Algebra Final Exam, EL Students

A Fly on the Wall.
An Account of an Algebra Final Exam

Teacher walks to class. The students were supposed to have taken their history test an hour ago. Teacher is surprised that the desks are all attached and the chairs are as disorganized as always. Hamid walks in with a sweet grin on his face, his hair is untidy like always and while trying to be polite answers the teacher.
Teacher: Hi Hamid, did you guys have your history test?
Hamid: “yes”
Teacher “how come the desks are still so disorganized!”
She looks puzzled but didn’t expect to get a straight answer from Hamid. How did he know? And why would he want to be helpful since he was going to move to the continuation high school full time anyway.
Teacher starts to arrange the chairs so that they are not so close to each other. Fatima walks and the teacher states. “you guys can’t sit so close to each other"
Fatima while trying not to let go of her chicken noodle soup states” we won’t be in this class we are going to the portables.”
Teacher looks surprised. Fatima: ” Go ask Ms. M if you don’t believe me” Teacher marches out to the hallway. She passes the Government class room on the right and both the Girls and Boys restrooms on the left.
The principle is standing right on the other side of the double doors that connected the two sides of the school together. Mr. Lawrence ( the security guard) who had no relation to Martin Lawrence but sort of looks like him is smiling and talking to two of the other students who are also buying chicken noodle soup. Students on free lunch always get chicken noodle soup from the school for snack. Teacher sees the principle and asks about the room situation.

Ms. M the principle states that in fact they are to take the Algebra final in the portables since the schedule of the school is changed and Mr. White is having English early in the Math class.

Principle continues ,“I started the heater for you”

Teacher: “thanks, you are an angel”.

Fatima calls out: “ I told you so”.
Kamile finds a good opportunity to make the teacher look bad so she tells the principle : “ Ms. V said she is not going to go to the portables and will not do it!”
The teacher trying to save face says “No sweetie I did not say such a thing”
Principle” I’ll come with you to open the door and you also have Mr.Lawrence. I think your key will open the door”.

Teacher goes to her own classroom to grab the Algebra final and some pencils. She gives one to Hamid who is still standing in the classroom and talking to Joe.

Teacher “Can you please tell the students to come and get a pencil form me if they don’t have one?”
Hamid : “ ok”.

Teacher: “where is the portable?”

Hamid: “Just around the corner”

Principle is talking to the students outside the classroom. “ You guys can leave early just as long as you don’t go to the high school”

For some reason the big high school in this city is called “ The high school” which makes you wonder if that is the high school, are we are we stating that the continuation high school is just the playschool!

Teacher walks in the portable and there are only 5 out of the regular 15 students present 7 minutes before the final exam.

Teacher: “where is everybody?”

One of the students tries to be helpful and says: “Don’t freak out Athos, Sam and Sierra have gone to a restaurant to get food and they’ll be back. They have 15 more minutes.”
Kamile can't help herself and adds: " Gee it's not even 10:15 yet!"
The portable looked much more organized than their daily classroom. The kids take a liking to the class. One of them makes a comment “Damn, this room is nice!”

There were pictures of Obama on next to the white board and some pictures of students who were taking this class in adult school. It looked tidier than the regular class. There were 4 long rectangular looking desks which sat 3 students and they were attached head to head so to make one long rectangle and the other 2 desks were each perpendicular at both end giving the room a C shape desk facing the board. There was also 4 single chairs behind the C shape tables.
Thankfully, there were enough chairs to seat a class of 30 so the fact that there were only 15 students in the class made the seating arrangement rather easy. However; 4 of the students were seating on the single chairs very close to each other behind the C shape tables. The teacher didn’t seem to happy about the seating arrangement and asked the 2 sisters who were almost in each others lap to take a different seats.

Fatima:“ I was here first.”

Hamid was seating next to Joe and Joe had a thick entertainment book in front of him. It was clear that he will not even attempt to take the test.

Kamile:” How come these two are sitting next to each other?”

Teacher: “Joe is not really taking the test!”

Kamile: “Ok. I’ll sit there!” pointing at an empty seat in front of Alexia.

Teacher: "Dana, you can seat next to Kamile!”

Dana:” I know, I wasn't going to sit there!” she takes her purse and moves around the tables and gets situated in front of Kamile. This made it even worse since they were comfortably facing each other.

Teacher: “Dana, You can’t sit there.”

Dana: “I can’t see anything from here you Idiot!”

Teacher seems to be unaffected by the daily insults of Dana, she knows it’s best to ignore her and takes a look at Mr. L.

Mr.L: “Hey, hey, Dana!”

Dana: “What? I’m saying I can’t see anything OK!”

Hamid: “Could I have the test now?”

Teacher: “No. let’s wait till 10:15” it was 10:10 and still no news from the kids who were out eating their lunch.

Teacher turns to Mr.L and says:” I’ll tell you story and you need to promise not to tell that to anyone”
she continues without waiting for Mr. Lawrence to even make up his mind about keeping the promise or not! He wasn't even interested in the teacher's story but there it was and she starts: “The day I was going to take the board exam when I was in med school." Mr.Lawrence eyes widen up and can't believe what he is hearing. Teacher continues:
"I went to the test center and the whole computer test taking was a new concept then. I asked the people in charge if we can take a break in the middle of the test. They told me no problem! when I asked them how much time I have for a break they answered as much as I wanted. Not knowing what they truly meant just before I finish the last page I decided to go and eat. I took the subway to KFC and ordered a meal and ate it. It took 45 minutes and when I got back they told me I had 2 minutes left till the end of the test! I didn’t know that they had not stopped the test and the time was running out. I didn’t pass of course!”

They both laughed at the story and by that time The rest of the kids were back and were looking for pencils to take the test.

Teacher: “Dana where did you put my red pen I need it back to grade the tests.”

Dana: “I don’t know did you fucking look for it. By the board are you blind? You didn't even look back there did you?”

The teacher wasn’t blind and so she picked up the pen.

All the students were talking and the teacher seemed eager to give a speech of some sort but couldn’t get a moment of quiet. Finally she said “Ok this is my final exam speech and even though this is a different kind of school since I am used to giving this speech I am going to say it!”

None of the students were paying attention. Only Andre was trying to make sense of what was happening.

Teacher: “Any form of talking is cheating and I’ll take your paper from you.” She knew that is just a speech she is used to giving and it won't be really possible to do in this school!

Teacher starts passing out the test. The 5 students on the left side Athos, Joel, Sierra, Sam, and Andre were the only ones who seemed to care to see what the test was about. The others were just making small talk. Athos started tapping on the table and shaking his body. Sam was fixing his iPod and Joel was working with his iTouch.

The talking became too loud on the other side of the class. The right side kids didn’t really care about the teachers’ constant pleading for them to be quiet. She didn’t know what to do.

Athos:” Why don’t you teach English or History?”

Teacher:” Because I’m good in Math and Science.”

Athos: “Isn’t English and History easier?”

Kamile: “That’s not her first language and one needs to have a fucking green card!”

Mr. Whites passes by and decides to walk in and give his regular pep talk about how great everyone is! :“Hi you all. You are all doing such a good job.”
Teacher's jaw would have fallen if she wasn't used to Mr. White’s comments but she was. She decides to ask for his advice.

Teacher goes out to talk to him she asks: “Would you let them to talk during your final exam?”

Mr. White: “absolutely not! Just send them to my class. Give them an F and send them to me.”
The teacher takes a sigh of relief. She since new the left side students want to pass the class and need to be focused to take the Algebra exam.

Teacher goes in and talks to the right side students.

“I will give you an F and you will have to go Mr. White’s class if you continue to talk.”

Fatima: “I fucking dare you to put an F on my paper!”

The teacher walks away but the students mellow down a bit.

Fatima: “what is scientific notation?”

Teacher “You had this in the review sheet last week. I can’t tell you”

Fatima: “Can I go ask Mr. White?”

Teacher: “No”

Alexia:“ why not? No other teacher answers students during the test but Mr. White will know what I need and he would answer me without giving the answer”
Teacher turns around.

Fatima: “I fucking don’t know how to do this”

Dana: “No one it the class knows”

Kamile:“ Athos, Joel, Joe, Sierra and Andre seem to know it” She points to the students sitting in the lefts side silently trying to work.

Alexia: “so the right side knows and the left side students don’t!”

The girls on the left side start laughing.
Fatima: “Why does it say you won’t get points for the answer alone?”

Teacher:” You need to show your work so I know how you got the answer.”

Kamile: “some people can do shit in their head.”
Fatima: “ I don’t fucking know how to do this?”

Joel: “Can I listen to music?”


Teacher: “Sure"
Joel: ”Wonderful!”
Everyone else was doing it so it seemed pointless for the teacher to tell Joel you can't!
Joel: ”Wonderful!”

Athos: “Do you need to grade all our papers when you go home?”

Teacher” yes”

Athos starts counting the students.

Athos: “Damn!”

Students are talking together again.
Dana: “Isn’t the quadratic the song we learned last year X= -b …

Singing in the class.

Teacher: “You guys know that you can leave when you are done?”

Dana: “That’s crazy!”
Teacher didn't know if the test was crazy or that they can leave when they are done is crazy. It didn't really matter though!

Fatima: “we can leave when we are done so I am done! I did what I understand. Look this is what I understand” then she shows her paper to Mr. Lawrence while trying to ask about what is solving by substitution.

Mr. Lawrence: “GO just try it! You will get partial credit”
Dana: “No she won't give us partial credit. She is lying"
Mr. L: "Mrs. V. you will give them partial credit right?"
Teacher: " Sure."
Fatima:“ It is not possible.”

Mr. Lawrence: “Nothing is possible if you don’t believe it” and he laughs.

Dana:“ You Shut up!”
Then she seems embarrassed. Ok sorry about that.

Kamile seems to be working now.

Kamile:” Hamid, do you have breast cancer?”

Hamid: “No. Do you?”

Mr.L: “stop!”

Fatima at this point is standing on the chair.

“You suck! Help me. I should have asked Mr. White for help when I went to pee”

Kamile:” I am too dumb”
Teacher: "No you are not" It was clear that she is thinking "no just mentally challenged!"

Mr. Lawrence says good bye he has to go to the High School!

Fatima: “Don’t go."
Dana: “If some one gets murdered it is not us”

Alexia:” If lights gets off and someone gets murdered it is not us”

Kids are playing on their iPods.
The lights are not turned off after Mr. Lawrence leaves and no one is dead.
Kamile looks at Sierra: “Do you have boats?” it seemed to be a code name for drugs.

Sierra: “ do I have boats? No!”
She didn't have Boats. Whatever that was?!
Kamile: ” I am going to take a Pee” and just walks out of the class.

No one seems to mind that there is a teacher in the class.

Fatima: " This is the stupidest test I ever took! I used to know everything in my other math tests. Bang bang bang and I was done!”

Dana walks to Sierra and leans over her test. Teacher isn't sure if Dana is looking at the test or smelling Sierra for Boats!

Teacher: “You can’t stand there sweetie”

Joel is playing with his iTouch.

Teacher: “What are you doing Joel?”

Joel:” This is just music. See!”

Dana goes to the white board and checks Alexia’s phone. She had left it there to get charged.

Kamile and Alexia are banging on the door and Dana is not letting them in. It seems like they are finished taking their pee.

Athos: “Open the god damn door. You guys are fucking retarded”

Dana: “I just realized I can’t open part of it”
Fatima goes to the garbage and spits in it.

Kamile: “I’m done”



Dana, Fatima and Kamile take off.

Sierra:“ did everyone just leave?”

Athos:“ God damm! What are these words written on the board? Getto, Pitzzerita?”
Joel starts reading what the previous class teacher has written on the white board.
Joel:” Pizzarita is the best”

Athos:“ It’s nasty! I like Annies. Ms.V you like Annies is best right? Don't you?”

Teacher: “yes”
How could she say no to those shinning hopeful eyes?

Andre the thin African American boy who usually feels out of place suddenly realizes he hasn’t talked the whole time tries to put his two cents in.

“Have you been to Arela?”

Ignores him and continues. “Fat slice that used to be good when I was little.”

Andre: “I like blondes’” He continues tapping on the desk. Stephanie is Yawning.



Athos:“ I messed up! What is this?”

Teacher: “It is a system of inequalities and you need to find the region that is the answer”

Joel: “O’ I remember I need to shade them ha!”

Sam: is just looking straight. He is a slim looking kid with a black leather jacket and he seems also out of place. He is listening to his iPod and is shaking his head which is covered by a black woven hat.

Joel: " Can I just draw the graph again on another paper?"

Teacher: " sure”
She is about to say are you kidding me. Anything you guys can produce is just good for me but she stops herself. Laughter is herd from outside.

Joel: ” the roof is about to fall”

Athos :" where?” The test was not over yet but that is a legitimate concern so teacher ignores it.

Athos :”there, didn’t you here it? It sounded like CHerrishhh”

Teacher goes and talks to the outside students. “Can you please keep it down the High school math kids are taking their final”

Kevin from out side tells his classmates:“ She wants us to speak louder”

The teacher knew they are just playing with her. The noise subsides. Athos raises his hand. “ What does it mean when they don’t tell me how many adult tickets are sold?”

Teacher:” You need to set up two equations since there are two unknowns and then solve the system of equations”

Laughter is heard again from outside but in not too loud.

Sierra, a half Chinese half Mexican girl, who seems to be very concerned about her test up to then suddenly states:” Ms. V my mom just texted me and I have a doctor’s appointment and must go to see her by the BART station.”

Teacher :“ Well, when you are done give me your test and go”

Sierra” But, I need to go Now!”

Teacher:” so give me your test when you are ready.”

In the adult school the boxes are piled on the back of students desks.

Athos is really into the test and is focusing hard on the questions.

Joel is using a book to draw straight lines.” Ms.V Is this point A?

Teacher :“ It is. This line is AD”

She draws the line over the test.

Sierra takes out a tube of cream from her purse and applies it on her face. Then she truns around and looks at the brown closet behind her. The room is a huge rectangle with two large windows on both side of the class. Light is shinning in from the left side.

Athos :” Did we ever go how to complete the square”

Teacher :“ I talked briefly about it last week but I might take that question out. Just do your best.”

The heater makes a loud bump sound and starts to run again.

Sierra is texting someone in the middle of the math final! She is done and turns in her paper.

Sam is too much into his music and shakes his head. Athos, Sam and Joel now seem serious about the test at the final moments. Sam is done and throws his milkshake in the garbage. He takes off his iPod and is ready to live.

Sam has a black leather jacket and black pants he also wears a black winter hat to cover his head.

Sam: “Joel are you almost done?”

Joel: “Yeah, almost.”

Sam: “what are you doing after this?”

Joel:” are you going to your house?”

Sam: “ yeah, meet you there.” Sam leaves.

The clock is too loud now with 3 students in the class. Click clock, click clock.

Athos’s phone is ringing. It is a rap song which started with the word Fuck.

He picks up his phone “Hello”

“Ola como estas” A faint voice of a Hispanic female is heard on the other side. “Gracias”

Athos:“ Could I call my dad?”

Teacher: “Who was it?”

Athos: “my mom’s receptionist. She called to tell me my sister is sick and needs to be picked up from school. I need to call my dad”

Teacher: “where does you sister go to school?”

Athos:“ Yulupa”

Teacher :“ So, you can pick her up when you are done”

Athos:“ NO. I have two little siblings at home I need to go take care of after this.”

Athos is still trying to take his math test. He continues “My mom needs to go to work after I get home that’s why I need to call my dad” He is not successful in locating his dad.
Teacher: “ figure it out after your test. You have too many responsibilities Athos”

Athos: “Yeah”

Teacher: “for your age!”

Athos: “Yeah”

Joel: “Do you need this blank paper?”
Teacher: “yes" She didn't really need it though.
He hands her the blank paper. He is trying to pull up his pants. His blue short is almost all out of his pants but he is clearly the richest kid in the class. He was an Asian student who seemed to have too much freedom on his hand and the fact that he was rich didn't help anything. It only made him a rich ass student.

He goes to the back of the class and hits the black and red kick ball.

“I just got to do that” he states.

He is Still hanging on to his pants.

Joel then goes back to the box and puts down a red pen in the teachers desk.

Joel: “bye Athos”

Athos: “bye”

Teacher counts the papers 1,2,3,….

Teacher: “Athos, I need to go to the class next door my other students are there. But you have till 12. Are you going to be ok?”

Athos: “ Yes”

Teacher “ Can you please bring the test back and lock the door”

Athos:“ where should I take the test”

Teacher :”Our own classroom”

Athos: “Ok”
Teacher seemed to have a hidden respect for this hard working sixteen year old Hispanic student who really had a dream to make a better life for himself. She respected that. It was crystal clear.
Teacher leaves.

12:00 teacher comes back. Ahtos is still working on the test.

Athos:” I’m almost done”

He turns in his paper.
Teacher: "Bye. Athos have a great day."
Athos: "bye Ms.V you too."
Teacher turns off the light. The classroom is absolutely dark. Teacher waits for a minute and takes a deep breath. She walks out of the class. There is sun everywhere else.