It was Tuesday. Morning snack time. I brought Doris her food. (Her family provides a croissant and a slice of spam.)
Doris eventually ate. She was given some water. She had gone back to her usual spot. And then, out of nowhere, Doris was angry.
She grunted. Slammed her fists onto the picnic tables. Hit herself in the face.
Keyla herded her into the classroom. Doris hit her. On the way to the classroom, Doris shoved another seated student, knocking him to the ground.
I called the office. Doris needed to go home.
It was the end of snack. The rest of the students kind of got herded to the classroom next door. (This is the room I was in while covering Ms. S's class. When I left, they disbanded the class, so the room is vacant.) We could hear Doris pounding on the wall.
Then, Keyla found me. The office called. Penelope's father had arrived, and she was going home.
Penelope?
Wait. Did I give the office the wrong name?
I mean, Penelope is never an issue. If I had said Penelope was throwing a tantrum, the office would have questioned me, right?
I told the other aide. She wondered, too. But Penelope had been called for, so Penelope they would get. The aide wheeled Penelope to the office.
It turned out that Penelope had a doctor's appointment. No one had told us she was going home early.
It wasn't that we needed that information, per se. But at least I hadn't used the wrong name when calling the office.
It was probably twenty minutes later when Doris' father came to retrieve her.
I, too, would have questioned whether I had given the office the wrong name. Hope Keyla and the student Doris hit/shoved were/are okay.
ReplyDeleteI would've been concerned as well.
ReplyDeleteTwenty minutes? That's a long time.
It took him a long time to get to us, but that's usual for him.
DeleteWhat you have to deal with in that class …
ReplyDeleteAh yes, every day is an adventure.
DeleteI wonder what triggered her.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds stressful. you must have a lot of patience.
ReplyDeleteNope. It's the nature of the job. I knew what I was getting into when I signed on.
DeleteI wonder if there was something in her food that triggered her. How odd!
ReplyDeleteShe just goes off for no reason (that we can figure) from time to time. If she could verbalize, we might be able to help her. But if she could verbalize, she probably wouldn't have these meltdowns.
DeleteYou just wonder what's going on in her head when that happens.
ReplyDeleteSaid this before about day care workers....it takes a special person to do that work. I feel the same way about teachers, which includes subs. It takes a special person esp with the group you have been working with. Bless you.
ReplyDeleteOh no. I've done this for years. I know what I signed up for.
DeleteYou are a woman of steel.
ReplyDeleteHardly. I go where I'm sent.
DeleteWhat a day!
ReplyDeleteYes, this was me, again. :-)
DeleteI marvel at some of the people who work with people like my developmentally disabled brother in law. I get to meet a number of them twice a year, and some more frequently than that. It takes a lot of patience. We are fortunate, bil is not violent. But before he started to talk, at age five, he threw a lot of tantrums because his Mom couldn't always guess why he was unhappy/being bothered. As an adult (post puberty) it has to be so much worse and it's so hard t guess the cause sometimes. I feel for you. I feel for the aide that was hit. I feel for Doris' parents.
ReplyDeleteThey try to figure it out. She has a communication book, and she does a little sign language. It's much easier when they talk.
DeleteI cannot imagine dealing with such circumstances. The Youtube channel Special Books by Special Kids has been so enlightening. Some caregivers seemingly thrive and others look absolutely defeated by the challenges.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check that out.
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