Sometimes, Messing With Sasquatch Is Not A Good Idea

The students are plotting a prank on MathCrony. It is not vindictive. But I fear that they will get their comeuppance tenfold if they mess with MathCrony. I tried to warn them. I pointed out that she is not one of those cuddly, jolly, buddy-buddy teachers who will laugh and take it like the joke that it is. No. She is very serious. They are asking for trouble. Cruisin' for a brusin', achin' for a breakin', yakkin' for a smackin', yearnin' for a burnin', bleatin' for a beatin', and most definitely prankin' for a spankin'. But you know how kids are. There's no telling them.

Here's the deal. Mrs. MathCrony is particular about her stuff and her classroom. We are kindred spirits. She tells the kids the rules the first day. And woe is the student who 'disremembers' what she said. Mrs. MC does not like anybody even touching her desk. I, on the other hand, have issues with them touching the stuff on my desk. The desk itself has no sentimental value to me. Mrs. MC does not even let her students touch her whiteboard. I, on the other hand, do not let them write on my whiteboard without my permission, or erase anything I've written on it. See? We can play the game of Who's Crazier all day long, but the bottom line is that I fear Mrs. MC will not really think it is a joke, but rather a plot to overthrow her authority, and will send some students to the slammer to cool their heels for a couple of days.

The plan goes a little something like this: several students are changing schedules due to their current math conditions. They are going from one teacher into Mrs. MC's classes. She is not familiar with these new students. It will be like the first day of school all over again. Which puts anyone on edge. I, myself, am not fond of new students. You have to expend extra energy to wear the newness off of them and break them in correctly.

A student made the comment today about one of those class-changing students, that Mrs. MC allegedly said 'she's not going to take him in her class'. In my head, I heard an imaginary screeching tire sound. Wait a minute... So I asked the student about it. The student replied, "She didn't mean she wouldn't let him in her class. She meant that she's not going to put up with his bull." Keep in mind that the only way Mrs. MC could know anything about him is from what the other kids have told her. They are already stirring the pot. So the situation is already fraught with danger.

This one kid plans to go into Mrs. MC's class the first day, walk over to her desk, lean on it with both hands, and say, "So where do I sit? I'm new in this class." When Mrs. MC flips out because his hands are on her desk, and starts berating him to NEVER, EVER touch her furniture again, he is going to hold up his hands, say, "Whoa!" and back up until he's leaning against Mrs. MC's whiteboard. When she starts to lecture him on that, he's going to say, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't know the rules. I just got here, remember?" Then he will mosey apologetically back to Mrs. MC's desk, and fiddle with her pens and pencils, removing them from their straight rows and setting them asunder, like nervous apologetic fidgeting. The kids are all betting that before it even gets to this point, New Boy will have been written up and sent to the office, and they vow to gladly bear the brunt of Mrs. MC's wrath because of the entertaining diversion.

It sounds like a bad idea to me.