It is 2:00 in the afternoon and I am ready to close my eyes and go to sleep. I just have to take a deep breath and try to regain some energy. A second wind... to take home to MY children after the children that I have dealt with all day long.
I learned something new this week...some high school kids have never been allowed to play with Play-Doh. One of my students who has been a continual behavior problem was immediately calmed down when I found out he enjoyed manipulating Play-Doh. He told me that his parents never allow him to play with it because it gets into the carpet and they get angry at him for making a mess. This is truly makes me sad. As an incentive for positive behavior in one of my classes, I gave him his own container of Play-Doh. For the last two days, he has been calm in my classses. I met this boy's father today. He brought him to school because he was late and his brother was being readmitted to school after having been suspended. This man was scary. Dressed all in black, he felt and looked evil.
I feel that this is the hardest part of my job; knowing that I have to send some of these children home to environments where they have to use all their skills to just survive. I try not to dwell on this, it would be too depressing. I will do the best I can while they are with me and then go home, love and care for my own children and let them play with Play-Doh.
1 comment:
Lupe,
You can only control what they experience in your room, not what they experience at home. Hopefully though, you will help them acquire some skills so they can rise above what they experience at home. That is your gift to them. And the Play-Doh (and all that is in you to be a better parent to YOUR kids) is your gift to your own children. Hope you are feeling better soon.
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