Looking for a Way Out

For sixth period, I was in charge of the learning center. This is the place where the kiddos go when then need a quiet room for a test or if they need a little extra help with an assignment.

However, sometimes certain students are enrolled in that class, and on this day I had two. I was told one girl wouldn't be a problem. The second girl, however, had a slew of instructions...

...[Nicole's] ONLY responsibility... is to be on time and in an appropriate seat... she is to sit there and be quiet and not distract other students. 

She is not allowed to go to the restroom or anywhere on campus unattended. This includes the: nurse, psychologist, counselor, etc. She will try her best to leave class, please do not allow this... 

Oh, goody.

Happily, Nicole arrived with her one-on-one aide, a man I've met many times. He knows his job, so I wasn't too worried.

But Nicole immediately tried to get out of class. She wanted to see the psychologist.

I know how to play this, however. I said sure, let me just see if she's available. And then I went to the phone to call.

I got her voicemail. This means she was out of her office (so unavailable to meet with Nicole) or not answering her phone (so unavailable to meet with Nicole).

I told Nicole she wasn't there. So, then Nicole asked to see the counselor.

Again, I went to call. This time the counselor picked up.

I asked the counselor if she could see Nicole, but, "If you're busy right now and can't see her, no problem, I will tell her that". Since Nicole had her one-on-one, sending her out would have been okay as she had supervision. 

The counselor was busy at that moment with another student. So, Nicole was denied again.

After that, she settled down, entertained by her one-on-one.

I got busy helping a student with his test (more of a reading through it with him type of thing), so the period passed mostly uneventfully. But at about the last five minutes of class, there was a flurry of activity of students packing up. I looked around, and Nicole was gone.

Another student volunteered to run out and bring her back. Nicole returned a couple minutes later, poked her head in the door, told me there was a minute left of class, and left.

Sigh.

I informed her teacher of this. The teacher told me that they're in the process of finding Nicole another placement (probably in the emotionally disturbed program), but they need documentation.

So, I wrote up Nicole's defiance and sent it to the teacher. Because when a pattern emerges, it makes it easier for the administrative team to put a student like this where she needs to be.