by Donna Swagerty Shreve
I had been a teacher consultant several years before, after leaving the classroom for good, I thought. This was the year education became a political football in California. The governor and Superintendent were from opposite political parties. My job funding was in question so I was placed in a classroom. I was sent to Woodbridge Middle School as a math/science teacher to seventh graders. I now had to prove I really did all of the techniques I recommended to others. The funding did finally come through but Lodi Unified had a rule that if you started the year in a certain assignment, you had to finish the year with that placement. I was stuck in this school for the remainder of the school year..
Because I used hands-on materials for teaching math, the scheduler of class assignments gave me a class full of second language learners. These students knew some or no English. Most did not feel comfortable enough to say anything in English. I was given a translator and class full of reluctant learners. One of the students had just come up from Mexico where the roving teacher visited her village once a month. She did not even know her numbers such as writing them or using them. She was considered pre-kindergarten. As a side note we got her to a third grade level by the end of the year. Because she made such progress, she was no longer eligible for any special help.
With the assistance of my translator, I made great progress with this group. By the end of the year most all students were answering questions in English instead of Spanish. They had become comfortable enough to actually use their new language. One student arrived from India. Several of the students started teaching him Spanish. I tried to convince those students that he should learn English first for him to be successful in school. I knew of another teacher in the district who was fluent in Farsi. I took over 3 by 5 index cards and I wrote basic needs on one side of the card and she wrote the Farsi on the other. He could then show me a card for various basic responses. Because he was well educated in his native language, he was able to make the transition to English better than most.
There is one student who stands out from the rest. Clifford was well known at school and in the neighborhood. He reminded me of a modern day Huckleberry Finn. He was big for an eighth grader. He gave a grungy first appearance with his unkept blond haircut and dirty clothes. He was a poor white kid who got placed in the second language class to repeat seventh grade math because his skills were poor and it was the most convient for scheduling. I learned that his father was in prison and he rarely knew where his mother was. She would leave for a few days and return whenever she decided. Clifford had learned to be a survivalist. The very first day in my class he decided to let me know a few things. He announced to me with great authority he did not do 3 things: homework, group work or long division. I thanked him for giving me the heads-up.
I seat my students in groups of four as I encourage group work and find single rows too constricting. From the looks from the various students I decided to break a long standing rule and make an exception for Clifford. Everyone in the class appreciated my bending of usual procedure. Some of the classmates had been exposed to Clifford the previous year and knew to steer clear. True to his word Clifford did not do homework. He did pay attention in class and did not cause trouble. Judging from what I heard in the teachers’ room, I was getting his best behavior. I overheard another teacher mention that Clifford was just four suspensions away from expulsion. The magic number was 20. Concerned I mentioned what I had heard to Clifford the next day. He became irritated and threw his hands into the air because he thought he had gotten the number up higher. Some teachers and Clifford were striving for the same goal.
The year before I had gotten there, Clifford made quite an impression of all of the teachers with his walkie-talkie incident. He had taken a walkie-talkie off of the desk of a teacher who had after school duty patrolling the playground. At that time, all teachers and administrators had a walkie-talkie whenever they went out amongst the student population. Backup sometimes was needed for a variety of reasons. Clifford quickly figured out the various buttons with their functions and went on a rant to all staff with this device. His vocabulary was quite colorful and foul. He took this opportunity to vent all of his feelings for certain faculty members. He then left campus and took a week or so off. It was toward the end of the school year so all agreed Clifford was done with seventh grade early.
On my first day of teaching at this school I was given after school duty on the playground. The duty consisted of keeping the former students from coming onto campus and causing trouble. I now had the chore of figuring out who was a seventh or eighth grader and who was a new freshman. I couldn’t even work the walkie-talkie as no one had given me any instructions. I envisioned all sorts of disasters looming so I decided my best defense would be my polaroid camera. I could always have proof if something happened. My next challenge was the walkie-talkie.That was when I spied Clifford.
“Clifford, I wonder if you could do me a big favor? I know this sounds quite strange but I need help on how to work this walkie-talkie and I have been told you are quite the expert.”
“Sure Ms. Shreve. Let me show ya”
Clifford then very calmly explained the various buttons with their functions. I thanked him and he calmly walked away. I gambled and won with that one. More challenges were to follow. I was still training teachers in other districts and would need a substitute from time to time. Clifford had another qualifier for that list of items he did not do, substitutes. I got quite a note from a substitute once that went into graphic detail about what Clifford had called him. It seemed as if Clifford started pushing buttons until the substitute would finally kick him out of class.
As the class progressed along, tests were given to see how many skills were being picked up and used. Calculators were available on tests but evidence or proof was needed to be given for each answer. I wanted to know how they obtained their answer. The test in question involved long division. Clifford turned in his test with the correct answer to a long division problem. His proof was a page full of hash marks. I asked Clifford to explain his process. He explained again that he did not do long division. The problem was 417 divide by 3. He subtracted 3 from 417 until he ran out of the original number. I then broke it to him that division really was repeated subtraction and he had beautifully illustrated it. He beamed because he was still convinced he had beat the system and had not done long division but got the answer his way.
My final reward from Clifford came in the form of a special favor if I ever needed it. He was helping with parking at a big gathering and if I came to a certain gate, he would make sure I got a good parking spot. Clifford and I got along and he did me another favor when he got the rest of his suspensions in other classes and never in mine. I was actually sad to see him go. He ended up at another middle school and actually fit in much better. Maybe he just needed a fresh start without a reputation to live up to.
I put in for a transfer from that school and only put in one year there. I survived and went on to better adventures at a more student friendly environment. I do wonder whatever happened to Clifford. He had potential and I hope he got some breaks so it was not such an uphill battle.
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