Graffiti

When I see graffiti around the school its always the same.  Its a tag, a name, a symbol or a direct insult of someone (mostly teachers).  Its in pencil (though most of their school work isn't) and it hides in corners or common space.  The bathroom is the most obvious of spots for graffiti; no cameras, no teachers.  The next less obvious spot is the window sill.  For whatever reason, teachers never look on the window sills until DAYS after somethings is written.  The kids have noticed that also.  Anyway, if you ever catch someone graffitiing the school, its a big deal, and when they are doing it openly and in an open space, its an even bigger deal. 

Towards the end of my first year I had just dropped  my kids off at one of their preps on the top floor of the building and was making my way down to my floor when the following happened:

I opened the stairwell door to walk down a level when I saw one of the 8th graders using a dry erase marker to write very largely on the window of staircase: "Suck Pussy".  With the natural noise of the building he hadn't heard me open the door and that I was right behind him.  I read this and immediately did a 180 and went back on the other side of the door.  I laughed... Hard.  Why? I don't know.  Stress of the day?  Surprise?  Who knows.

Anyway, game face... I straighten up and loudly throw open the door and spend the next 3 minutes chewing him out for writing on the window, and something so horrible to boot!  He had no idea seconds before he had me cracking up.  He was so embarrassed and horrified that I caught him.  I brought him to the disciplinarian (a former Reverend who didn't find the humor I had in the situation and needless to say, there was some serious punishment doled out that day.