A moment of learning

After our pledge of allegiance, the school requires everyone to maintain a moment of silence. No other part of school exemplifies one universal truth better than this. That truth is that students can NOT, no matter what, do what is expected of them (even if what is expected is... nothing).

Let me explain.

Everyday the students are asked not to say anything for one minute. That's sixty seconds. It's actually a time where they are expected to do... nothing.

And they can't.

So what happens?

"Did you do the homework for Kilby's class?"

"Are you and Chad still broken up?"

"I'm not studying for that test because Mr. Page hates me."

"Lemme' see that magazine when you're done."

"Why does it always smell in here?"

They fail at everything that has to do with patience. Wait a second--before you start to hate me, think about it. Let's say that your class is 45 minutes long. What happens in the 41st minute? They start spontaneously packing up without a prompt from you, right? It's like a Tootsie Pop commercial.

"Mr. Owl? What's the attention span of a teenager?"

"Let's see. One, two, three..." CRRRRUNNCH!!! "Three seconds."

To those that feel that a good teacher, a teacher with superior classroom management, would get them to be silent, I do have an answer. I'll read poetry! Whenever I read poetry in my class, they all slip into comas. Show me a kid that made it through "The Chambered Nautilus" and I'll show you a kid that I've--never met.