For part-time work, I go to a school district not too terribly close by and work in their homebound tutoring center, also known as where you go when you're on suspension. Or you won't go to regular classes for whatever reason, or you're awaiting an out of district placement. Today I got a new kid, someone who should be on suspension for the rest of the year, which probably means he brought a knife to school or something similar. Another kid who also goes has a restraining order out against him. Neither kid is a problem to work with one on one. Kids usually like it there: we're friendly and we give them food (most of the kids haven't eaten breakfast when they get there), and it's a whole lot easier to forge a relationship with a teacher 1:1. Nowhere to hide, for one thing. The dynamic can change quickly even in very small groups.

I like the principal: she's no rocket scientist, but she is not easily fooled, and she is right on top of the kids if they don't show up or otherwise screw off or attempt to give the teachers attitude. She also likes and defends the kids: she told me that other administrators in the building insisted the kids be dropped off in the back so they wouldn't be walking through the halls: seems they were scared that purses would be stolen, etc. She was angry on the kids' behalf. The fact that the majority of the kids we see are black wouldn't have anything to do with it, would it? I'm not saying the kids we see are model students, or they wouldn't be on suspension, but neither are they incorrigible.