In this, another edition of An Interview with a Student, I sit down with a girl whose name starts with a letter that rhymes with asbestos. That's not to say this student and asbestos share a shred of resemblance, but I just wanted to creatively describe the first letter of her name.
Anyway, she's a very sweet person. She's also mighty intelligent, as I believe the interview transcript will attest. But before we get to it, I want to retell a fun anecdote about this student. It was many months ago, and she had been acting a bit obstreperous (definition: noisy and difficult to control), so I phoned Mom. The next day, Mom decides she's going to drop in for a surprise visit on her daughter. By the graciousness of happenstance, Mom's visit coincided with when I was teaching her daughter. When I got the call from the office informing me that I had a visitor, I remember giddishly saying, "Send her up!" And when that door opened, and that parent stepped inside my classroom, the look on this student's face told an elaborate story that not even 1,000 words could contend with.
So that's this student. Now enjoy her words.
Have any plans for spring break?
I want to go out and I want to see the movie Divergent.
We’re gonna read that in class.
Read?
You don’t like to read?
No.
Why?
Because when I read, the words get me tired.
I feel that too, which is why I read before I go to bed.
Tell me about the first time you came to this school.
When I first came in I was like...I was so happy and surprised, because I used to with my mom drive around and wonder how this school is cause my cousin used to come to this school.
Say more about why you were happy and surprised.
I don’t know. I was excited cause I like summer school. And summer school here was fun because we got to change classes and my first class we read The Outsiders, and it was the audio, and after we read it we saw the movie. And the second class we went to, we used to play games, but it’s like we play teamwork games, and we read this play too.
What do you think about the behavior in the school.
Mine?
No, overall. Everybody.
I’ll say wild. Our behavior is wild, cause when that school bell rings we run, there’s nothing stopping us. And I’d say aggressive too. Aggressive. Like how you know, we don’t play, if you mess with somebody.
Can you think of a specific time?
When someone is talking bad about someone and they hear about it, it starts a commotion.
Have you seen that?
It happened when a student was talking ya know, crap, to a male student outside today. They were about to fight outside the gates.
Why didn’t they fight?
Ms. ____ stopped it. And ______ was riding his bus so he had to go anyways, but he said he’s gonna get him one day, like after spring break.
Is there ever a time when you feel frustrated with other students during class?
With this dude, you-know-who, because 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.
Why do you think he lies?
Why? Because he’s stupid like that. He’s just stupid.
What is the single most important part of school for you?
I wanna see everybody. And like I’m excited for spring break, but I’ma be bored. I want to see these movies but I might not get a chance to see them. This is like time for me, and I barely get to do anything at home besides play on my laptop. So the important thing is to see everybody. Playing around, get mad at each other and then resolve it.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I’ll be nineteen then, I already know that; I did the math. I’m fourteen now, next year I’ll be fifteen. That’s a hard question. I would, um, go places…like I would go places…it’s hard to explain. I would go out. Cause I’ll be an adult. Well not really; to my family I’m still a baby.
What’s the point of life?
To live. Like that’s the first thing that pops in my head. To take risks. Get in trouble. You know, to do everything but not everything. Do everything at this age, and do the rest at another age. It’s like live for the moment.
Describe a time when you lived for the moment.
When I went to [an amusement park] for the first time. I was twelve, and oh my goodness I went on this ride and it looked fun from far, but when you were literally on it, it’s so scary. It was awesome though. Because it takes you inside the woods and it’s bumpy, and I was with my friend and she scared me, because before the ride I was like what am I getting myself into, and she was like calm down. After we went I’m like I got this, and she said don’t get your head hit, and I thought she meant by the tree branches, so the whole ride I had my head down. I didn’t see anything. But she meant don’t hit our heads together, so I felt like an idiot.
Tell me about your family.
Well, I have a mom, a little brother and a little sister. So I’m oldest. Which brings me to a lot of pressure sometimes because I have two uncles that are really overprotective because of the loss of my dad, and a grandma that’s really, really, really overprotective.
Do you want to talk about your dad?
(Shakes head, somber for the first and only time during the interview)
Tell me about your uncles.
Well, my uncles had almost the same experience I did. We both lost our dad at a young age, but I was thirteen. But because his dad died he started using drugs at a really young age. Good thing he stopped already. But he always got into mischief. And my other uncle, the youngest, he used to tell me stories like what they did, like as a father-son, and it’s really weird that they used to open the top of an egg and eat the yolk, just like that. I never tried it, but I touched an egg and squished it before.
What is your idea or philosophy or definition of love?
Staying together. Like one supporting another without failing.
Without failing?
Like not lying, not cheating, you know, supporting each other, and being there when they need you. Not 24/7 (bangs fists together rapidly) like that, but maybe 12/7.
Have you been in love?
Yes. That’s weird. I don’t know. Because, well I think that my opinion is that some people, like let’s say 12 through 17 [year olds], don’t know the real definition of love. They think it’s this because of their mindset, what they see in movies, and I’ve been in that situation. And people in this school don’t know the definition of love because of their mindset, or their age basically because like, this person says that she loves this guy, but she’s like that…like she doesn’t express it, and then she says she loves someone else let’s say, and like it doesn’t … I don’t believe it because she’s gone out with a lot of guys, and she’s said the same thing, she loves them, and sometimes I just wanna slap her.
What's your favorite ice cream?
Strawberry.
Why?
It tastes good.
Anyway, she's a very sweet person. She's also mighty intelligent, as I believe the interview transcript will attest. But before we get to it, I want to retell a fun anecdote about this student. It was many months ago, and she had been acting a bit obstreperous (definition: noisy and difficult to control), so I phoned Mom. The next day, Mom decides she's going to drop in for a surprise visit on her daughter. By the graciousness of happenstance, Mom's visit coincided with when I was teaching her daughter. When I got the call from the office informing me that I had a visitor, I remember giddishly saying, "Send her up!" And when that door opened, and that parent stepped inside my classroom, the look on this student's face told an elaborate story that not even 1,000 words could contend with.
So that's this student. Now enjoy her words.
Have any plans for spring break?
I want to go out and I want to see the movie Divergent.
We’re gonna read that in class.
Read?
You don’t like to read?
No.
Why?
Because when I read, the words get me tired.
I feel that too, which is why I read before I go to bed.
Tell me about the first time you came to this school.
When I first came in I was like...I was so happy and surprised, because I used to with my mom drive around and wonder how this school is cause my cousin used to come to this school.
Say more about why you were happy and surprised.
I don’t know. I was excited cause I like summer school. And summer school here was fun because we got to change classes and my first class we read The Outsiders, and it was the audio, and after we read it we saw the movie. And the second class we went to, we used to play games, but it’s like we play teamwork games, and we read this play too.
What do you think about the behavior in the school.
Mine?
No, overall. Everybody.
I’ll say wild. Our behavior is wild, cause when that school bell rings we run, there’s nothing stopping us. And I’d say aggressive too. Aggressive. Like how you know, we don’t play, if you mess with somebody.
Can you think of a specific time?
When someone is talking bad about someone and they hear about it, it starts a commotion.
Have you seen that?
It happened when a student was talking ya know, crap, to a male student outside today. They were about to fight outside the gates.
Why didn’t they fight?
Ms. ____ stopped it. And ______ was riding his bus so he had to go anyways, but he said he’s gonna get him one day, like after spring break.
Is there ever a time when you feel frustrated with other students during class?
With this dude, you-know-who, because 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.
Why do you think he lies?
Why? Because he’s stupid like that. He’s just stupid.
What is the single most important part of school for you?
I wanna see everybody. And like I’m excited for spring break, but I’ma be bored. I want to see these movies but I might not get a chance to see them. This is like time for me, and I barely get to do anything at home besides play on my laptop. So the important thing is to see everybody. Playing around, get mad at each other and then resolve it.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I’ll be nineteen then, I already know that; I did the math. I’m fourteen now, next year I’ll be fifteen. That’s a hard question. I would, um, go places…like I would go places…it’s hard to explain. I would go out. Cause I’ll be an adult. Well not really; to my family I’m still a baby.
What’s the point of life?
To live. Like that’s the first thing that pops in my head. To take risks. Get in trouble. You know, to do everything but not everything. Do everything at this age, and do the rest at another age. It’s like live for the moment.
Describe a time when you lived for the moment.
When I went to [an amusement park] for the first time. I was twelve, and oh my goodness I went on this ride and it looked fun from far, but when you were literally on it, it’s so scary. It was awesome though. Because it takes you inside the woods and it’s bumpy, and I was with my friend and she scared me, because before the ride I was like what am I getting myself into, and she was like calm down. After we went I’m like I got this, and she said don’t get your head hit, and I thought she meant by the tree branches, so the whole ride I had my head down. I didn’t see anything. But she meant don’t hit our heads together, so I felt like an idiot.
Tell me about your family.
Well, I have a mom, a little brother and a little sister. So I’m oldest. Which brings me to a lot of pressure sometimes because I have two uncles that are really overprotective because of the loss of my dad, and a grandma that’s really, really, really overprotective.
Do you want to talk about your dad?
(Shakes head, somber for the first and only time during the interview)
Tell me about your uncles.
Well, my uncles had almost the same experience I did. We both lost our dad at a young age, but I was thirteen. But because his dad died he started using drugs at a really young age. Good thing he stopped already. But he always got into mischief. And my other uncle, the youngest, he used to tell me stories like what they did, like as a father-son, and it’s really weird that they used to open the top of an egg and eat the yolk, just like that. I never tried it, but I touched an egg and squished it before.
What is your idea or philosophy or definition of love?
Staying together. Like one supporting another without failing.
Without failing?
Like not lying, not cheating, you know, supporting each other, and being there when they need you. Not 24/7 (bangs fists together rapidly) like that, but maybe 12/7.
Have you been in love?
Yes. That’s weird. I don’t know. Because, well I think that my opinion is that some people, like let’s say 12 through 17 [year olds], don’t know the real definition of love. They think it’s this because of their mindset, what they see in movies, and I’ve been in that situation. And people in this school don’t know the definition of love because of their mindset, or their age basically because like, this person says that she loves this guy, but she’s like that…like she doesn’t express it, and then she says she loves someone else let’s say, and like it doesn’t … I don’t believe it because she’s gone out with a lot of guys, and she’s said the same thing, she loves them, and sometimes I just wanna slap her.
What's your favorite ice cream?
Strawberry.
Why?
It tastes good.