Serenity NOW!!

**WARNING - LONG, rough school day!**

I thought I was going to literally lose my mind today! By 8 am, my nerves were shot! Not a good sign!!! My child that has returned from Alternative School has made us all miserable for the past 5 days that he has been back. I just don’t get it! But here is a glimpse into classroom life with him there:

7:45 “sit down please and start on your daily oral language”
7:47 “sit down please and get started on your work”
7:48 “find your seat”
7:49 “Ms. J, he just hit me when he walked by”
“sir, you have a check, will you please sit down?”
7:50 “SIT DOWN & get busy!”
7:55 “Ms. J, he won’t turn around and leave me alone!”

URRRGGGHH!!

Then, we go to PE for an hour. As I pick up my class, the PE teacher says, “Ms. J, this student has a behavior document!” (guess who???) “He was sent to time-out for bothering people (he CANNOT keep his hands to himself!) and he tore up the tape on the floor marking spots for games. When I asked him to sit down repeatedly, he told me NO!” (well, at least it isn’t just me!)

Back to the room we go with me taking deep breaths, praying for patience…I knew I was gonna need it today! And of course, even though his seat is the first one in the door, he can’t seem to find it AGAIN!! So after about 10 minutes of struggling to get in our seat and start on our work, he decides to just get up and leave…URGGHHH!! Keep in mind, I have 22 other kids who actually want to learn, and I have to spend all my time just keeping track (aka babysitting) this ONE child who NEVER manages to do ANY work ALL DAY!!!! I want to scream! So….I get him back in the room and in his seat after repeating myself at least 4 more times and feeling my patience start to fly out the window! Then, he antagonizes one of the other children….that’s it! We aren’t getting anything done, so I try to get him up and in time-out in another room – suddenly he doesn’t want to leave his seat! (deep breaths again!) I get lucky and see an administrator in the hallway – I rant that I can’t teach, testing is next week, this is ridiculous, etc., etc….He assures me the office is on it and to keep up with my excellent documentation of everything! I’m thinking “I’ll try if I am still sane by lunch even!”

Back to the room, and now my lovely student is MAD. He doesn’t want to do his work, so he throws it all in the floor. Ok – fine! I decide it is a losing battle and I choose to teach the other 22 kids. We tune him out. (shortly…) He starts to bang his desk against the board – BANG, BANG, BANG – over and over and over. (many deep breaths I take now & try to keep on teaching over the noise) The kids even ask him to please stop so they can hear! (God love ‘em!) I asked him to stop – it’s like we aren’t even talking to him. So, I go over and scoot his chair and desk back away from the board. He promptly moves them back and starts banging his desk against the board, BANG BANG BANG! URGHH!! No amount of deep breaths is gonna help me now – I feel it – I am about to snap! I buzz the office that they need to come and remove him so I can teach. BANG BANG BANG – I think I am going insane!!

The office comes and he refuses to move – imagine that! Security comes and he finally goes AND then he decides to get upset and cry. And get this - says, "my desk just kept hitting the board." YOU THINK??? I am sorry but I do NOT feel sorry for you now buddy….I give WAY more chances then I should!! URRGGHH!!

Anyway - he didn’t come back the rest of the day, and by lunch my sanity was semi restored. I think he is going back to alternative school….It was either he leaves or me today – there are 40 days left of school and I have 39 sick days…(cough, cough) or rather mental health!!!

There – I got it all out – thanks for listening!