Every teacher has that one terrible class. Ms. M had two. One of them was (not a surprise) sixth period.
(The other was third period. Eighth graders. One day two boys were throwing parts of glue sticks. Enough said.)
The first day I had the seventh graders in sixth period, things went pretty smoothly. It was a small class (fifteen students), and while they were definitely struggling with the material, they weren't fighting me on paying attention or goofing off.
Alas, as I discovered the next time I had sixth period, two students had been absent. Myron and Aiden. And their absence made all the difference.
Neither boy would remain in his seat for more than a couple minutes at a time (while I was explaining how to find the area of a circle). It was like playing Whac-a-Mole. Just when I got one settled, the other would pop up.
(Why were they absent the previous day? They had been sent to in-house suspension "for no reason". While I don't know specifically what caused them to be sent there, based on what I dealt with, the consequence was warranted.)
Wednesday, as I was preparing for the day, I perused the attendance. (I don't remember what made me look ahead.) And I saw Myron was already marked absent. The code showed that he would be at in-house suspension.
And I danced a little jig.
While I still had Aiden in class, he was considerably less of an issue without Myron to bounce off of.
One student can make a huge difference.
(I did not have access to who had given Myron the consequence or for what. It's too bad, as I would have sent them a thank you.)
Whac-a-Mole - funny! Hopefully with just one it wasn't a big problem.
ReplyDeleteIn that class there were four... well, three really. One did put his head down when the others weren't there.
Delete"One student can make a huge difference." Amen to that. A whole class can turn into a veritable hell just because of one student!
ReplyDeleteYup. I've seen it.
DeleteIt's often "for no reason." Or, "the teacher doesn't like me." Of course, sometimes teachers don't like them, but it shouldn't show, although I've seen it happen (as an adult, I never had a problem with teachers myself!).
ReplyDeleteOh yes, that old chestnut "the teacher doesn't like me". In this case, the teacher wouldn't like them due to the behavior that's causing whatever consequence they're complaining about.
DeleteAs soon as I read "every teacher has that one terrible class", I immediately thought of that terrible class I had. Ah, good times.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it really is amazing the difference one student's absence can make.
Without the partner in crime it's probably not as much fun to cause trouble. Glad you got a break.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. They totally bounce off one another.
DeleteYeah a single student can make a big difference
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteThe "one student can make a huge difference" observation partly describes why fascism works so well in our country. One person can in fact make other people behave poorly. It's like we all have these horrible demons inside us held in by walls and other people who indulge those things erode the walls by which we contain them. It's unfortunate that this is part of the human condition. It would be nice if we could all just exist in a social sphere and not be influenced at all by those around us. That need to conform in particular is very strong, and can even overcome truth as you gaslight yourself into believing a lie just so that you can get approval of others or a sense of belonging.
ReplyDeleteOne kid can bring out the worst in another. At least you got a break.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that in school suspension actually taught him anything.
ReplyDeletethecontemplativecat Here. One year I ended up with 3 of the 4 mean crazy boys. the 4th went to another class. It was a horrible year. They never got sick.
ReplyDeleteWhy would they be sick when they could go to school and play? Yikes. That year must have been a nightmare.
DeleteOh yes, it's quite terrible when they feed off each other because then they just ramp up and up and up. Glad the one was absent so you didn't have as much to deal with.
ReplyDeleteAnd the worst part was the teacher had them seated on opposite sides of the room. You'd think that would keep them from egging each other on, but no.
DeleteWhac-a-Mole was a perfect image. You had me laughing, but I also sympathized with you and that teacher.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz - ghastly thoughts ... I'm glad you survived - and noted everyone's empathetic comments - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteIt just takes one. Either it gets out of hand due to one or it can improve things. I have to wonder what kids are learning, if they are, I ask my 13 yr old grand when I pick him up what he learned that day....always nothing. I then ask what we are sending him to school for! With that said, his older brother Caleb, was 3 yrs old and knew 30 some odd state capitals. Nana was a constant in his life at that time. That was before Fibro and when he lived with me. The two younger ones did not have as much Nana time. There is 7 yrs between DJ and Caleb. But with that said, I started doing a little teaching with B when I pick him up....little things like the names of bushes and trees...
ReplyDeleteIf you want to know what he did, don't give him a broad question. 13-year-olds don't do well with broad questions. Ask him about his first period. What is it? Ask him what the topic for class was. Do that for all his classes. If you ask specific questions about specific classes, you might be surprised at what information you'd get about his day.
DeleteThe one disruptive student, who makes everyone's lives miserable, sometimes learn their lesson and change their behavior. It's scary when they don't. We see, all through history, the one bad man or woman who can disrupt the lives of thousands or millions of people.
ReplyDeleteOnce I was in a 12th grade class with one of those kiddos, and the other kiddos in class were more interested in doing what they were supposed to. They way they shunned that boy... He tried to talk to others and get by on his charm, but they weren't having it. He ended up sitting quietly in a corner.
DeleteMostly, they grow out of it and don't find those that are disruptive funny any longer. Alas, that doesn't happen until 11th or 12th grades.