welcome back to school

Just thought I would give you a little update on the happenings of MKS. We've only been back in school for three days, but from what I can tell, most classes are pretty chaotic. I think it's just because the kids have been out of school so long; they can't sit still, can't concentrate, and won't stop talking. That seems to be pretty consistent all across the board. It's like they've forgotten everything completely. Here are just a few examples from the last two days:

1. I was on duty in the cafeteria and right in front of my a little fourth grader punches another boy right in the face. Then he ran away laughing. I caught him by the arm and asked him why he did that and he said, "It's ok; he's my cousin." I took him to the principal.

2. On the second day I called my first parent. This kid is one of two extremes. He is either completely spaced out, like he's on a different planet or he's talking non stop about anything and everything. In either case, he does absolutely nothing in class.

3. At the end of the day yesterday, we were wrapping up our lesson when suddenly one kid says something to another one, which causes him to jump out of his chair and push the first kid up against the wall like he's ready to fight. I wrote a note to send them both to the school counselor, and one of them refused to leave claiming he did nothing wrong. Then the other one also refused to leave. So I said I would keep them after school then, which made the defiant one put his head on his desk and start crying. I took them both to the office after school.

4. One of the kids from number 3 (not the crier, the other one) has decided he is not going to do anything in class. He doesnt' bring his books and he just sits there. Today they were supposed to be working on their vocabulary and writing sentences. He ripped a giant hole in the middle of his paper and wouldn't write anything. When I asked him why, he said he was sick. I told him if he was sick he should take his paper and go to the office. he refused to leave or do his work, so I sent another student to get the counselor. She talked to him for about 15 minutes and called his parents.

5. And this one takes the cake! At the end of the day we usually play hangman while the bus kids are leaving. There is one kid, the spaced out talker from number 2, who sits right in the front so I can keep an eye on him. Well, while we were playing, he was messing around with his water bottle. It has a long shoulder strap which he took off the bottle and was playing with. I didn't mind because he was quiet and not bothering anyone. Well, in the span on a minute, and I kid you not, it was that fast, he had made a loop with the strap, put it around his neck, and tied the other end to the leg of his chair. By the time I turned to look at him, he was on the floor on all fours howling and barking and jumping around like a dog. My jaw dropped, and I literally stood there with my mouth hanging open. Then I called his name and asked him to sit down, so he quickly scrambled into his seat and is frantically aplogizing while still wearing the dog collar and leash. I just started laughing because at that point, there was nothing else I could do.

The life of a school teacher...