Study Hall

Oh the joys of study hall. Remember when you were a kid and study hall was always so quiet and people did their work? Yeah, right! Study hall was the best time ever if you didn't get caught talking or writing notes or doing something else you weren't suppose to do. I actually took study hall seriously, I had to. Most nights of the week when high school soccer wasn't in season, I was travelling to Austin for practices or games. The only time I could study or do homework was during the mandatory study hall my high school had for all athletes. If I tried to study in the car or on the bus I would get motion sickness so bad it would sometimes last into the next morning (and it only gets worse the older I get). Now-a-days study hall is just another time to socialize with friends. Kids today aren't scared of getting kicked out of something for not following the rules. They know mommy and daddy will come to their rescue and get them back into whatever they were kicked out of. Sad, but true. Study hall is great place, for the kids. The kids go in sit back and play their little games and think I am not looking or that I don't know what is going on. Of course, I can't catch everything they are doing but I catch them most of the time. They tend to forget that I was their age once and did the same things they are trying to do. When I do catch the kiddos they try to get out of it by saying, "But you let me do it before." "Really, I did? When?" "Uhhhhhhhmmmmm, like, a few days ago." "I don't remember that. What did I tell you?" Ahhhh the silence and being caught in a lie. Beautiful! It's also really fun seeing the reaction when I pull out my cell phone and tell the kids to call their parents and tell them why they are being kicked out of study hall. "No no no no no no no! Don't call my mom, call my dad. Mom will kill me! You can't call my mom. I promise, no more problems, no more." That usually works for about a week then it's back to the same behaviors. At least it's a week of silence from those one or two kids. Study Hall isn't too bad. I just wish there were less kids that would use it as a vacation spot and more that would actually study. Who am I kidding? It's middle school kids, they will never use it as a place to study. The joys of study hall. Remember when?