More than a month has passed since the last post, and I now have a much better idea of what this job (or community service?) entails. Words can't simply describe one's experiences at Phoenix Charter Academy. Nevertheless, I will try.
In answer to the last post: No, I am not ready to be a model citizen for teenagers who have been dubbed "truant" by a handful of Boston Public Schools. The reasons for this are as follows.
One: I have to make a conscious effort to dress professionally, because I must think about how the students view me. I've been reprimanded for some leggings being too shiny, and the skirt over the leggings being too short.
Two: I am unable to transition into speaking in a politically correct manner without feeling disingenuous. Those who know me well would tell you that I tend to sincerely say whatever I am thinking, but strangers who are unused to this manner would find it invasive, insensitive, and rude.
Three: Ever since coming back from South Korea, I've noticed that I tend to stand closer to friends than I mean to, and students may find this uncomfortable. Other examples are, if I see a student listening to music when he shouldn't be, I would pluck his earbuds out of his ears and tell him to put them away. However, he would say, "Don't touch my stuff like that." So I get in trouble for allegedly "touching" the students, when no direct contact was made - what I actually touch are an inch of fabric off the sleeve of a shirt, the rim of a cap, or the wire of a pair of earbuds.
Or maybe both the staff and the students are very possessive of their respective spaces. On the first day of school, I put my backpack and laptop on someone else's desk while I work on a task. She shows up and waits for me to leave. But then, another lady assigns me work and not a space to do it, so I say, oh sorry, now I have to stay here, because now there's more stuff to do. The first lady stomps off. The second lady was not aware of this at all. The third lady was my then-supervisor who yelled at me over GChat for allegedly squatting because "she should have first dibs on her desk".
This same then-supervisor would dismiss me verbally from the room when I'm trying to wait for something to happen in a program on the computer that I'm setting up for her. She would feel that I'm hovering. She was my first supervisor. By some strange trick of fate, my current supervisor is my fourth supervisor. My second supervisor is off campus a lot, and would also either ignore an email or dismiss my presence. My third supervisor did the same thing. I'm happy with my current supervisor because she is around, and even though she is busier than the first two supervisors combined, she still makes time in her schedule for me and is super organized. The principal made clear that I need a supervisor because I have absolutely no authority to make decisions on my own.
I am very grateful for this particular obstacle to be over, especially because there are additional challenges in the rest of my job. Despite all of this, I'm not unhappy - at least I have a job. While I wish it were more sustainable, it will do for now. I also have other big decisions to make out of work regarding where I live and all that - human decisions. The transition from being a dependent to being a real person on her own seems to be a long drawn-out one.