I don't know where I'm going... but I sure know where I've been

[Here I Go Again, Whitesnake]

So the general theme of what Tami can't get off of her mind this week is what, oh what, do I do with my future? Or, rather, what is the Lord's will? Excellent question, sensei (I don't know if that's spelled correctly and I am FAR too lazy to go find out).

The overarching issue is that my school is insane. Just insane. And no, not just because they blocked Gmail (but I am still majorly annoyed about that). It's just unorganized and chaotic and lent to ridiculousosity... ugh. So I am about 85% certain that unless things get MUCH better next year then I'll move... of course, I just typed a 12-year-long e-mail to Clintonius Maximus (not his real name. And if you thought for a moment that it is then you're a tool.) about my dilemma. Do I go to New England or western Washington? Oh, the possibilities.

Anyway, here's a fun story from one of my roomies. And trust me- my school's pretty much on the same plane.

***

Thursday and Friday were final exams, and on Wednesday at 2:00 the central office decided that instead of having lunch in the cafeteria with everyone together for a whole hour between morning and afternoon exams, they'd deliver bagged lunches to the classrooms and keep the kids in there in hopes of preventing another riot. (Of course, we weren't supposed to tell the kids until they finished their tests, because they were going to be pissed.) Lunch was supposed to be 11:10-12:10. So, on Thursday at 12:30, when the kids had been in my room since 8:00 taking a test and then just waiting and STILL hadn't gotten their lunches, I sent a messenger to the office to make sure they hadn't forgotten my building, since we're the "Siberia" of the school. She came back and said they were still working on getting lunches passed out, and they were going in alphabetical order by teacher's last name.

So there are the first 3 incompetencies: 1. changing the schedule the day before testing, 2. going in an order completely unrelated to the geography of the campus, and 3. (which I found out later), not making the lunches until it was time to deliver them.

Lunch was finally delivered to my room around 12:45, but it took so long to get around to everyone that we were in the same class until 1:45. I had the same students in my room for nearly 6 hours. Then we moved on to different classes for afternoon exams. This is where the really great part comes in.

School is supposed to be dismissed at 3. But the state tests (similar to Regent's exams, if you ever had to take those) are timed, so we can't control how long they take. So, around 2:00, one of my TFA friends was in the office talking to the assistant principal in charge of testing and principal about when we'd be able to dismiss the kids. The conversation went as follows:
Assistant principal: Well, it's 2:00 now, and EOC's [the state tests] take 130 minutes, so we'll get out around 3:30.
Jason: No, we'll get out around 4:10.
Assistant principal: No, Mr. D., look at your watch. We'll get out at 3:30.
Jason: OK, I'm looking, and I don't see it. We're going to get out after 4.
Assitant principal: No, look. (Points to twelve on her watch, then points all the way around the circle back to 12) 100 minutes....(continues around the circle down to the 6)...30 minutes.
Jason: Actually, from here all the way around back to the same place is 60 minutes.
Principal: (gasps) Mr. D.'s right! We WON'T get out until after 4!

Of course, Mr. D. was not quite right. We actually didn't get out until almost 4:30. Yup. Between the hours of 8 and 4:30, there were only 5 minutes during which I did not have students in my room. Way to go, skillz.

***

And Bec didn't explain that the principal's tone (or Asst. or whatever) totally said it like they were explaining it to a small child... slowly, with precise enunciation. "100 minutes... 30 minutes..."

*sigh*

So like I said, New England or western Washington?

PS I wrote the last 90 questions of my final exam today- it's totally done! I am such a freaking rock star! Bam!