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At Least I'm Not Dealing With This

I've had a fairly frustrating situation with one of my tutoring clients recently.  However, I came across this old post and had to be glad that I'm not dealing with THIS anymore:


Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Suspension Form

I suspended a kid today - let's call her "Alexis" - and these are the reasons I gave on her suspension form:
  • Erasing the lesson on the board
  • Ripping up the list of who hadn't done their homework
  • Giving another kid a wet willy
  • Taking pencils away from kids and taunting them as the kids tried to get them back
  • Taking things off my desk
  • Putting Purell on kids' heads
  • Taking stickers off my desk, sticking them on her crotch, and dancing around thrusting her pelvis out
  • Screaming
  • Refusing to go to the office
  • Threatening to "slap the f--- out of" another kid
  • A lot of other threats that ended with "with your ugly old self"
I think there might have been more.  She wouldn't leave when the assistant principal came up and the rest of my class had to go to the computer lab to do their work because we're not allowed to pick up children and drag them to the office (stupid laws).  Also, she could beat up the assistant principal.

She also told her mom that I scream at her, that I'm lying, and that she "hates this old school."  The assistant principal pointed out that she has 7 teachers who all say the same thing and they can't all be lying, but logic was not working.''

The amazing thing was that the rest of the class ignored her pretty effectively.  There was the one kid who laughed in her face, but he always teases other kids (his new thing is to make fun of the boys for having "girly" names which is pretty funny because he actually has a unisex name so he's just asking for trouble).  The rest of the kids, including her usual posse, just ignored her.  They kind of rolled their eyes but they kept working. One of her usual friends started to join in and I asked him if he wanted Alexis to decide his grade or if he wanted to decide his own and he actually made the right decision!  (This is the kid who told me how much he hated me on the first two days I was there).

Also, I felt good because I didn't raise my voice once.  I didn't have to because it was only one kid going crazy and the rest kept working.  Also because the administration came when I called.

This girl really is not all right though.  This is one of our usual conversations:

Me: Hi, Alexis, how are you doing?
Alexis: Don't you scream at me!  You always be screaming at people with your ugly old self!

Me: You're doing a good job today.
Alexis: Ooh, I swear to God!  You always be screaming and lying!  I hate you with your ugly old self!

Something is very wrong.

One year ago: If Geckos Went to School

Three years ago: If I Were President, I Would Melt All of the Guns

Four years ago: NCLB Backlash
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