Kid Stories

Several shorts -

- Last week was both better and worse with my teenage TNT class. I only showed part of the video (the part WITHOUT any mention of dating or sex, thanks), and then we all went outside so they could run around and burn off energy with bubbles, chalk, and balls. It was going way better than previous weeks... until two of them collided, and one of the boys jammed four of his fingers, fell, and then had one of them stepped on my the girl who collided with him! Sigh. He's OK, but in a splint. Can't win for losin', people. EXCEPT, I do have hope for this coming week - which is also the LAST CLASS, thank GOD - because I already know that all of the middle schoolers except one aren't coming because of various birthdays and sports. It can only go uphill, seriously.

- Same middle school boy got into trouble at school about a month ago, and his parents were called. The guidance counselor told his mom that he was displaying 'classic bullying warning signs' - dumping his milk on another boy's lunch, rounding up support among other friends to harass the boy, etc. In his next breath, he explained that the reason her son was doing that was because the other boy, during an argument with her son, had said the following the week before:

'oh, yeah? Well, I'm gonna RAPE your [fifth grade] sister when I find her!'

HOLY SHIT, people. The boys are in seventh grade. They're both seeing the school guidance counselor, whatever help that will do. This is the school Josie, who is friends with the girl mentioned above, will go to next year. That boy will still be there. Nice. Can I wrap her in an Ugly Betty costume now, please?

- Patrick's teacher walked him over to the car today after school, and told me that she had been keeping him inside with her rather than letting him stand in the car line because she couldn't trust him not to continually stomp on other kids' feet. I told Patrick that I was disappointed and angry to hear that, and we drove off. I asked him to explain what had happened, and he told me that he had done it because his friend had asked him to, and they had been roughhousing, and his friend was laughing. I wasn't sure whether to believe this, so I asked if we should go back to to the school and straighten it out, and he said we should. Patrick was close to tears by the time we found his teacher in the library area. He explained again what had happened to us both, crying, and she told him in a very annoyed voice that he had been told to stop and had done it again, and just because someone told him to do it, would he rob a store if the boy told him to? and then - this is the kicker - SHE SMIRKED. She knew the whole time it was one boy, who was telling Patrick to do it, and they were playing - she didn't refute his story *at all*. I wanted to smack her. While I was glad he was telling the truth - and it would have been completely unlike him to purposefully hurt someone, anyway - I was totally pissed that she had made it sound like he was, when really it was just two kids horsing around. The other boy didn't get into trouble, either, just Patrick. I know he should listen the first time, and that he probably doesn't listen the first time at least once a day, but that doesn't make him any different from any of the other boys in the school. Not every teacher is going to like every kid, and it's hard to be fair all the time, but if the boy is having listening issues, don't make him sound like he's rampantly stomping on everyone's feet! This is the same one who was telling me that he had ADD or something a few months ago, and I'm starting to think that she really, really doesn't like him much. When we got home, I told him I wasn't going to punish him, (but that he should have listened), that I was glad he was telling the truth, and that his teacher was being a bitch had used poor storytelling skills.