9. THERE'S ALWAYS ONE IN THE CLASS

Do you remember when you were in school, there was always one kid that always acted like he/she was clueless, and that the world owed them because they always "misunderstood" the laws laid down by the teacher? Well I have one of those in my class, but she is post-high school, which is pretty pathetic.

To begin with, I was surprised that the school was open on Martin Luther King's birthday. The school has a large population of African-American students, so I called the school to confirm that they indeed were holding classes that night. One of my class-mates, Latisha, did not come to class on this holiday, so I naturally assumed it was because of the fact that it was a federal holiday and most places were closed.

Instead, Latisha comes in on Tuesday and asks (exactly like this): "Do we all had school yesterday?" When we all nodded in agreement she exclaimed "We did?"

So yesterday we were all very aware that we were having an exam. And on the first day of class all the rules and regulations were laid down, first and foremost being that if you are going to be absent or even 5 minutes late, you must call the school. One hour into the class, Latisha strolls in. And can't understand why Ms. Diamond will not allow her to now take the exam that we all have finished. Plus she never bothered to call and let Ms. Diamond know that she was running late. Plus she also missed the exam on Monday. Mind you, this is the second time that Latisha is taking this course, having dropped out in August due to her third pregnancy: Latisha is twenty.

Now she is pissed off, mumbling under her breath, and guess who is her best buddy? You guessed it, spit-sucking Stephanie, who for some reason, was sucking spit at an alarming rate last night. Latisha is now undermining everything Ms. Diamond is instructing the class in, and I am looking at this girl (I mean girl-3 kids or not) like she's an idiot.

I must be an idiot for writing about these antics.

I got a 98% on my exam, and yes I turned into one of those nerds ready to slit their wrists because I got one wrong and I had studied this question a good part of the day. But with the workbook completion, I got another 100%. Two others did in the 70's and 80's. Mandy, who lives with her boyfriend and mother and has a 3month old and a 2 year old I think failed, but at least the girl tries and shows up every day on time. This was not an easy exam.

I really like Ms. Diamond (I think I've said this a number of times already). She has this laid back soft spoken way of doing things, and you can tell that she has much more experience as a hairstylist than Mr. Sanchez, who admittedly has done primarily African-American hair, and then only for a very short time before trying his hand at teaching. I was shocked to find out that he is only 33.

We learned the 180 degree haircut from a different perspective, the way Ms. Diamond teaches it, and I found it much easier to do. Then she had us get used to using a flat iron and a curling iron.

Since the flat iron is to me what vibrators are to some women, I am very proficient in using one. Curling irons I am not, as I really hate the look of up-dos and curly-q's in the hair, but I know I need to learn how to use this as well.

I have to see a whole bunch of patients this weekend, and need to get a head start on homework, since we are covering 2 chapters next week and having 2 exams plus a quiz the following week. The difference is is that when I was in nursing school I dreaded Mondays (everyday for that matter). Now, once I'm past my day job, I really look forward to coming to school. I guess that says a lot.