Polly Want a Cracker?

~ Teachers are the believers in the face of disrespect, misbehavior, and lack of student enthusiasm. They see the light at the end of the tunnel and lead step by step—truly the greatest act of optimism.~

Class Day 2

On the second day of class, Polly Green was tardy again. I pulled her to the side of the classroom.

In a stern voice, I said, "Miss Green, I expect my students to be in class on time. If you can't manage to do that, I suggest you drop my class now."

Polly started to tear up (again) and stuttered, "But- Doctor D. I tried to get to class on time. I had to ..."

Raising my palm, I stopped her mid-excuse. "Miss Green, you can explain your tardiness to me on your time. I have a classroom full of students who need their daily agenda written on the blackboard. But it's not there because my class scribe is missing." I handed her a piece of paper and returned to the front of the classroom.

My morning was spent babysitting the two goons in the back row—the same two who had been giving Polly a hard time last week. Let us refer to them as Mr. Dick and Mr. Head. Mr. Head was harmless, a follower without any particular motivation. My instincts told me Mr. Dick was one of those dangerous felons. The kind you never turned your back on.

*****

My boss is one of the strongest women I have ever met. She warned me about Mr. Dick when she assigned the class to me. She mentioned she felt uneasy around him and pulled his records. Knowing how I felt about background info on my students, she would only say- if I ever read his jacket, I would punch him out on general principle.

Two words popped into my mind 'rapist' and 'child molester.' I promised myself to guard my temper when dealing with Mr. Dick.

After three weeks, Mr. Dick and Mr. Head had turned in no homework or assignments whatsoever. The only thing they gave me was a hard time. I told Mr. Dick and Mr. Head they better drop my class or receive an 'F' grade. After the usual blame game, they dropped.

I will spend every waking hour helping students who give their best effort. I have zero time for students who show no effort.

Mr. Dick had the worst reaction of any student I failed or had to drop. He was borderline psychotic and threatened to kill me. I should have turned him in.

But if I had, he would have been thrown into isolation indefinitely. I have personal reasons for feeling how I do about isolation, but that is another story for another time.

In hindsight, I wish I had overcome my reluctance and reported Mr. Dick to the prison's administration. But- as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

*****

Antonio Johnson (actual name) is a lifer and the equivalent of a trustee. He has been locked up in NCC since he was sixteen. I went to him for information and advice on prison culture issues. Most importantly, he was my 411 man, Mister Information.

He was my friend and confidant, and I trusted him with my life. But- again, that is yet another long story.

A.J. informed me that Mr. Dick's bad behavior continued inside the prison. Despite well-intentioned efforts by the administration, rape remained a significant problem on the inside. Mr. Dick had raped several men. One of them had been Polly.

Felons like Mr. Dick were typically shunned and mistreated by the other inmates. It seems Mr. Dick's cousin was the leader of one of the largest prison gangs and was under their protected wing. This relationship also explained why Mr. Dick's victims feared reporting the prison rapes.

*****

Midway through our class, there was a scheduled break. I waved Miss Green over. "Now would be the appropriate time to explain yourself." After about ten minutes of hemming and hawing, I finally pulled the entire story from her.

What was Polly's story? Her current boyfriend (she referred to him as her fiancee) was the leader of one of the major gangs in the prison. Let us refer to them as the Floods. The Floods were housed five buildings south of the education building, about a five-minute walk between them.

The real problem was that the rival gang, let us call them the Flips, was located only two buildings south of my classroom. Mr. Dick's cousin was the leader of the Flips. This setup required Polly to pass by the Flips to come to class. She was walking north entirely around the prison to avoid being assaulted. The long way around takes about a half-hour.

The C.O. in charge of the Floods bunkhouse allowed them to leave ten minutes before the start of class, obviously to keep the felon students from having too much free time to get into trouble. This was an after-dinner evening class, and it would become dark outside by the time class was over.

*****

I solved Polly's problem by insisting I needed someone to carry my heavy paper containers across the Prison Yard. Polly would meet me before and after class to carry my papers. In reality, I provided her with a protective escort.

Let me end this short story with this. The inmate who attacked me with a homemade shiv in a previous episode? The man I went out of my way to seriously injure? Well- that was Mr. Dick. I am not justifying my actions or seeking anyone's approval.

But- I will say this: it felt good, and I am not in the least bit sorry...

END