You can’t sit on the floor

“You can’t sit on the floor.”

*Camilla wasn’t so much sitting as semi reclining and about to go to sleep.

“Why can’t I sit on the floor?” 

It’s a teacher’s job to be ready for the why questions, but for some reason this one caught me off guard.  I would be fine with sitting on the floor if we all did so together and it was relevant to the lesson.  I’m sure Shakespeare wouldn’t mind.  But deep REM sleep is not part of the syllabus.  And there wasn’t a lot of time to figure out a well-reasoned answer. 

“You can’t sit on the floor.”

As any teacher knows there’s an inverse relationship between how long a conversation with one student takes and how quickly the remainder of the class goes feral.  A common classroom management strategy is to simply repeat yourself until you get the desired result.  It’s not a sophisticated pedagogical approach, but sometimes needs must.  And it was working.  Camilla slowly lifted herself off the floor and took a seat next to her classmates.  But this was out-of-character behaviour for the normally alert and mischievous Year 10 student.

“Are you alright?”

“I worked last night,” she replied.  “I did a 4 to 11 shift.”

Many of the students in Year 10 have part time jobs, but this sounded excessive to me.

“You did a full day of school and then a seven-hour shift at work? That’s like two full-time jobs!” 

“And I have to do it again tonight.”

“Really! Where do you work?”

My fears of the rest of the class getting out of control were fading.  I was curious to know more about the work life balance of the students. Many of them, like Camilla, had jobs at fast-food chains, pizza shops and local retailers.  Some of them were doing work experience stints in preparation for apprenticeships or possible careers.  They were at the right age to start entering the workforce.  But I wondered at the need to earn money versus the need to make the most of their education.  In Camilla’s case, was the pressure to complete a seven-hour shift on a school night imposed by the company or by her own need, real or perceived, for an income?

“Sir?”

A student from the other side of the room wanted my attention?

“Can I sit on the floor, too?”

Deep breath.

“No, you can’t sit on the floor.”

*Not her real name