Long ago, in the olden days of yore, in January, I posted about a liar-pants issue in my classroom (here and here). Yesterday the same events started to unfold and ended a little differently. I thought you might be interested as you dither on and on about if she learned her lesson or not…* Phone-Borrower…
One of my little lambs does not know how to ask for attention–from anyone. To get attention from his peers he has done any number of the following (singularly or in combination): throwing pencils tearing up paper and sprinkling on their head tearing up paper and throwing it at them clapping loudly each time they…
So, I asked what you would do in the case of a set of Pants on Fire. Thank you for the suggestions and ideas. Here is what went down: I put Phone-Borrower in a room away from everyone for awhile (if I say how long it will sound mean). I tried dialing the phone to see…
What is the right thing to do? Kidlet #1 is despondent. He finally lets me know that he has let another student “borrow” his cell phone and she has not returned it for nearly a week. He is in big trouble at home, but will only tell his mom that the phone is “lost.” He…
But December has its issues, too. Today included the following (remember, this is out of 22 students): V. was assigned In School Suspension for defying another teacher on Friday and laughing, talking, and climbing a fence. ISS at our school means the student has to sit off to the side of the rest of the…
On days like today, I am quite certain that my little sweet-niks simply cannot hear me. It isn’t that they cannot hear (although one of them used to have a hearing loss), and it isn’t that they have an auditory processing deficit (although quite a percentage of them do), and it isn’t that they are…
This caped teacher does not know the strength of her powers. Earlier this week I said this: “Our kids this year are not your typical punk kids. We have many fewer gun-totin’, teacher-hitting, drug-using turkey-butts than in the past. This year our kids border on sweet (key word–border), just don’t fit in, and just… need.”…
from The Onion I had to break up a fight yesterday. Let me share some of the phrases that were being bandied about (with some details altered to protect the guilty): A: “It’s 10:55.” B: “Nuh-uh, it’s 10:54.” A: “My watch says it is” B: “Then check your cell phone.” A: “You can’t talk to me like…
M. is crying. I am pretty sure it is my fault. Before you get your knickers in a bunch, though, I will tell you that he is upset because I held him responsible for his actions (or lack of action, to be more specific). He is sitting in the center of the room, at his…
As I sit here watching these little turkey-butts take their state-mandated tests, I am reflecting on the various issues that have brought them to me. Here I will list phrases used on our placement information sheet and the number of times each is used if more than once, or if privacy allows. This is out…
Wear The Cape 