BigBro Weighs In

When I talked with BigBro's counselor about which of my classes to put him in....my first choice was my 4th period. I love that class! They're a scream! I figured he'd meld right in, and respond well to the light-hearted/yet hard-working atmosphere.

My second choice was my 2nd period....but it wasn't for completely altruistic reasons.

See, I have a couple of guys in that class who think they're Funny, and that they have a Free Pass to talk as much as they want to. They're wrong on both counts. Only because they're both relatively smart are they able to dodge office referrals and know when to shut up.

I was hopeful that, if BigBro ended up in that class, he would eventually exert some positive peer pressure and get them to put a kibosh on the shenanigans.

Last week, my wish was granted.

I was putting prompts from Bernabei's Lightning cd on the document camera to get the kids to make the connection between prompts & visual images. Without fail, each and every time I put up a picture that had an Anglo female in it...either IdiotTwin1 or IdiotTwin2 would say, "Miss? Is that you?" And, without fail, each and every time, I would respond, "No."

Eventually, we got to a picture of 2 little girls standing in their treehouse.
IdiotTwin1: Miss, is that you?
Me: No.
IT1: Are you sure?
Me: Positive.
IdiotTwin2: Is it your cousin?
Me: No.
IT2: Do you know them?
Me: No, I don't.
IT2: Are you sure?
Me: Yes, I'm sure. Here's a newsflash...just because I'm white, that does not mean I know ALL of the white people in the world!!
IT2: Are you sure? Because that shorter girl could be you...she's dark, but she looks like you...are you sure you don't know her?
Me: Nice, IT2, real nice. You DO realize, don't you, that white people...although we're somewhat melanin challenged...can get tans, right??
IT1: Miss, are you sure you're white? You might be mixed. Are you mixed?
Me: No. I am not mixed.
IT1: Are you sure?
Me: Quite...can we get back to work, please?
IT2: You know, Miss. You could be Puertorican. Are you Puertorican?
(at this, I notice BigBro sit a little taller in his chair...)
Me: No, I am not Puertorican.

IT2 continued mumbling under his breath to IT1...using the word "Puertorican" repeatedly.
I moved toward the document camera to put the next prompt up...ignoring the IdiotTwins.

IT2: (getting annoyed that I was ignoring him...increased his volume) "blahblahblah Puertorican..."

Apparently, BigBro had had enough...and chimed in from the far corner of the room.

BigBro: Mannnnn, you better chill out with the Puertorican stuff...seriously.
IT2: What's your problem?
BigBro: (with his laserbeam eyeballs locked on IT2) I don't have a problem. I'm Puertorican. Do you have a problem?

Their response?

Total and absolute silence.

Crickets...we heard crickets.

To borrow the words of the leader of the infamous A-Team leader, Colonel "Hannibal" Smith:
I LOVE it when a plan comes together!