Yea.
What would make you happy that you couldn’t buy?
That’s hard. Like safe, and um, like make it through life safe. Like not have no heart attacks and junk. Be healthy all the time. Not look like your real age. [He laughs.]
Tell me about your favorite classmate.
Um, my cousin, _______.
Who else?
And ______. [Who happens to be the last person I interviewed. She said about this student: "First of all he lies a lot, like to me, and we’ve known each other since kindergarten–we knew each other since we were like six. And it gets me real pissed off when he lies to me and then he becomes a hypocrite." And then I asked her why she thinks he lies, and she responded, "Why? Because he’s stupid like that. He’s just stupid."]
Why do you think these people are your friends?
Probably because they get along with me better than other people.
Do you ever get mad at them?
Yea, a lot of times.
Tell me about it.
Um, I don’t remember why they get me mad, but it’s always an argument, but after that they’re always gonna be my friends.
What makes you most happy in life?
Money. You get to calm down. Take off as many days as you want. Watch TV. Play some sports. Play Xbox or PS3, get a break from all that working.
What’s your favorite subject and why?
Gym and math and social studies. This class is English, right? Yea, social studies.
What did you learn in my class today?
Um, was I even in your class today? Oh, we was reading a book and were talking about…I forgot. I know it was about Lyddie and the two girls, the Irish girls, something they taught her… I don’t know.
What has been the most interesting thing I’ve taught you this year?
How there’s hidden clues about what’s going to happen in a story as you read along. What was that called again?
Foreshadowing?
Yea, that.
What do you like about it?
Like before; it’s cool cause you can predict what happens before you even get to that part of the book.
How do you feel when a student distracts the teacher?
That gets me aggravated. Like when a teacher’s trying to teach and it’s really interesting and they keep talking and disrespecting the teacher, and the teacher tries to quiet them down, that really gets me.
How could that problem be solved?
I don’t know. Those teachers could be more strict with students they need to be strict with.
If you had to guess, how many years do you think I’ve been teaching?
Probably four.
What grade do I deserve? If you were the teacher and I was the student.
Like a B.
Why?
Oh, cause when you’re trying to teach, like I’m loud and everybody else is loud, and it takes you a while to quiet everyone down.
Do I do a good job of that?
Yea kind of.
Why didn’t I get an A then?
Because you could do better to make them quiet. You could be like, "You want me to call your parents? You’re talking too much. Don’t you guys want to succeed this class and not fail with an F?"
And be like, if someone has his head down, be like, "Do you wanna stand up?" [He laughed really loud here.] Or when you see someone off task, ask, "Are you working?" Say people who don’t work get lunch detentions or whatever the first consequence is.
Do I give a lot of consequences?
You give lots. People get used to it and they don’t really care. I think you gotta make your [lunch detentions] very boring. Like make 'em write something down on a piece of paper for whatever they did. Like, "I will not talk in class." Make them write whatever they did, like that would be the worst work session ever; it would make me not want to have a work session. And if they don’t do it make it affect their grade.
Tell me one thing you need to work on.
Um, I need to work on writing.
So my class.
Yea. Cause I’ve always had trouble. You know, how you use grammar and junk. Last year we didn’t have [an English] teacher. We had a substitute for half the year cause something else happened to the teacher. That would be like our free time. Like they take advantage of the substitute.
Was it one sub or many?
It was only one. I don’t think he knew anything about English. He was just trying to teach us some stuff.
Do you know why the regular English teacher left last year?
Oh, it was a girl. I think she had a problem with her knee. She couldn’t walk.
Anything you wanna add?
I have a really good idea for a book: How a school can affect teenagers' behavior at home.
That's a really good idea. Maybe you should write it.
Nah.
Favorite ice cream?
Um, the mint ice cream with the chocolate piece inside. You know, the stuff that's green? Yea, that right there.