Wild Boys

Tuesday. Seventh period. Middle school art.

I had covered this class once before. I had had some of these boys in other classes (most notably, a math class). I knew I was in for it.

I had a couple roamers. (I don't know what it is about some students not being able to stay in their seats.) I had a kid with a basketball (that I had to confiscate). I even had to stop kiddos from chasing each other (in a classroom!). 

It's an art class. It's not fair to the art teachers, but many of the worst behavior problems get stuck in the art classes. Usually it's because these students don't choose an elective, so they get put in one. 

But this is a story about Aspen.

Aspen is a small African-American boy. And he thinks that he's all that.

He was late to class. He was constantly out of his seat, instigating trouble, and not doing the quiz he was supposed to be doing. (It was the final.)

A couple times I lost track of him, and then I found him outside the classroom. Ugh. 

Most students know to ask if they want to leave the room. Even if they're just stepping outside to blow their nose or something, they indicate this to me.

Aspen? When I questioned him on why he was disappearing, he said the room was too warm. I pointed out that he could just take off his jacket. This he refused to do.

(The room was not too warm. I run warm. I was comfortable. If anything, the room was cool.)

Towards the end of the period, Aspen had disappeared again. I went to retrieve him only to find him being escorted back to class by security. Security even said that Aspen was out of control. Yup. Agreed.

So, security escorted him from the room. (Alas, I had other issues, so I didn't get much relief from him being gone.)

As I was walking to my car after school, I passed a group of middle school teachers (who I've subbed for at various times), two security guys, and Aspen. (One of the security guys was the one who had escorted Aspen from class.) 

Aspen was loudly protesting. What I gleaned from the bit I overheard (I did not stop, so it was a brief snippet) was that Aspen had jumped some kid (with a couple friends--three on one was what the teachers were saying), but Aspen was denying involvement. Loudly. He was denying involvement in a way that made it clear he was definitely guilty.

Ah. No wonder he was so wound up.