Break week

At Alcatraz we are in the middle of our third summer session and I'm teaching Am and PM classes, all boys again in both sessions, and this time I'm teaching "Film and Life Lessons." During the third summer session we went to classes for a week, had a week off, and now are back for the last week of the session- all sessions are two weeks long.

I'm not liking this session as much as I have the last two and I think the break in the middle of it really throws it all off. My stride is broken, my juju is off. Or something.

The week before the break the kids fell into two categories: the kids who were excited about break because they got homes passes, and the kids who were having to stay at Alcatraz all week long and had to be holed up in their houses with nothing to do and at the mercy of their houseparents entertaining them. Or the wardens. But regardless of how they were to spend the week off, the kids were all outta whack; mouthy, negative attitudes, complaining... just off sync. I haven't had a group of kids like that yet. I've had one or two but this time I have a whole room full of kids like that.

Now that the vacation break week is over, the kids know summer is on the downward spiral and that their regular classes are going to start soon. They're all "blah". I realize their circumstance could have something to do with it, but the other two summer sessions were more... spunky as far as the groups of kids were concerned.

Maybe I just had better rapport with the other kids in the morning classes? My current morning group is certainly an assortment; an assortment of icky! I really like one kid but the rest of sort of... well, I realize why they've been sentences to Alcatraz, so I guess I could ask myself what do I expect? One kid is a real smartass and I've put up with his mouth everyday. Punishment doesn't deter him, either. One kid is a kid I busted three weeks ago for swearing at me in the hallway and then he landed in my class and he's miserable. I'm not so fond myself. Then there's the kid who gives me a pain, the only one who's been in my face. It's just a crummy group of kids in the AM. I'm glad it's been a summer session without incident, of course, and I know it could be much, much worse, but overall, these morning kids are really blah!

I completely *heart* my afternoon group. They are lots of fun, and pretty sweet. They go with the flow. They like to talk but not about the Alcatraz gossip but about life in general. It's nice to come back from lunch to this group of sweeties.

I'm curious as to what the fourth, and last, session will be like. I'm going to do the film/ life lesson again for both morning and afternoon groups. I've requested kids I've had before so who knows what could happen? I don't think it will be too taxing on me, but if they could be cheerful it would be nice. I hope saying that didn't curse myself. I do like teaching there, and I like the kids. I just have an odd AM assortment, I think.

But MY time, unlike that of my students, at Alcatraz is coming to an end. And then who knows?

Mags