Study Hall 101

Some of you know that I took on the job as study hall monitor for the high school this year. Either I need my head examined or it's more fun than a barrel of monkeys. You decide.

Today was especially interesting. The Chemistry teacher needed someone to cover his class for a few hours today, so study hall got moved to the chem lab and I got double the normal amount of students. If you think study hall is a hoot with just study hall students, try adding the entire population of school brainiacs. We have one side of the room watching inane and probably forbidden YouTube videos while the other side of the room is measuring, weighing, and heating. You heard me right: heating. As in Bunsen burners and hot plates. Thank God it was only hot plates today. Because Bunsen burners and study hall students do not mix. Not one bit.

Wants some highlights? A "pretend" brawl between two seniors, a boy and girl turned into a knee in the groin; rolling around on the floor, hand sanitizer in the hair incident in which the boy got the worst of it. I'm telling you I would not mess with that girl. She's a tough one.
Then there was the constant begging for me to take the group outside to play ultimate Frisbee in the snow. After me repeat idly telling them 'no!' a few of them thought they'd play ultimate Frisbee in the chem lab. Oh joy. "Please don't send us to the planning room Mrs. George, we'll stop now."

Needless to say, I didn't get any writing done. I have never been so happy to get back to the study hall as I was fifth period today. Even seventh period was tame compared to the Chemstudy Lall today.

The Cold Kentucky Rain

Don't ask me why Elvis is in my head this morning. I woke up with Cold Kentucky Rain playing on my internal music channel (the one in my brain). I'd be surprised if it was a song from the DH's wake up FM channel - it's not his style. But however it got there - it's sticking. I even started singing it in the classroom.

Doesn't even phase my students. I don't think anything that came out of my mouth would surprise them, either because they are already so world weary that nothing startles them, or because they expect me to be a little nutty. I don't mind if they think I'm nutty, I do, however, hope they grow out of their boredom with life.

What is it about high school, and high school-ers, that inspires such apathy? Well, come to think of it, if I was stuck in close proximity to my age group all day, every day I might get tired of it too. Not that there aren't people I'd be delighted to associate with on a daily basis. But I'd want to chose and my choices wouldn't be based on age. So perhaps they just need to suffer through and hopefully learn to deal with people in a constructive way.

As for me, I'll model cheerfulness for today and continue driving teens crazy by singing at work. It's not fair really, as I can always write the irritants of my life into a novel and despense justice in that way. It gives me an advantage.