Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles

There’s a story about North High that’s being run from KTLA and our local Daily Breeze. I posted something earlier today, but deleted it because I didn’t want to hurt people I respect and admire at my school and in the community. KTLA and the Daily Breeze will do enough of that.
There’s always better news than what’s on TV and in the papers (and now online).
Last night, my teaching partner and I took 35 of our students out to eat at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. We teach a class called APN (Alternative Program at North) and have tried to get kids out of their boxes and comfort zones for the last 15 years. Many of our senior students had never eaten at Roscoe’s, so this was a moment for them.
We were there for a couple of hours. We were loud until the food came–then it was business. And even though students were kind of attached to their phones too much, they found the time to talk to one another, laugh, and eat some good food. They asked questions, didn’t know some of the menu items, tried some of those items anyway, and spent two hours away from school, homework, and the real world. We have some pretty great students, and I feel bad for teachers who don’t. But, sometimes, you have to take students out of their worlds to make them better students. We’ve been taking kids to Roscoe’s and other local restaurants for all of our 15 years of teaching APN. It’s not because we like to eat with our students, but we like to eat with our students because there’s never been an issue.
Yeah, one of our students ate like a wild animal and couldn’t go 15 minutes without going outside to smoke.
Okay, maybe some others may not have paid a fair share or anything at all.
Sure, we’ve had to quiet the group down here and there.
My first year at North High I took my seniors out to a pizza place near the end of the year. They were good enough students, but they were awesome there. I recently saw a picture of some of my students there–the owner allowed them to go behind the counter and make pizzas. Once again, though, students just hung out, ate, talked, made fun of one another, and had a good time. As much as I would like them to remember Camus for the absurd nature of life, or that Holden Caulfield’s hunting hat had many positions, those kids will probably remember making pizza behind the counter.
Roscoe’s last night is always the reminder that good food brings out good times, but just bringing yourself out for the good times is sometimes enough. We’re always teaching.