We had a good day. Students who often struggle to maintain their focus on learning in the afternoon were still cheerful 20 minutes before dismissal. When Incredible Hulk asked, "Were we good today?" we had a short discussion about how a few bad choices don't have to make a bad day. Even though there were consequences we didn't let them ruin the day. I was proud of them and the progress they have made.
We ended the day with 20 minutes of really enjoyable free time. Everyone was getting along and was participating positively in some activity. It was great.
Great until one of the girls tried to use a CD ROM on the computer. It was nowhere to be found. It seems to have grown feet and walked away. Not the case, just the CD ROM. It was my own personal property, and so I wasn't too happy with the disappearance. However, grace abounds and the students present seemed as distressed as I was about the disappearance. It could have walked away anytime in the last two days.
But then, after the last ones had left the room I went to my desk to open the bottle of flavoured water that I had been saving for the end of the day as a treat, and found it gone. Since I am very capable of misplacing stuff, I hunted everywhere. Also nowhere to be found. LK even came in and hunted through the room for both items. Nada.
I distinctly remember a students asking me if the water was mine less than an hour before school was done. I can't remember who. I didn't see anyone walk out with it. This time I was less filled with grace and more filled with anger.
We have talked about respecting my desk as a personal space with confidential stuff on it. (I know that some teachers feel strongly that having a private teacher space is not right in a classroom, but I need somewhere to plan and mark and keep the million bits of paperwork that are part of the job). I have made an office wall, a-la Les Nesman, with tape on the floor to remind students that this space is out-of-bounds (which is not a normal barrier for me - it was necessary after the last round of missing things). I was really, really disappointed.
So, now I am trying to figure out how to handle the situation. I can't punish the whole class for the damage of one or two; that would be unjust. I don't know who the one or two are. I hate doing the 'interrogator' thing. I feel personally attacked - which is probably the point- and I don't want to lay myself out there to be hurt again.
I will. Come Monday I will get up for work and walk back into that classroom and deal with it. Because, I am the grown up and a professional. But I won't trust again for a long time. That acount is overdrawn with this class. And I think it is time to pack up my personal stuff from the classroom and bring it home.
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3 comments:
Have a piece of chocolate (big piece) and then go for a jog. Come home and have a glass of wine.
love ya'
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I feel for you. I'm very generous but I don't like things going "missing".
No doubt most of the students are not happy with the situation. There are many reasons why people take things - most of them have little to do with the victim.
I didn't know anyone else who understood "Andy, one day there will be Walls, WALLS!".
VS
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