"Other Duties As Assigned" in Public Schools: Lunch

On day one at the job, I got my "other duties as assigned". Coming from being a District-based worker, I had forgotten about school-based duties. Silly me, I thought I was going to come in and just behavior analyze and apply that shit; but somebody has to supervise and enforce the policies and procedures when Administration cannot or will not do it, right?

My first duty was eighth grade lunch. It was the largest lunch and there were already two prisoners serving--an AP and a School Counselor (Black Power! but clock this because I need to address this later). I did not understand why I needed to be there, too. It was loud and packed, but it seemed to run ok. Unfortunately, I was not there long.

I was moved from eighth grade lunch to sixth grade lunch before the end of my first month. The other AP said she wanted me to get to know the sixth graders and build rapport. But I thought those were the reasons they originally put me in eight grade lunch. Whatever. So, then I was starting over trying to figure out the rules and everyone's names.

Sixth grade lunch was also large and also had two prisoners serving--the racially ambiguous AP and the ethnically ambiguous School Counselor. Once again, I was the third wheel. But this threesome wasn't as pleasurable. And sixth grade student behavior was radically different. I asked my colleague to explain the lunchroom procedures because I could not see that there were any.

What does one do at lunch duty?

At this time, the cafeteria was being remodeled and part of it was restricted thus reducing the available space. So, prisoners were required to make sure the students were sitting in the correct areas [and how tf was I supposed to know that since I did not know them nor their teachers and seating arrangements?]. In addition, students were not allowed to get up from their spots without prisoner permission. In order to use the bathroom, they had to ask permission from a prisoner and then get an available pass (more on this later). Prisoners called the students by table to get in line to get their lunches. And at the end of the lunch period, custodians collected the trash from the students, and prisoners announced the teachers' arrivals to collect their students for the next period.

None of the procedures went smoothly. In fact, it was so terrible I began to develop anxiety related to serving my prison sentence, especially after two Black male students [on separate occasions during my first week] told me,

FUCK YOU!

The first incident was because I saw the student viciously, repeatedly hitting a female student on her legs as she was standing in line minding her business. I told him to stop and if he would not stop, I would have him sit at another table. In the second incident, the students at a table were complaining about the behavior of a student. I believe he had been hitting one or more of them. They asked that he be moved. So, I told him to move. He refused. I stood my ground and he did eventually move. It appeared to be a showdown of sorts with his own peers encouraging him to just follow my directions because he was in the wrong. But the ordeal took five minutes. And no further disciplinary action ensued for either student. I didn't even get an,

OMG! He did that?

Is your cafeteria chaotic like this?