(This one's for you, Heidi :) )
"What is Jonathan like?" I asked the class's placement student over lunch.
Her head dropped and her eyes rolled.
I laughed.
"Ask any teacher to describe Jonathan and you will get the same response," she told (warned?) me. "I am in behaviour psych, and Jonathan is the reason I came to this school."
"He's famous!" I quipped, and our conversation soon drifted elsewhere.
I had not yet had the chance to meet this young person, as he had been at his behaviour class all morning. I had been warned, though. "The class isn't bad in the morning, but in the afternoon....with Jonathan....it gets a little crazy," warned the EA.
My chance to meet him soon came. A boy stood in the doorway shortly before lunch recess had ended.
"Are you Jonathan?" I asked him.
"Yes, I am," he responded politely.
I introduced myself, and told him it was nice to meet him.
I was thankful. Either he was having a "good" day or I had already won him over with my charm.
The students entered, and class began. I explained what we would be working on....building medieval castles that they had started earlier in the week.
Within approximately two minutes, I heard some kerfuffling behind me. I looked. Two boys were arguing...over, of all things, a used pizza box.
"He took my box!" said Cam.
"No, it's mine!" Said Jonathan.
Back and forth, back and forth.
And then....It became increasingly pugnacious. I tried to take the box away, and it was grabbed back....with total belligerence. Schoolwork was knocked off the desk. The scissors in Jonathan's hand were looking more and more alarming. I wished they were safety scissors. Some yelling. Some more yelling from other students. ....and then push came to shove, and Jonathan leaped out of his space and chased Cam around the classroom. He grabbed Cam, clawing at him as tightly and as hard as his strong, chubby fingers would let him. Blood was drawn. Sara felt it her duty to contribute to the pinching, clawing, grabbing. Somehow I was in the middle of it, trying to get them off each other.
It was over in a matter of minutes....I think. My first classroom fight.
It gets a little crazy......indeed. Sometimes warnings aren't enough.
4 comments:
eeeeeek!!
maybe i'm glad not to teach boys.
with anger issues.
i had a full-blown argument in my class the first year i taught...and i had to send a student to get the principal! (although i'm sure she could hear us from down the hall...) but they didn't draw blood - or maybe they didn't get that far? ;)
I'll try to remember how much I appreciate teaching only girls :) although belligerence is normal in our school...
Eeep! Sounds like quite a brawl in your classroom! Life in my office is never quite as interesting.
Yikes!!! I don't think Mike's ever had to deal with something like that... that's pretty crazy
Thanks for this one Becs! I really needed the laugh this week. You are increadibly gifted when it comes to telling a good story. Needless to say, I think we will cross the name Jonathan off of our baby name list!
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