The Antagonistic Midget
Imagine if you were at your job and all day there was an immature, hostile midget just sitting there, heckling you. You try everything in your power to get this midget to calm down and shut up. You ask nicely. You talk calmly and see what's bothering the midget. Finally you just try to ignore the midget as they continue to just harass you. Would you be able to do it? And even if you could, how well could you do your job?
Obviously this is a barely veiled analogy for the situation I find myself in with one of my students. After thinking I'd made progress with him through a couple of techniques - ignoring him, not giving him attention for negative behavior, offering him choices, reverse psychology - today things steadily got worse.
Of course the day didn't start off too well with him. The individual behavioral sheet I sent home detailing his misbehavior returned with a lengthy note on the back from his mom. It began by making excuses for his behavior based on his distorted events. It ended with a threat to report me, because apparently I had tripped him purposely! Obviously that's why I got into teaching. So I could trip 9 year olds.
So that was how I started my day. By the end of the day when it was time for the kids the go I was taking my class down the stairs while the student was hurling insults at me. After they left he went out of his way to come up to me while I was talking to a parent and bumped into me on purpose. I really feel myself being pushed to my limits, but I know that's what I signed up for. It can only get easier, right?
Obviously this is a barely veiled analogy for the situation I find myself in with one of my students. After thinking I'd made progress with him through a couple of techniques - ignoring him, not giving him attention for negative behavior, offering him choices, reverse psychology - today things steadily got worse.
Of course the day didn't start off too well with him. The individual behavioral sheet I sent home detailing his misbehavior returned with a lengthy note on the back from his mom. It began by making excuses for his behavior based on his distorted events. It ended with a threat to report me, because apparently I had tripped him purposely! Obviously that's why I got into teaching. So I could trip 9 year olds.
So that was how I started my day. By the end of the day when it was time for the kids the go I was taking my class down the stairs while the student was hurling insults at me. After they left he went out of his way to come up to me while I was talking to a parent and bumped into me on purpose. I really feel myself being pushed to my limits, but I know that's what I signed up for. It can only get easier, right?
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