But I digress...
OK, so A and I used to pass notes in class. I don't think we passed notes like normal 12-year-olds. One of us would take the entire class to write a note, and then give it to the other after class was over to read. I think the term "passing notes" actually involves passing notes....as in, writing a note, and then passing it to the person, and then getting it back, and writing more, and passing it back, etc. etc. I guess we didn't get that concept. Be that as it may, that's how I spend most of my 7th grade Latin classes. I still did well in the subject, but I just found sitting there in class to be so BORING!! It was much more interesting to think about what was happening on "My So Called Life" or the slumber party that would be happening that weekend.
So I empathize with those who find class to be boring sometimes. In class is sometimes where I got my best writing and thinking done (not always about the the subject actually being taught on that day, but whatever). And I am trying my best to empathize with my own student who apparently found my teaching to be boring, or just not piquing his interest.
It's not uncommon for students to need to "take a break" in class. I've found that students in the particular setting where I teach aren't as emotionally developed as other students their own age. It's a regular occurrence for students to have tantrums and scream, kick desks, kick chairs, or run from the room (oh, don't get me wrong....I don't condone this...it's just what happens because they don't know how else to deal with the emotions running through them). So I've set up a "Peace Out Corner" where students can fill out a talk ticket to discuss with me something that made them upset, or write in the "I'm Angry" notebook if they just want to write about what made them upset, and not discuss it with me. They can take that cool-down time, away from the class, to keep their anger from boiling up into something more destructive. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Well, apparently that wasn't good enough for K on this particular day. I'm not quite sure if I said something to make him upset. Or, perhaps he was just bored with my teaching and decided he'd had enough (and remember, I DO empathize with those who get bored in class sometimes). But K apparently decided that he'd had enough, and made his way over to the cubbies (sidenote: for those who don't know cubbies are like lockers for kids...they're like little closets where kids put their backpacks and jackets). He found his cubby, opened the door, and proceeded to crawl into it. Well, K's not a small boy. He's thin, but fairly tall. So after he made his way into the cubby, he decided there wasn't enough room for him. First, he threw his jacket out of it. Then, he took his backpack off the hook and threw it to the ground. At that point, there was enough room for him to stuff himself all the way inside. Which he did. And then used his long, skinny arm to reach out and close the door behind him. And then, in Ace Venture-like fashion, opened and closed the door several times, yelling "Don't look at me!" Smart kid...yelling at others to not look at him CLEARLY did not make them want to look at all.
And what was I doing this time?? Teaching. Doing my best not to look at him, doing my best to entice my other students not to look at him (which, surprisingly, they actually did a pretty good job of), and still talking about subtraction story problems. If K has 3 things in his cubby, and takes out 2 so he can have room to fit himself in there, how many things are left in his cubby? 3-2=1. Bonus points for those who said 3-2 + K = 2.
Epilogue: He made his way out about 5 minutes later and went to lay down in the reading area before being escorted up to the office. I guess fitting oneself into a cubby is quite tiring work!
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