School Policy

Experiencing Anti-Americanism?

I think I experienced a little anti-Americanism today. I was in
class with my fourth year students. They are the lower level fourth
year kids. They are about 14 years old, maybe 15. Two boys were
sitting directly in front of me. They are both dark, their family is
probably from Surinam.

They were supposed to be doing something, but it was one of those
moments when I was encouraging them to speak English with each
other. The kids on the right had two highlighters. He stood them up
on end and then, with two other pens, made plane sounds and “flew”
the pens into the highlighters and knocked them down. They laughed.
They did it again, and again.

Finally, I walked over and one of the kids said, “Can I use the toilet?”

“No. It’s only 15 minutes until class is over.”

“Come on. I really have to go.”

I picked up the highlighters.

“Don’t sit here and make jokes about the World Trade Center right in
front of me and then ask me for a favor.”

“But I really have to go bad.”

“Then it’s going to be a rough 15 minutes for you.”

It’s not that I was having flash backs or anything, but it was sort
of creepy that these two little rats could sit there and make jokes
about 9-11.

On the tram going from the school to Den Haag Centraal, I decided
that I would speak to their mentor. All the students have a mentor
who meets with them every week or so. Maybe the mentor can explain
it to them.

I realize that they are teenagers and that they are at that age where
they would make fun of a handicapped kid right in his face, but there
comes a time when you have to set limits.

The little fuckers.

posted by Philip @ 3:46 PM