Day 123

Seriously?

Okay, so Tuesday I had an "interesting" experience to say the least. I'm usually lax on taking kids' cell phones or music players. I have no problem with them listening to them when they're working. However there is a catch. They get to earn the privilege to use it and 1 of my classes hasn't earned the privilege yet. Tuesday I was walking around the classroom and there were 3 students playing around with their music players when they weren't supposed to have them out. I went and confiscated them. Then there were 2 other students trying to text while I walked right past them. The first boy tried to hid it under the desk, but when I see a blue glow under the desk, I don't think it's his feet that are glowing. After I had taken his phone it started buzzing again and I looked at the screen. It was a girl in that class. So, off I went to take her phone. While I had hers in my hand it buzzed and low and behold, it was the girl sitting across from her. Yep. In the span of 2 minutes I had taken 3 cell phones and 2 music players. And to top it off, one of the boys that I took his music player away from practically harassed me the rest of the day about that fact. I saw him after school when I was going out to the track and he started yelling after me and telling his friends what I had done. Do I care? Not really, but I'm definitely going to be talking to one of the assistant principals.

Either I've been too lax, or these kids think it is their "right" to be able to use them whenever they want. I don't believe it is so and it even states it right in my syllabus and disclosure that they signed. I'll be having a talk with this class today, plus giving a friendly reminder to all my classes who haven't earned the privilege yet.

I'm really not that bad of a stickler and I want them to be able to use their music players while they are working, but there are some rules to using them and since it is known that rules have consequences, they just received the consequence.

Now, on to something that is really beginning to make me worried. I've just received a copy of 4 students' IEPs (individualized education plan). It is a a "roadmap" of sorts to a student's particular behavior issues or learning issues. You only get them if you are in the special education program or you have failed specific tests. Anyway, I just barely received a copy of these (and it is almost to the end of term 3) and after reading through them, I am semi-worried about having these students in my classroom; both for my safety and the safety of the other students. Boy1 is clinically depressed and has aggressive tendencies. Boy2 is clinically insane and is bipolar. Boy3 has a severe reading and processing disability and can get agitated and aggravated easily. Girl1 has severe aggressive tendencies. And to make matters worse, Boy1 and Boy3 are in the same class. Girl1 and Boy2 are also in the same class. I am worried to be in the classroom with these students. Only Girl1 is passing the class and with only 7 more class days before the end of term, I don't think the others are going to be able to recover. I really don't know how they will respond to getting a bad grade in this class. I've already receive some e-mails from one of the parents saying that I should be doing something to make sure her son passes. Seriously? I need to make sure your son passes? I've got 140 other students to teach and "pass" and you want me to focus solely on your son? I replied asking if she would be willing to come to the classroom and help her son because I can't be in different places at the same time. Her response: "I'm not his teacher. That's your job". No wonder he's failing.

But let's see how today really goes. I'm not looking forward to having this discussion with my classes, but it needs to be had and I'm just prepping for the backlash that is inevitable.