My fourth period was behind my other classes because they missed Tuesday due to an assembly. I made the mistake today of trying to rush through a lecture. They were totally lost, and it was my fault. I moved too fast, and I wasn't organized. I didn't have enough structure. The behavior got worse and worse as the lecture dragged on. My lesson had taken a nose dive.

I called it off. With 15 minutes left, I didn't have anyone paying attention, and they were starting to really hate me. So, we played two truths and a lie. It's a game where you write down two things that are true about yourself and one thing that is a lie. You read it out loud and everyone tries to guess what your lie was. I figured that if my lecture was a bomb, I could at least get to know my students a little better. "Karen" went first, and that's when I got my wakeup call. "I told my daddy to kill my uncle, I've been arrested, and I am the second most sexy girl in the world." The last one is the lie of course because Karen, apparently, is the most sexy girl on earth. She elaborated on the first truth saying, "It's a long story but ask me about some time and I'll tell you. My daddy just got out of prison last year."

Karen gives me a hard time usually in class. She is one of those students that bugs you because you know she is right. She kept telling me my lesson was boring today, and it absolutely was. But sometimes she is flat out disrespectful. She has a lot of anger I think. I'm not going to make excuses for her disrespectful behavior just because she has endured so much more than myself. It is tempting, but I don't believe these kids need anyone else making excuses for them.

When she shared, I struggled to hide the surprise in my facial expression. I was both surprised and startled by the revelation. My students are starting to teach me.