First, Do No Harm
First a quick note. Thanks to a PC reminder from my mom, AM will henceforth be known as ALP, short for Antagonistic Little Person rather than the un-PC nickname Antagonistic Midget.
Moving on, today was all kinds of bad. I didn't recharge my batteries enough for the weekend and went in this morning exhausted. The kids must have smelled blood in the water, because their behavior was atrocious. I think another contributing factor to the outbreak of misbehavior was a new seating arrangement to accommodate the reading rug that now puts the students seated right next to each other so they're much more easily distracted.
The list of infractions I dealt with today could go on and on. But, the worst obviously came from ALP and another as of yet un-nicknamed student who is just as bad. Out of their seats, talking, talking, talking, wandering around the front of class, grabbing stuff in my hands, and picking on other students. All for no other reason than they feel they can. At one point the other student was asked to be quiet by a classmate and he said, "Okay, I'll do it because you asked," and pointing to me, "But not for him."
ALP actually made two other students cry today. I knew he hated me, but I didn't figure him for a bully. I can handle the disrespect he unleashes on me, but when I can't keep my other students in a safe, comfortable learning environment I know I've really failed. I don't mind the steep learning curve of being a new teacher. I know there are about a million and one areas for me to improve in. But today after teaching practically no material, and standing by helpless* as ALP terrorized other students I had to wonder if right now I'm doing more harm than good.
*Obviously he doesn't listen to my instructions to sit down and leave the other students alone and when I called both the guidance counselor and assistant principal nobody picked up.
Moving on, today was all kinds of bad. I didn't recharge my batteries enough for the weekend and went in this morning exhausted. The kids must have smelled blood in the water, because their behavior was atrocious. I think another contributing factor to the outbreak of misbehavior was a new seating arrangement to accommodate the reading rug that now puts the students seated right next to each other so they're much more easily distracted.
The list of infractions I dealt with today could go on and on. But, the worst obviously came from ALP and another as of yet un-nicknamed student who is just as bad. Out of their seats, talking, talking, talking, wandering around the front of class, grabbing stuff in my hands, and picking on other students. All for no other reason than they feel they can. At one point the other student was asked to be quiet by a classmate and he said, "Okay, I'll do it because you asked," and pointing to me, "But not for him."
ALP actually made two other students cry today. I knew he hated me, but I didn't figure him for a bully. I can handle the disrespect he unleashes on me, but when I can't keep my other students in a safe, comfortable learning environment I know I've really failed. I don't mind the steep learning curve of being a new teacher. I know there are about a million and one areas for me to improve in. But today after teaching practically no material, and standing by helpless* as ALP terrorized other students I had to wonder if right now I'm doing more harm than good.
*Obviously he doesn't listen to my instructions to sit down and leave the other students alone and when I called both the guidance counselor and assistant principal nobody picked up.
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