Same room, different hour

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

I was back at the same job today. I got hit in the head with a cheese stick when I went out into the hall to look for the kid who had taken the attendance to the office. He apologized for hitting me. He was aiming for a girl in the hall. She yelled profanities at me for coming out in the hall. I think it would have been much more dangerous for him to have hit her.

I was lucky enough to get four kids who had been in team math classes with me earlier in the day. They were willing to work on their homework if I helped. I was more than willing to help. We were working on math when there was a SNAP and FLASH.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

The outlet had an extension cord plugged into it and it was smoking. The only kid not working with us was scurrying around the front of the room. He said, “I didn’t do anything.”

I didn’t believe him.

I went up by the outlet and put myself between it and everyone else, who were all gathered there. I dialed the office. While I was waiting for an answer, the I-didn’t-do-anything kid was jockeying to get to touch the outlet. I was playing goalie with my body. When the call was answered my diligence waned and he got the cord unplugged. Something fried looking fell on the ground. I kicked away the cord and escorted them as far away as I could while tethered.

The custodian was coming.

It turns out the fried something was a foil gum wrapper. It had apparently appeared from nowhere after the kid plugged in an extension cord for no reason whatsoever. Things happen.

Custodian came. It was a great spectator sport (and we had been so successfully doing math!), but not as fun as the sticky hand on the ceiling. Everything was deemed safe and the hour crept to its end.