Day 9

The combination of not getting much sleep last night and some of the kids really testing my patients made today a real challenge.  We started the day in Mr. Jensen's class doing a rock experiment. The kids used different sized strainers to sift the smaller rocks through and then they could arrange the cups of rocks from biggest to smallest. It was interesting to see how the kids had trouble figuring out which strainer to use first, big, medium, or small, in order to separate the big rocks from the rest of the rocks. I saw many kids dump their pile of rocks into the smallest strainer and wonder why none of the rocks would go through except the sand. This was another instance of what i thought was common sense, but isn't second graders. How can kids have so much fun with a pile of rocks and stay interested in them for a long period of time? I can't imagine putting a pile of rocks in front of high schoolers and expect them to look at them for more than 2 minutes. It's amazing what kids are interested in. 

Fairy Tales came next. This is when two boys really tested my authority and my patients. DJ, who is done with his fairy tale was meant to be sitting quietly on the floor free writing or drawing. Ms. Hildebrand was out in the hallway with a student working on his fairy tale, while i was in the classroom. While i was at the round table putting covers on students books, i overheard DJ talking very loudly to Todd, who was trying to finish his book. DJ was not sitting on the carpet where he was meant to be working quietly, so i asked him to stop distracting Todd at his desk and to go where he was meant to be. He talked back to me without hesitating. He told me he was allowed to be there and that he didn't have to sit on the ground because he didn't want to. I couldn't believe he talked back to me with such confidence, as if i couldn't do anything about it since Ms. Hildebrand wasn't in the room. I asked him a few more times and i had to raise my voice before he listened to me. It was frustrating that he tried to take advantage me and thought he could do what he wanted. Then, after DJ gave me trouble i had to deal with Dylan being difficult. I tried to help Dylan cut out his fairy tale and assemble his book. I numbered the paragraphs in order from one to eight on the back of his typed story so it wouldn't get mixed up when he cut it apart. He told me he didn't need me to number them because he knows the order of his story and then he said that i numbered it wrong because his title isn't a page and i number it #1. He kept giving me attitude while i was helping him put together his book. I told him to finish cutting and gluing his story and then i would help him with his cover. While i was working with someone else he lunges over the table and grabs a cover page and starts to rip it. I immediately told him that he isnt allowed to touch that paper and whoever wants a paper needs to tell me which one and i will be the one to rip it out of the booklet. I continue working with the other student and all of a sudden he holds up the cover page, ripped partly down the middle and says, "Trenny i got the page that i want!" I was about to go crazy! I couldn't believe he did EXACTLY what i told him not to do. It was so difficult for me to stay calm but i asked Dylan, "what did i just tell you about that paper?" Dylan didnt like that question much and he repeated what i had told him. Then i asked why he didnt follow my directions and he blamed it on the student that i was helping at the time and said, "Jack told me i could!" I was so upset with him, not only did he not follow directions, but he ripped a beautiful paper that now cant be used to cover his book with. Then, before anything else could happen it was time for the students to go to music class. I stayed and talked with Ms. Hildebrand about what happened in the classroom and she was not surprised with the boys actions. She reassured me that i handled the situations in the best way that i could have, which made me feel a little better. She told me a little bit about some of the students and their individual issues, which i found so interesting. There is one boy who is very nice, doesnt talk back, but always asks why, and talks very slowly, tells irrelevant stories that trail on for a long time, makes noises often, and is a little spacie. He is one boy that i have trouble being patient with, but i dont know why because he is a great kid and doesnt seem to cause any problems. I couldn't put my finger on what was different about him, but Ms. Hildebrand said that he has sever ADHD and a mild case of turrets, but is heavily medicated which makes him act that way. I now have a bit more patients for him and i am more understanding when he tells long stories that sometimes irritate me. It's interesting how different each student is. 

After lunch i went with the first and second grade on a two hour walk/hike around Black Water Ski Area. The kids needed to find a favorite rock on the walk and Ms. Hildebrand and I passed out popsicles to all the students for a little treat at the end. It was a great escape from the classroom, but i was so focused on getting eaten by the bugs it was hard for me to enjoy it as much as the kids did. Today was the toughest and most tiring day yet. I hope tomorrow will go a little more smoothly and i will have more patients for all the students after a good night sleep!