Day 169: There is a Gecko in my House, and other tales
After three days in a row that felt like Friday, today was ACTUALLY Friday...thank goodness. We have 8 days of school left. 7.5 if you count the last day as the early release that it is.
Today one of my lovelies, a.k.a. the Whistler, the Boy who Puts Stickers on Desks, the Boy Who Puts Post-It Notes Over Projector Lens, the Boy Who Hides the Pile of Bell Work, and the Boy Who Prints Inappropriate Full-Page Photos on the Library Printer, decided to, in all his wisdom, make yet another poor decision. He certainly does have a laundry list...even though I know he has such a big heart, he does make poor choices. He had lost the right to work on library computers on his website after the photo incident and instead was doing exercises in the workbook. He needed a pencil for this, and three days in a row he hasn't had one, so I gave him a free library pencil. Today, he took said free library pencil and, in all his extreme wisdom, threw it in such a way as to get it lodged into the library ceiling. I have to hand it to him - where he did it, the ceiling is about 15 feet high, and he had to have done it on his first try - SOMEone would've seen the pencil flying through the air before. Anyway, one very ticked off librarian asked him how he was going to get it down. He tried to stand on one of the study tables, but wasn't tall enough. She told him to get down and tell a janitor; instead he did a basketball leap into the air and got it, landing firmly on a table that is really not meant to hold human bodies. Thankfully nothing happened, but if that table had NOT held up...he would be seriously, seriously injured.
Anyway, the normally calm, understanding, complacent librarian banned him from the library for the rest of the year, which I totally support her on...problem is, my class is still in the library lab all of next week. This means the young whistler will be spending my period next week in ISS. I went off on him. I asked him how dare he do something so stupid, so idiotic, so pointless - how dare he embarrass me when I have had more patience with him, given him more chances, than any of his other teachers? I told him that I put up with him because every once in awhile he does really good work, and I see something in him that is worth striving for. I see someone who has the potential to do something great, but who is squandering opportunity after opportunity on the chance for negative attention. Negative - his peers do not find his antics funny. He is destroying any shred of a positive reputation he has. He acts without purpose, and that is both stupid and dangerous. Sure, today it's pencils in the ceiling...for all I know this kid would play Russian roulette for the chance to make kids watch him.
I can't have him do the book work any more. I really want him to do something more...introspective....for his final exam grade. I'm going to mull it over this weekend, but I'm thinking of having him write a series of letters...I'll write one to him for Monday, he'll write one back, I'll respond for Tuesday, etc. For his final, he'll edit and type the letters to salvage his final grade. Since the whole point of the website project is to get kids to consider their futures and who they are and want to be, maybe we can do this in a conversational format. We'll see...
In unrelated news, when I went into my backyard today I inadvertently let a little white gecko into my house. Since my husband is playing army right now, I had to be brave and get it out myself. Keep in mind I am a city girl - I pretty much leap in irrational fear away from anything smaller than a golden retriever. While trying to fetch my broom to shoo it out, the little guy disappeared. This means he's somewhere roving around my house, just me and him...I left the back door open just a crack in case he finds his way out. At least, I'll tell myself that's what happened when I wake up tomorrow. It will make cleaning up easier if I don't expect a gecko every time I pick up a sock or a plate...
Today one of my lovelies, a.k.a. the Whistler, the Boy who Puts Stickers on Desks, the Boy Who Puts Post-It Notes Over Projector Lens, the Boy Who Hides the Pile of Bell Work, and the Boy Who Prints Inappropriate Full-Page Photos on the Library Printer, decided to, in all his wisdom, make yet another poor decision. He certainly does have a laundry list...even though I know he has such a big heart, he does make poor choices. He had lost the right to work on library computers on his website after the photo incident and instead was doing exercises in the workbook. He needed a pencil for this, and three days in a row he hasn't had one, so I gave him a free library pencil. Today, he took said free library pencil and, in all his extreme wisdom, threw it in such a way as to get it lodged into the library ceiling. I have to hand it to him - where he did it, the ceiling is about 15 feet high, and he had to have done it on his first try - SOMEone would've seen the pencil flying through the air before. Anyway, one very ticked off librarian asked him how he was going to get it down. He tried to stand on one of the study tables, but wasn't tall enough. She told him to get down and tell a janitor; instead he did a basketball leap into the air and got it, landing firmly on a table that is really not meant to hold human bodies. Thankfully nothing happened, but if that table had NOT held up...he would be seriously, seriously injured.
Anyway, the normally calm, understanding, complacent librarian banned him from the library for the rest of the year, which I totally support her on...problem is, my class is still in the library lab all of next week. This means the young whistler will be spending my period next week in ISS. I went off on him. I asked him how dare he do something so stupid, so idiotic, so pointless - how dare he embarrass me when I have had more patience with him, given him more chances, than any of his other teachers? I told him that I put up with him because every once in awhile he does really good work, and I see something in him that is worth striving for. I see someone who has the potential to do something great, but who is squandering opportunity after opportunity on the chance for negative attention. Negative - his peers do not find his antics funny. He is destroying any shred of a positive reputation he has. He acts without purpose, and that is both stupid and dangerous. Sure, today it's pencils in the ceiling...for all I know this kid would play Russian roulette for the chance to make kids watch him.
I can't have him do the book work any more. I really want him to do something more...introspective....for his final exam grade. I'm going to mull it over this weekend, but I'm thinking of having him write a series of letters...I'll write one to him for Monday, he'll write one back, I'll respond for Tuesday, etc. For his final, he'll edit and type the letters to salvage his final grade. Since the whole point of the website project is to get kids to consider their futures and who they are and want to be, maybe we can do this in a conversational format. We'll see...
 |
| http://www.kingsnake.com/hudspeth/gecko4-10-05.jpg |
In unrelated news, when I went into my backyard today I inadvertently let a little white gecko into my house. Since my husband is playing army right now, I had to be brave and get it out myself. Keep in mind I am a city girl - I pretty much leap in irrational fear away from anything smaller than a golden retriever. While trying to fetch my broom to shoo it out, the little guy disappeared. This means he's somewhere roving around my house, just me and him...I left the back door open just a crack in case he finds his way out. At least, I'll tell myself that's what happened when I wake up tomorrow. It will make cleaning up easier if I don't expect a gecko every time I pick up a sock or a plate...
Comments
Post a Comment