October 19, 2011
Ah, Wednesdays! Today my goal was to leave work by 4:30. I left work laughing because I honestly couldn’t believe what happened after school today. My students were terrible today. The whole school had junior achievement all day. That poor shmuck that got placed in my room not only had to put up with my kids but he also was the only one who didn’t have a teaching partner.
I had big plans for this day without having to teach. Did I get anything done? No I didn’t! My plans for getting ahead came down getting 4 slides done for vocabulary tomorrow. If only my students didn’t have to constantly be babysat.
During one of the afternoon sessions I was walking around and noticed one of them kept sticking his head in his sweatshirt and his arms weren’t in his arm holes. He saw me and put his shirt on right. Then I noticed that there was something in the front of his jacket. I asked him what it was. “Nothing Miss.” “Boy, I can see there is something in your shirt give it to me.” He pulls out his PSP. “Really? Really? You are playing video games while we have a guest speaker?” I wrote him a referral. No electronics are allowed in school.
My students aren’t allowed to sit in groups. I tried it for a week and it was a nightmare! However, for Junior Achievement they had to be in groups to do the activities. While they were supposed to be playing a game I have a boy pull me in hall and tell me two other boys are calling him gay. So I pull them ALL out into the hall to get to the end of it. Neither will confess, each one says it was the other one. I’ve got nothing. I end up splitting up the three boys into different groups.
I finally get a break from my kids at the end of the day and have a half hour to call a parent so that I can keep one of my students for 15 minutes after school and fill out 25 behavior sheets to send home. Also I’m expected to sign their certificates for the day. Not going to happen. On top of it all it is also one of my students’ birthdays and so there is cake waiting for my horribly behaved students. This all has to be passed out in the 3 minutes after specials…yeah right!
I go and pick up my kids. The mom I had called during specials shows up to talk to me. As my kids are getting cake I turn around to find 2 of my students smacking each other. My first fight as a teacher and it occurs in the classroom. All at once I am ordering kids to sit down. One of the students that owed me time after class leaves. I run outside and yell for him to get back here! A parent is waiting to talk to me. I have to keep the two fighters apart and fill out two red referrals for fighting. My two fighters are handling it totally different. One is bawling and asking if I can give him another chance. I will now refer to him as the crying fighter. “No I can’t give you another chance! Punching is not allowed!” My other one is asking if he can go home. “NO you cannot go home! YOU JUST GOT INTO A FIGHT! Are you serious?! You aren’t going anywhere!”
I couldn’t even think there was so much going on around me! Kate my teammate heard my yelling, came into my room, and asked if there was anything she could do. I told her just to stand at the door and don’t leave me. Jesse, another teammate, came in and asked if he could take anyone. I had him take my crying fighter. I quickly shooed the rest of the children out of my class so that I could talk to the parent and deal with my fighters.
I talked to the parent, who only speaks Spanish. I mostly spoke to the older son who then translated for his mother. I explained that I had to redirect her son too much during the day so he owed me time. It’s a standard consequence. She asked to speak to our assistant principal. So I walked down with her taking my fleeing fighter with me. I walked into the office. My principal is standing there and I hand her the two red referrals.
She sends my fleeing fighter on his way with directions to report to the office in the morning for in school suspension. (This was his second fight in 2 days. YIKES!) I begin to cry out of frustration and being just plain overwhelmed by what just occurred in my classroom and now in the office.
In the mean time the mother I had talked to and my assistant principal walk into the office. My vice principal explains that the mother wants her son to be moved to a different class. There have been about 10 request from students and parents in my class for this already. My principal will not budge on this issue. They are just going to have to put up with me, whether they like it or not.
The mother claims her son has not had behavior problems until now. My principal tells her that’s a lie and he was sent back to Central from another school because he was too much a behavior issue. I go through the day with this boy as my principal counts how many redirections I had to give him…we get to twelve. Finally the parents admit they need help with him and we end the meeting by signing him up for counseling.
In the meantime my fleeing fighter and his grandmother appear outside of the office waiting their turn for a chance at me. Begin round two! So grandma and grandson come in. Grandma points her finger at me and begins to say, “She doesn’t know that while the sub was there that crying fighter threw scissors at fleeing fighter and he had a cut on his face!” WHOA! Who knew it was ok to revenge fight? This lady obviously! Then my vice principal steps in and informs the grandma that his is a different boy by the same first name. So grandma settles down.
While my principals are talking to her, the crying fighter’s mom shows up. We have her wait outside of the office while I go and find her child. I left him with Jesse and haven’t seen him since. I go to Jesse’s room and he is sitting at a desk. I thank Jesse for his help and inform crying fighter that his mother is there and he can come down to the office with me.
We get to the office. He and his mother sit outside as we finish up with Grandma and fleeing fighter. They finally leave and so begins round 3 for the evening. Crying fighter recounts the fight events where he claims he didn’t hit fleeing fighter. “Crying Fighter, I…saw…you…hit…fleeing fighter…back! You and I both know you have trouble owning your behavior!” He also gets in school suspension for the next day.
I walk back to my classroom in disbelief of what just went down. I just went three rounds with parents. It’s after 5 o’clock and I’ve been in the office dealing with parents for an hour and a half. I am suppose to be home by now! So I pack up and head out before round four can come my way!
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