Another Work Week in the Life of Phoenix

I wake up this morning; get myself ready to go to work. I'm not excited but neither am I depressed about it. For the most part I really like my job. I can't say that I love it, but it sure beats working at plenty of other places (summers off). Actually I do love being a guidance counselor but I haven't found the right school. What I mean by that is that I haven't found a school that's a perfect fit with me. Yes I know that anyplace anyone works will have challenges, but it's those challenges have to be worth it.

The district in which I work is predominately white and affluent. With that being said, the type of students I deal with have attitudes of entitlement and don't give a shit about the people who work in the school. Example of this is that the high school and the middle school are attached, so I see plenty of my former students who are now in the high school. I can walk right by some of them and they will look at me as if they never seen me before - that is if they look at me at all. I don't blame them, I blame the parents because most of them treat the faculty and staff as if we are their personal servants. And being that I'm black makes it even easier for them to treat me like a servant.

I actually had a parent ask me where I went to college and how long have I been a counselor. If she were as smart as she thought she was, all she had to do was turn her head to the right and she would see my undergraduate and graduate diplomas right on the wall. If I weren't qualified for the job - trust - I wouldn't have been hired. I had to qualify for the job and someone had to interview me check my credentials. This type of ignorance is what bugs me about this district. I always have to CMA (cover my ass) and be one step ahead of the game at all times. I can't sleep on anything that comes my way because the first time I let something slip will be the "death" of me here. Granted I have tenure and they can't fire me but the parents sure know how to put pressure on the faculty they don't like.

But back to today and the reason for this blog. I'm sitting in my office putting on my sneakers. The school was about to have a practice emergency evacuation walk. When my phone rings. "Hello, Hello this is Phoenix. Hello. Hello. I can't hear you. Hello." There was very loud background noise and a lot of static. I couldn't hear the caller and I wasn't sure that the caller could hear me. The phone rings again. I answer, "hello, this is Phoenix. Hello. I can't hear you . Can you call back when you get into a clear zone. Hello who are you calling for?" Caller - "I'm calling about my son." Me - "Hello. I can't hear you." The call drops.

So I go into the waiting area of the guidance suite chatting with the rest of the department and the secretary's phone rings, but I can hear my line ringing in the back. I look at her display on the phone and see that it was for me. I answer, "Hello, this is Phoenix." Caller - "you should quit your job because you are horrible at what you do!" the call ends. Now my mouth is wide open because I just about to let the "ghetto" in me loose but just in time the secretary asks me what happens. I need to thank her cause I almost lost it. Everyone was looking at me and wondering what happened. Then I told them what the caller said. They couldn't believe it. The voice on the other end sounded like and adult female. THANK Goodness for caller ID. The secretary dials the number back and the recorded voice of the owner comes on "Gerry." Hold up - I had a student named Gerry last year. I'm thinking to myself "nah this kids better not be playing around cause they don't want me to really catch them." Dana the other counselor suggest that I tell the principal what happened when we get back from the drill. We all leave the office talking about how silly the person is.

When we get back from the drill I go into my office with the secretary to try again to get someone on the phone from the first call where I couldn't hear the person. I'm thinking it the same person or a group of kids. No one answers the phone at first but I try a few more times. Finally someone click the phone on but no one says anything into the phone. We could hear voices but couldn't tell who they were by anything that we could make out. I went and filled in the principal. She says she will inform the Title IX officer for the district. I'm cool with it. I have a gut feeling that it was just some of my former students acting REALLY dumb ( but remember in the district where I work - all the kids are rocket scientist - NOT).

So that was just some of the action for me today. Just another day in the life of a middle school guidance counselor.

But the saga continues........

The next day I have a meeting with the parents of one of my students with a 504 plan. A 504 plan is something anyone in the United States can have - at their school or workplace. It comes out of the the Americans with Disabilities Act. What it does is put into place things that a person may need to help them succeed. For example a person with severe asthma may need a 504 plan that allows him or her to have an air conditioner that filters out pollutants. Or a kid who has ADHD may have a plan that allows for him or her to get more help in the classroom. Well my student has ADHD and her parents wanted to know how the school deals with this and what is being done to help her. I go through the motions of explaining how it works and stuff. The mom gets all weepy and the dad is all defensive at first. The meeting goes for about an hour (I ususally only meet for about 30 minutes with parents). Don't you know at the end of the meet as I am saying my thank you and good byes, the father asks me, "how long have you been doing this?" For a split second I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought that the "rumor mill" of the town had gotten out and informed everyone that - yes there is a black guidance counselor in the middle school and she is here to stay (tenure). I had to keep my composure and answer this effin rude man. If he would have looked to his right he would have seen my diplomas right on my wall and would of had a good idea how long I have been doing this job. Well needless to say I remained professional, cause if I would have sounded in anyway annoyed or angry, I'm positive that a phone call would have been made to my principal. That's how they do in that district. Anyway, I said to the father in my most pleasant voice, "oh this is my fourth year in this district and my tenth year as a counselor. I love working with kids and I'll be your daughter's counselor for the next three years while she is in middle school." He didn't say anything after that. I wonder why?

My day continues on. I'm thinking okay the rest of the day will go smoothly. Right? Wrong. About an hour after the kooky parents leave my autistic student walks into my office. (If you don't anything about autisticc people they are so interesting.) He is clearly upset and melting down about something. As soon as he starts to tell me, the tears and the sobbing comes. He closes my office door because he doesn't want anyone to hear him. Wrong- the entire guidance suite can hear him even with my door closed. He is sobbing uncontrolably at one point. I'm trying to do my best to calm him down and stop crying long enough for him to tell me what is wrong. All I get is that he is upset with his math teacher and something happened in math class. I keep telling him to breath because he was hyperventilating and to start from the beginning. His speech is very hard to understand when he is calm so to understand him when he is upset is even harder. I keep asking him to tell me the story over because each time I get a little more information. He gets mad at me and yells," I said it in plain english - why don't you understand? What Are You TWO!"

I really wanted to laugh because it was funny but I didn't. I kept my compsure (barely). By this time one of the other guidance counselors has peaked into the office and his mathn teacher is standing outside my door. I ask his teacher to come in and try to explain to the student why things happened in the class. All I know is that the teacher tried to explain to the boy and he broke on her and called her stupid. Next thing I know her eyes well up with water and she turns and quickly leaves my office. Now I'm thinking, "okay isn't she the adult and doesnt' she realize that this is a kid with special needs and we are going to be tested just by the nature of his disability? She is trippin." So the student yells at me that he want's to call his mother and how come I won't let him. I tell him, " I will let you call your mother when you stop yelling at me. I know you are upset but I am not yelling at you and I don't appreciate you yelling at me. (this kid appreciates it when you speak to him intellectually) So when you stop you can call her." He stopped. He calls his mom, who is a school board member. They speak for a bit. I can hear his mom saying to him that it was his fault that he didn't have some worksheet and not the teachers. Which was true. I was surprised that she said this. Most moms in this district side with their child. She tells him she is on her way to the school.

The mother comes and things get worked out. My autistic student apolgizes to me gives me a hug and a handshake. All is well......for now.

And Tomorrow morning I'm gonna do it again........