Horrible day, I just want to give up sometimes

[WriterofWords]

I had a group of 4 students in my class working on an essay, these are my GT kids, high achievers, not ones prone to get in trouble at all. One has in the past but really turned around this year and has been doing great. The troubles were usual girl squabbles not violence or anything like that. Normally this time they are in Art class and I'm in a meeting or working in my room, I had just kept them to work on essays for a scholarship for a summer program. I was called out because I had another student jumped in the hallway and there was a fight. I told them to keep working, I'd be right back and I committed the most unpardonable sin as a teacher, I left them in the class alone. I trusted this group or I never would have even thought about running off, but I was focused on the other issue, the fight. After that was taken care of and the kids were getting ready for the bus I was going back to the classroom and one of the students that had been working on the essay came up to me and said one of the other students was in the bathroom crying, a boy. He's one who just can't live up to his macho, beat the chest, hunter dad,, he's very sensitive and gets upset easily. It seems one of the girls, the one who had the issues, decided to whack him with a cardboard tube, not the flimsy kind with wrapping paper, a heavy shipping tube about 6 inches diameter. She didn't just tap him, she hit him several times, the other boy took the tube away from her and the other girl pulled her away. As soon as I found out what happened I called both student's parents in and my AP to take care of it. Statements were taken by the two boys who were still there and I called the other girl who had already left and they all said they had no idea why she did that, that the boy had done nothing. She of course said he pulled her hair and pushed her, but the other three are very trustworthy and questioned apart and they had basically the same story.
I feel just awful that this happened in my class, he's not hurt, other than his pride, he ended up hiding under his desk from her!His parents want her punished by the law for assault, her mom works for the district at another school and knows what can happen here. She said they were playing, and it might have started out that way, but she got too aggressive and went overboard.
They should never have been alone, the door was open, it was tied open for air.
I do think he did something, he has been known to tell small lies to cover himself because his parents expect perfection from him, he is scared to death to fail them and he was humiliated because he was crying,, but something in his eyes said he's not completely innocent although it might have happened earlier so the others didn't see it.
I'm going home now, I'm so disappointed in them but mores so in myself for not being there. I had one jumped in the hallway and in the space of 5 minutes one in my room although under different circumstances and not actually a fight.
I know there will be some who say "I told you so, bad teacher!" and others will try and make me feel better. I just appreciate having a place to come to that I can unload before I go home and plaster a fake smile on my face today.

 

[debilorrah]

For those who may call you a bad teacher:

Teenagers, no matter how consistently their behavior is, are just trouble waiting to happen. Those hormones control their minds. It seems to me that a fight outside the class may have been a priority at the time, and since your crystal ball is still in the shop, you had no idea this was gonna happen.

 

[seismic wonder2]

Kids are ALL brain damaged....

people should NOT breed.

 

[chickenzoo]

Even as a teacher you are just a human.............. you can not be everywhere at once. I would think the fight would have needed your attention at that moment, as the others where doing essays and were not 4 year olds, even though they acted like it...

to you, sorry it was a bad day, but no reflection on you...... When i was 9 my father died and it was just me, my mom and my younger sister. I took care of my sister while my mom worked and went to school....... at 9 years old. Kids of that age should have been fine to themselves for that short of a time............

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

No words of wisdom Kate..just..

!!..Tomorrow will be a better day!!

 

[redhen]

Its not your fault.. no way!
They are not 3 years old..
THEY are responsible for their own actions..
And you know that we all know that you are an awesome teacher! You have very lucky students...

 

[sumatra]

You have your hands full! I have a bright ADHD kid who had his fair share of problems in high school. I remember how sad I would be on one of his bad days. It wasn't frustration so much as just plain dismay. I hated it because he could lie so well. You have my sympathy. (and respect) Hang in there.

 

[Elite Silkies]

First, anyone who becomes a Teacher............. Is already an amazing person. I personally do not think I could do it. It's not your fault, these kids just act out these days. They should have respected you enough to behave themselves while you were out of the classroom.

 

[Xtina]

Oh man, I feel your pain here. You're not a bad teacher! Anyone who says that has no idea about what teachers go through. When I was teaching 4th grade, as a treat, I took my kids out for recess one day. Most teachers at the school I worked at refused to let the kids have recess, and I felt bad that they got so little chance to run and play. Well, I was super vigilant because of all the behavior problems in my class, and everything went well. After they played for 15 minutes, I lined them up to go back inside, and as I was walking from the back of the line to the front, as soon as I passed one of my bad girls, she did a sideways, flying, matrix-style kick to the abdomen of my smallest boy, just for the heck of it. I reached the front of the line and turned back around to see him doubled over, clutching his belly in pain. Needless to say, there was a conference the next day with his mother and the principal, but there was no way that what happened could have been my fault! I didn't get fired, but I felt just awful.

My point in telling my story is that as a teacher, you have to accept that you can't be responsible for every crazy thing a child does. Yes, it is bad to leave the classroom, but it wasn't like you were chatting out in the hall with another teacher for no reason. You were responding to a school emergency...yes, a fight qualifies as an emergency. Sometimes instinct trumps reason in fights, as I learned after I jumped in to stop fights between boys much bigger than myself. And while you're putting out one fire, another crops up simply because you weren't there to prevent it. You can't be everywhere at once and the parents, administrators, and other teachers need to realize that and not give you hassle. Not that I can make them understand that if they're predisposed not to, but it is the truth.

 

[rancher hicks]

1. Tell him because he is known to tell lies (there is no such thing as a small lie) you can not beleive him.

2. Tell her because there were no corroborating witnesses to her statement you can not believe her.

3. Give them both detention.


"A good reputation is better to be had than fine riches".

" Live your life in such a way that if someone says something bad about you, no one will believe them".