Movin' On Up

Hi Mama,

There is a lot going on right now. Firstly, I am trying to get into a different social studies class. It would be so easy - switch my lunch from 6th to 5th period and my social studies from 5th to 6th. I know there's room in the class I want to be in, it's the same teacher, and I would have friends to hang out with for lunch. Perfect. Except. My idiot guidance counselor is retarded and keeps saying "Let's wait and see" and never signing the thing. When I asked today what exactly we're waiting to see he just laughed at me, and didn't give me an answer.

This is bullshit. Since November I have been doing all my homework in social studies. All of it. I once accidentally even answered all the questions instead of just the odd ones because it was interesting and I got carried away. I have gotten nothing lower than a 91 on any test since then. I haven't cut class at all in three months. Mr. Castillo even wrote in my progress report that I've made "significant positive changes in the approach to learning." He still never talks to me, and I still never talk to him, but whatever. Personally I think he's still bitter because he's dating the teacher I had last year for earth science and when Christina gave her such a hard time Ms. Miller cried, I didn't stick up for his girlfriend. Whatever. You can't tell an entire class they're stupid and will never amount to anything when you're a young teacher who only taught in South Carolina for two years before coming to NYC, and think you'll have no retaliation.

So I left a note for the assistant principal about changing my class today. Even though he suspended me a lot last year for all the fighting (okay and twice this year), in a weird way, I kind of think he likes me. Last year when I was late for school every single day and we were having one of our many "What are we going to do about you Sam?" meetings, he asked if he should give me his own watch, if that would help me get to school on time. When Aunt Elaine stopped taking Alex to school and then I really DID have to be late and I told him that, he changed my schedule so I had lunch first period and my being late wouldn't get me in trouble. This year he always says hi to me when he sees me in the halls, and he told me on September 8th that he hoped to see me on the following Monday. In December I was sitting by myself at a table in the lunchroom and he came and sat there with me. It was very strange, like we were living in this alternate world where kids and principals are friends and just talk. We had this whole talk about the movies coming out and he told me how when his kids were my age they liked to go skiing in Killington, and how now he and his wife volunteer at a soup kitchen on Christmas mornings, and he used to be a gym teacher. And, while we were talking, an art teacher I never had came up to him and said he wanted a minute and he said, "I'm speaking with Sam now; I'll find you later" like I was more important.

I know technically I'm supposed to go to the head of the guidance office when my guidance counselor isn't cutting it, but she hates me or thinks I'm stupid or something. When I met with her at the beginning of 9th grade to make my schedule she was the one who pushed for me to go into all the stupid track 3 classes. My math teacher kicked me out of his Retard Math in October last year, saying he'd bet his paycheck I would do better in a harder class, so he put me in his regular Math I class and he was right. I went from getting like, mid 80's on tests to getting 100's. I don't know how that worked. And then this year I finally got into a regular English class, with a cool teacher who never cares why anyone is late and stands on the desk sometimes.

So I don't think that head of guidance lady will help me get into a better social studies class at ALL. I'll let you know if the AP does.

Love,
Samantha