Public School Shenanigans

Hi Everybody!

Sorry I have been MIA for so long...finals killed me for 2 weeks, plus that 9 hour drive home with Domer. The picture above is how he was sleeping in the car. He loves uncomfortable positions. I have done nothing but sleep for the past week at home. (Those of you who know me know that this is NOT an exaggeration.)

However, on Tuesday, I left the house to go somewhere that wasn't the gym. (My daily routine so far has been sleep till 1:30, eat peanut butter crunch, go to the gym, then come back and sit and watch Law and Order SVU with Emiel until midnight. Sleep. Then repeat. Sadly this ends Monday when I start work.) Mom, Kristof and Chief have been begging Runt and I to come check out their prospective schools. My mom teaches English in what is called the "Newcomers" program at Pike, and Chief and Kristof work at Tech. Chief is, obviously, the Head Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director. Kristof is the JV coach with him and works as a paraprofessional in the school. Both Pike and Tech are Public Schools in every sense of the word.

So, Tuesday, Runt and I decided to go to Pike.

Like I said, Pike is a public school in Indianapolis, but its not part of IPS (Indianapolis Public Schools). Its a township school. Which basically just means its not like "in the city limits" but it still is in Indianapolis. Whatever, not important. I think about 3000 kids go to Pike. So Mieke works there, in the Freshmen Center, and she teaches English to Newcomers- who are kids from different countries who dont speak English. Most of her kids are Spanish speaking, a lot are from Africa and French speaking, some from Pakistan, kids basically from all over. Which if you know my mom this is right up her alley. (She speaks 5 languages- English, French, Spanish, Dutch and Flemish). So she loves her job. (And is good at it- she just won Teacher of the Year at Pike!)

Anyways, so Runt (Emiel) and I go to Pike on Tuesday. We have been hearing stories from Mieke and Chief and Kristof about all the wild kids at their schools so I'm excited to see a little dramz. And dramz is what I got.

Here is a timeline of our experience:

12:00- Pull into Pike Parking Lot. Tell some dude in a truck with a stop sign we are going to see Mrs. Kendrick. He lets us through.

12:02- Argue with Emiel over whether or not I could park where I did. (I could.)

12:04- Walk into Pike, tell the secretary that we are here to see Mrs. Kendrick. All the doors are locked.

12:05- She calls my mom on the phone and tells us my mom is sending a student down to get us.

12:07- Meet one of her students from Pakistan, who walks us up to her room. Meanwhile notice how big the new this area of the school is (was built in 2005) and how easily you could get lost in it. Pass the Home Ec room which looks amazing. (My school used a closet to teach us how to sew. Maybe.) Go upstairs, notice a camera legitimately every 5 feet. Wave to all of them because I'm a jackass.

12:08: Walk into "MIZZ KENDRICKS" room. That is what all her students call her. "Mizz! Mizz!"My mom has us sit in front and the students all introduce themselves and say what country they are from. Togo, Haiti (the boy from Haiti actually lost his mom in the earthquake. He was so cute and little too. Sad.) Pakistan. China. Mexico. Guatemala. El Salvador. Guinea. Ivory Coast. Rwanda. (I of course wagoned all the ones from Africa. The two girls from Rwanda actually experienced the Rwandan Genocide- when they were little they watched their mom being stabbed and beaten to death in a cornfield.)

12:15- Took questions from the class like the celebrity I am. They were all so cute and excited and it reminded me of being in high school when life was still somewhat innocent.

12:30 Bell rings and its time for them all to go. Right after the bell rings, this lady comes in saying "I NEED TO USE YOUR PHONE I NEED TO USE YOUR PHONE THERE'S A FIGHT"

12:31- The lady is calling security and my mom presses the Panic Button in her room. Yes, a panic button. Every classroom has one. And there are some in the hallway. Because these kids are crazy and fight all the time.

12:32 I rush to the door and see literally what I can only describe as a HERD of teenagers rushing towards a fight. Its like a pack of wild animals not kidding. And I can't tell who's fighting but lord help me I am trying.

12:34- Security finally comes after what seems like forever. The police men tell the kids to break it up and move to class. No one does.

12:35: Policeman grabs this GIRL who was fighting. Yeah it was a GIRL fight! They are the most vicious! She doesnt let him and hes like wrestling with her and finally throws her against the wall. No joke.

12:36: Another girl walks by who already has the formings of a black eye. Talkin' about "she started it!"

12:37: Just as everyone starts to disperse, I see this tall kid with braids yelling at this shorter kids "N*gga you best get up out my face!" People start holding him back, then they start fighting, crowd forms again.

12:38: Cops tell everyone to MOVE ON. Braids wont stop so he gets tackled to the ground! I'm standing there watching like a deer in headlights. I want to tell that kid hey- I start work as a juvenile defender on Monday--see you there?

12:39: Come in the classroom and relay the story to Emiel who didn't want any part of it. Finally the crowd is gone and Mieke takes us on a tour of Pike to meet her fellow coworkers. We walk out and braids is telling the cops "Yeah I shouldn't have done it, but everyone was going on and the DUDE GOT HYPE!"- You kinda had to be there but Emiel and I laughed. (Note: this is why there are all those security cameras. See who started the fights and all that.)

We stayed until about 1:30 or 2. Met a bunch of her co workers. Walked the halls. The school is so big. And I'm thinking about how wild those kids were in the hallway. And imagine if you're one of my mom's poor foreign kids. You speak no English. You come to this jungle that is school and everyday people are fighting throwing punches going to blows in the hallway. How scary right?!

Im not trying to portray Pike as a bad school because it's not at all. It's actually a really good school. Just everyday life in a public school in a city- can't escape it. Now we are going to Tech tomorrow- and Tech is even "worse" then Pike when it comes to the aspect of fights. One kid tried to fight Kristof yesterday. They are always cussing at teachers. It shall be interesting!

Until next time...which I promise you will be sooner.

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Peace, Love, and Leo