A boy pulled down this pants the other day.  What daaaa???    Yes, yes...members of our school saw my boy's scooby-doo.  Why would he do such a thing , you ask?  Ahh...because so-and-so asked him to.  A GIRL, no less.  When I found out, the ever-familiar phrase "if blah*blah*blah asked you to jump off a cliff, would you do it too??" came to mind and for a moment, I was transported back to my living room with my mother yelling at me for some reason or other...for a moment.  Then I went back to giving my boy my most glaring look.

Ah, the mischief did not end there.  My little piggy (oh yes, I refer to my kids as little piggies if they are in the habit of doing what I'm about to explain) was caught stealing the snack of another student.  AHHHH!!    It doesn't help that this is the same girl that constantly asks me to have some of whatever I happen to be snacking on during recess or comes in almost every other morning complaining that she's hungry.  IT STILL doesn't help that when I question her about where she got her snack, she tells me her "mommy packed it" and then when I call mom to verify, I find out she didn't pack anything.  Now, my little piggy has resorted to taking other people's snacks.  When I found out, I was transported back in time to when I...lol!  Just kidding!

*sigh*  I know that it's probably just the typhoon and the holidays and the fact that we got a new teaching assistant in our class that has the kids acting up.  But lord, I hate having to do damage control.  Calling parents, clarifying information, suggesting for reinforcement at home....would you believe "Flash's" mother was laughing about the situation and told me "at least he didn't ask to see the girl's own!"    Yes ma'am.  You're right.  Good thing he just showed his OWN.  Now my world is complete.

Anyway, I told the kids that they'd better quit horsing about during lunch and start thinking hard about what is right and what is wrong.  I also showed the kids that I wasn't kidding about informing parents of misbehavior.  Sheesh, half the time, these kids will push it until you show 'em you're not kidding.  When I say I will call your parents kiddo, you better believe I'll be on the phone first chance I get!! 

Soooo....I told the kids if they think that they can cause mayhem because they're out of my radar during lunch and recess, ooooh, they'd better think again!  I mean to make due on my threat to turn their lunch experience into one worthy of the military!!  You should've seen their cute faces when I described what I planned (no bluff, I really do plan on doing this!) if another incident came up.  Let me emphasize MILITARY-STYLE.   I described as best I could and used examples I thought they would know.  I know, I know....harsh!!  Oh please.  Don't let these little angels in disguise fool you.  Children are inherently innocent, but that doesn't mean they don't have little tricks up their sleeves!!  Hehe, well I'm sure that the kids know I'm serious and hopefully, they'll keep my little message in mind before doing something silly. 

One thing I learned even before I had any experience in the classroom was you'd better keep a tight reign on your discipline and management.  You can be the best teacher, but without proper management over the 20+ kids in your classroom, you're dead!

I have been told I have good management.  LOL!  So much so that my 2nd year of teaching, I was given an incoming behaviorally challenging student.  Picture an innocent-looking boy who is affectionate and quite bright.  Now picture that same child screaming, kicking and wailing when not given what is wanted.  Oh, and not to mention the fact that he goes limp when you or another adult tries to replace the student back to their desk or take the student to the office.  *sigh*

Oh...but all the stories I could tell - these kids have filled my life with so much color...  They're so very sweet and ready to please that it's hard not to forgive them of their misdeeds.  Again, one of my boys bounded out of his chair yesterday with the intent of massaging me on the forehead when he heard me mutter "ugh, my head is hurting again."  LOL!!  I have to be careful about speaking outloud - this boy is always itching to give me a massage.  I've already experienced his temple, shoulder, hand and ALMOST experienced a foot massage.  I stopped him before he reached down to remove my shoes.  WHOA THERE!  So cute!

  One of my girls told me her last name would be ****** now.  Her parents have just finalized their divorce.       This is the first time I experienced a finalized divorce with a student.  The comment that had me tearing was "I wish my daddy would love my mommy again."       There it goes again, that string in my heart that just feels like it's going to snap.  I gave her a little pep talk and a great big hug.  I talked with her mom a few weeks before this and the divorce was one of our topics of discussion.  All I could say was "A lot of famlies show that they're having bad experiences when going through a these types of things, but not your daughter.  It shows through your daughter what a loving family you have, regardless of what's going on."  She was in tears, but I meant every word.  Really, you wouldn't tell that this child is going through tough times unless she speaks her mind about it.  She's the sweetest, most helpful and SMARTEST girl!

Anyway...just wanted to share...  I had it in mind to reminisce on the funny or sweet stories I've collected these past years but I realize that this post would never end.  LOL!