It's time to worry less and watch her favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, more. When Mrs. Mayes leaves, some of the teachers are going to leave, too. In the orderly, sparkling-clean halls of the school on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, students know Mayes' rules. There is no running, loitering, littering or swearing. An elaborate dress code forbids hats, spaghetti straps, short skirts, sagging pants, loose belts, dog chains and flip-flops.
Fighting means immediate suspension.
I don't apologize to anyone about that. She brooks no excuses and makes none herself, even though hers is a difficult job. The middle school years are the most turbulent, and nearly 60 percent of her students live in poverty. Mayes is at Attucks 11 hours a day, working the hallways, listening and sometimes scolding. Last year, she missed only three days.