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.
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.