very sick.
I go out of the hospital, to another site, an elementary school for ED or EH (emotionally disturbed/handicapped) kids. I bring my rubber spider, bigger than my hand. When I take it out of bag, they scream. They like to sing, do stuff. I make dots to help them learn their ABC's. We play POP goes the Weasel to a tape I have andand they POP! whenever the tape says POP! goes the weasel. SCIENCE is on the schedule, in the afternoon. So The Science Teacher, a man, comes in and takes a seat at the round table, the kids in a U. The paraprofessional is there too; a chubby woman who bullies and bribes the kids with food. The Science Guy says, So. We're going to start a New Unit today and I want to hear from you, what you'd like to do-- if you could choose. What you want to learn abiout next, if you had a choice. And I know this guy is doing this beacuse he doesn't have anything prepared. he's bullshitting his way through the class by pretending to give them choices. He starts going around the table asking each kid what he wants to do.One kid says, Planets or plants.Another says, I'm thinking. Lamar is next. Lamar's this kid with thick glasses, he takes medication 2X a day, always staring into space.Lamar, Mr. Science Guy says, What do you want to do?And Lamar says, I want to go home. The kids crack up laughing, me too, though I'm trying not to.Science Guy shoots me a dirty look and the para bellows at the kidsfor order.He turns to Julio, a skinny kid with a bright face. Julio, what about you? Science Guy smiles like a crocodile. Julio looks at him, I don't know, insects maybe or-- The kids are silent, thinking hard. A dramatic pause. Mr. Science says, How about it we do some shapes today? We can begin our unit on shapes. Julio's hand shoots up like a rocket. Julio? Julio shakes his head. No. We are not going to do shapes. We have had it with shapes. We've done shapes. This year, last year. . . we know shapes. We know all about them. You have your circle, triangles, rectangles. And squares. The squares. We already know. A million times.No more shapes. Anything but shapes. Not ever. Not again-- I'm laughing so hard I have to leave the room. Science Guy keeps smiling, not looking at me on purpose. He looks like a shark.. . . So what do they end up doing? When I come back, they're all quiet and serious, working on shapes. End of story.