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Lost in Translation

Attendance on Friday is usually atrocious. As a result, it is extremely difficult to introduce new material, as I usually have to then re-introduce it the following Monday. Most teachers at my school utilize Friday as a review day, a catch-up day or provide students with in-class time to work on larger assignments.

A colleague of mine decided to use his class time on such a Friday to get students to work on their writing assignment using laptops. Two students, Jamil and Antoine, decided they weren't going to work on their assignment. Jamil, whose attendance is pretty impressive, shockingly still fails most of his classes. Antoine's attendance is terrible, and when he does come to school, he's usually stoned out of his mind. Seriously, this guy has the potential to be very successful starring in anti-drug commercials. Anyway, Jamil and Antoine put on some music on their laptops and begin to plan their evening. My dear colleague decided to type up this gem of a conversation. Here's the transcript, in full. Enjoy.  

"We need to do dat again, but everyone needs to have a dime. We need mo' den four blunts for thirty people," Jamil says.

"Yo, why dis shit still not workin, n*gga?" Antoine asks.

"Yo deadass do my n*gga," Jamil replies.

"N*ggas was dum high. No funny shit."

"We always have bud, but now we don't got da crib."

"You can't depend on Carlos. Cuz Carlos some lowkey n*gga."

"You know me, I woulda been up there with like, a dime."

"Carlos be wylin'."

"Wassup wit after skool do n*gga?"

"You got da crib? I'm sposed to be cuffin lata. Word. I'm sposed to be cuffin lata, I'm tryina think."

"Dat bitch can wait," Jamil says.

"I always got time for the homies." Antoine replies.

"I'm bout to sell this game... Red Dead Redemption."

"That's a pothead move. Sell a game for sum weed."

"That n*gga said a dolla and some change, my n*gga [inaudible, unintelligible] my n*gga, my n*gga..."

"Two blunts for four of us? We not gonna get high right."

[Jamil puts on some really bad rap music and starts moving his arms around and closes his eyes.] 

"This is fire Mista: 'shorty go hard. one cheek, two cheek'."

[Antoine gets up and walks to the door.]

"Ay yo. You better don't have my name in dat," Antoine says. 

[With his friend Antoine gone, Jamil sits and stares at the computer with a slack jaw, bobbing his head up and down.]
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Anonymous said…
And that is why I love reading to my classes...it gets them to shut the !@!!! up!
May 10, 2011 at 8:16 PM
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