The day I returned after having a sub, several desks sported fresh initials written in red magic marker - "MCN".
I thought it was really someone's initials, so I looked through all my classlists to see if I could place him/her. Yes, kids who graffiti are sometimes that dumb as to put their actual guilty information on the graffiti.
A student informed me, however, that it was not a person's initials, but rather the initials of a gang called "Murder City N******". Some research on the web revealed these guys to be Bloods. It was written in red, after all.
No amount of scrubbing with strange chemicals swiped from the janitor's closet could get the magic marker off the desk. After several different attempts at eliminating the gang graffiti, it had barely faded.
So before parents came in for Parent-Teacher conferences, I decided to just change the graffiti. Instead of "MCN," it now says "I (heart) my MOM." The handwriting doesn't match up as well as I'd like, but I did my best.
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13 comments:
Well, that was certainly creative! : )
anon-
It has been a growing problem for the last 4-6 years, although no one I have talked to other than the school police officer seems to take it seriously. I took a student out of an assembly friday there for openly displaying hand signals used to indicate affiliation withone of the two main gangs that are tagging our desks, books, and bathrooms.
-T.C.
I love it. Let us know how the kids react... :)
if you teach black boys, question:
what books (modern literature) recommended for young black boys in middle school/early high school to read that are engaging b/c their psychological reality's reflected?
conducting a teacher survey.
The White Boy Shuffle
A Lesson Before Dying
Monster (several Myers books, actually)
I think this post and the previous post are closely related. Look at the lack of parent participation and involvement in the lives of their children. When young people don't have parental support and involvement in their lives, they turn to other sources for this support. Those that are smart find another "family" in positive groups and activities, like sports teams, the marching band, etc. Unfortunately, some turn to gangs to feel like they're a part of something. I think many of them end up regretting the choice, but without adult guidance at home, it can seem like an attractive choice. Even the best and the brightest young people can make poor life choices - they may be intelligent, but they are not necessarily wise.
What an ironic solution to that particular bit of graffiti. I could imagine a young man in Baltimore who wants to love his mother, but she's strung out on drugs and selling her body to support her addiction, barely aware of her son's daily activities. He has to pretty much fend for himself thanks to her neglect and turns to a gang as a means to an end. He ends up being drawn into a world of crime from which he can not escape. Did you ever read "The Corner?"
As the African proverb states, "The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people."
I appreciate everyone's comments, but I had to moderate for one of the first times ever today.
Too many of the comments are providing hints about where I teach. While I probably do this too much as well, I want to do my best to maintain both my and my school's anonymity.
I'm probably feeling more touchy about it because of a recent revealing comment left by someone else on the InsideEd blog. I don't want people coming here and being able to assume something to be true.
Thanks everyone for your comments!
I've used nail polish remover (acetone) to get rid of permanent marker.
But I think your cover-up is quite creative! :)
I love your creative solution.
That's hilarious. Great idea.
Rubbing alcohol removes just about any kind of permanent marker. If none is readily available, hand sanitizer works too, it's about 80% alcohol.
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