In the last five minutes of class
What did we learn?
I have sporadic moments of hate.
As a lad, I frequently hated my teachers - even the teacher that I loved.
Frequently during last period, they would finish the teaching bits five minutes before the end of class.
And then they would make us stay in the classroom.
Elementary school, I guess I could understand. They need to manage a lot of flow. This was happing with incredible regularity while in high school.
When lucky, the last five minutes of class were a time of peer discovery. What’s going on? What are the plans? Where are people going.
This only happened when the teacher was only being a partial asshole and would allow us to talk.
Other teachers were much larger assholes.
For those teachers we needed to sit silently.
Sitting in silence for the last five minutes of a school day?
These jerks were so into the culture of delayed gratification they…
(is there any non gross way I could complete this? I’m not seeing it. Please intervene in the comments to prevent me from saying something pervy and regretting it later)
Rambunctious teenagers with something, anything better to do than stay quiet and still at the command of an everyday Umbridge.
What the red hot flying hell was that bullshit for?
A moment for unsupported, unacknowledged silent reflection?
A teacher with a migraine?
Or an asshole seeking compliance for the sake of compliance.
Without any other evidence, my guess is door number three, Larry.
Still I hated my teachers.
Eventually, noticing our agitation, one of the less assholish assholes explained liability and insurance and lawsuits to us.
We understood. And, we still didn’t care.
Some would zone out. Others would try to make silent eye contact across the room.
I would always try to get my buddies in shit by finding ways to make them laugh.
Others would sit there red faced with rage. Where did they NEED to be? What abuse did they suffer?
There’s a special kind of aggression that comes with feeling cornered, feeling cagey. Even knowing ‘why’ doesn’t necessarily diminish a felt sense of agitation.
Lots of things are great aggressive outlets.
Comedy. Physical activity. Even art making - I used to just beat the crap out of clay when I worked with it - likely with lots of grunts, growls and roars.
So.
What’s the last five minutes of class for?
And how are we going to get through it together - even that red faced rage filled dude?
I too felt a lot of rage during the last 5 minutes of class. Like why the hell could they just not sit down and chat in a civilized way? Why were they poking, hitting, yelling at each other? Why were they escaping out the back door and running away. Didn't they remember cranky Ms. B., a teacher nearing retirement, coming in and loudly chewing me out in front of them for letting a few go early at the end of a test last week? I have explained the school policy and that it is my JOB to keep them there. Why did this large group of 17 and 18 year olds, a mere 10 years younger than me, have to be such freaking manipulative jerks?
As you know I’m a teacher. Sounds absurd to sit silently!! School, especially in-person school is for social interaction, period. Yes to learn, but without interaction the magic stops. This is what I found out quickly when we abruptly went online.
As Seth says, “we’re better together”. Was that how it goes?