tales from the schoolyard

The clock in my classroom has been wonky off and on for a while now.  Usually it speeds ahead exactly one hour. We deal with it. 

But last week it was turning in warp speed and the minute hand was not even correct. We could not deal. I asked the custodian to help me. He put in a work order for me. Sure enough, the clock fixed itself and went back to normal. Of course.

I have no idea how these things happen. It's hooked up to something and syncs. Sort of. Apparently not very well, though.

Yesterday afternoon I looked at the clock and panicked. How had a complete hour gone by without me noticing?! We still had so much more to do today! For someone with passage of time issues, this was not good news. 

Until I looked at my watch and realized the clocked had shimmied ahead an hour again.

Coincidentally, the school district guy came to fix my clock yesterday just after my mini-panic. He replaced it with a clock that has a yellower face. It doesn't look right.

Yes, I noticed.

Starting our wants & needs unit, I asked the kids to make a list of everything they cannot live without. I told them to write down everything they must have to live.

The first item on one boy's list was glue.

I hear ya, buddy!

If you've been reading along, you know that I had finally found my joy again this year only to have it ripped out from under me. (Read here if you need to.)

Last Monday I came home in a super pissy mood and was boo hooing about lots of stuff. Considering we had staff development (with no kids) that day, this was not a good sign. While sharing my misery with Greg, he shared some wisdom with me. He told me that I let one seven year-old kid single-handedly rob me of my joy. I let him be in charge. I had given him my power.

There he goes being right again!

So, while crying at the kitchen sink, I made a decision right then and there that this joy thief would no longer be able to steal my joy. If he cannot follow the directions then he will be asked to leave the room. If he wants to be part of our class, he will play by my rules. He is becoming very familiar with the tile spot outside my doorway. This way he is not part of the room, but can still hear every word I utter because the door is always open. He will not ruin this year for the students and me. One child will not dictate how this classroom is run, especially to the demise of the other twenty students. I'm in charge here. The end.

Since then, things have been much better. The joy is coming back. Of course, yesterday was a super-sweet day because he got in trouble for fighting last week and had in-school suspension all day. That's too bad.