I'm Diving in...

There is a kid in my 7th grade classed named Pat. This kid is one of the funniest, and yet most frustrating kids in my class. To describe him in this little post would be near impossible. But suffice it to say, he keeps me either entertained or pulling out my hair all day long.

Pat has some "trouble" completing assignments, so everyday I have to initial his planner as insurance for his parents that he has actually written down the correct assignments for the day. Today was certainly no different; unless you count the fact that Pat was particularly wound up. He started in his regular seat, was moved to the back of the room, and was well on his way to his dad's classroom (his dad is the fifth grade teacher across the hall). Sending Pat to his dad's classroom is the equivalent of a prison sentence for the poor kid. So I try only to send him there as a last resort. Anyway, back to the planner. He hadn't turned in his math homework, so I was writing that fact on his planner.

However, while I am in the midst of this Pat begins to run his mouth. Honestly, I don't even remember what he was saying. But I told him that I was going to write on his planner that he was having some attitude problems (I really wasn't going to. I was just bluffing to get him to be quiet.) Except that Pat didn't catch that. He decides to flip out in a way that only Pat Smith can...He starts hyperventilating while half-screaming "noooooooo." He leaps out of his chair and dives across the table in a vain attempt to grab his planner. Not only does he not succeed in wrestling the planner away from me, but he scatters a stack of about 300 papers from where I had placed them a few minutes earlier. He then lands unceremoniously in a heap on the floor at my feet. Yep, that's my student. If it hadn't been so funny I definitely would have sent him to his Dad's room.

There are moments when spending day after day with these kids is worth it. This was one of them. Thanks, Pat.