Yesterday, my third day as a student teacher, was a VERY bad day. Really, it was a bad 30 minutes but it was enough for the day, week, month, and maybe for the rest of my student teaching semester. So, this is what happened:
My master teacher decided that the students should get a break for 10 minutes, and they had some energy to burn off. The only rule she gave them was to stay in hers and my vision so we could watch them. So, we go out to a big grass area that stretches across the campus (which is pretty big since it’s a Preschool-12 school), and has the main walkways of the school. Towards the end where I was standing there is a wall that starts low and gradually goes up, and the flag pole goes up from the middle of the wall. Behind the wall are some bushes and planter areas. In front of the wall is a a statue of Lincoln’s head. However, once we got out there, my master teacher left because she needed to get laptops for the next lesson… little did I know that she would be gone for over 20 minutes, and little did I know about what was about to happen! Long story short, 4 people ended up hurt and in the nurse, but the long version is way better, so if you have the time to read on, I suggest you do so…
As soon as we got out, the kids went CRAZY. They were all over the place running around, climbing the wall, going behind the bushes, IN the bushes, playing with ants, etc., etc.. There was not a single moment where I was not trying to tell a kid to get off the wall, out of the bushes, stay in my vision, or to not throw rocks at Lincoln’s head! Within the first few minutes, one girl got hit in the mouth and started crying. She kept telling me it hurt, but I really could not deal with sending her to the nurse and attempt keeping an eye on 22 scattered first graders at the same time. So, I basically told her that she was fine. Every once in a while, she would come tell me it hurts, but I really had too much to deal with and there was no blood or swelling… I think she’s just a baby. (I know, I’m mean). Little did I know that blood was in my near future…
Just minutes later, I see two girls come from behind the bushes, where they weren’t supposed to be playing, with their hands over their mouths. I notice blood on both of their hands. Other kids were following to tell me the story of what had just happened. The girls collided, which caused one of them to loose her tooth, and the other to get her chin cut open. Yep, her chin was cut open by the other girls tooth. Also, nobody could find the tooth, and we are pretty sure she accidentally swallowed it. Now, I needed to get them to the nurse. So, I ask the “nurse helper” (they have class jobs) to take them. Neither of them were crying, but there was still a lot of blood, and I had a feeling the girl was going to need stitches in her chin! I send the three of them to the nurse, and turn to talk to another student. As I turn back around, I notice that there were four students walking, and I didn’t know who it was!
Just a minute later, a boy comes to me saying HE needs to go to the nurse because he just got bit on the finger by a red ant! So, I tell him to just go. Well meanwhile, the baby girl I was referring to earlier said her mouth still hurt. I was sick of her whining and just told her to go to. So, at this point, 6 students are gone! The two minor injuries return and I am so furious at this point that I am shaking the morocco to get the kids in line. No joke, it took TEN minutes to get the kids in the same spot. Nobody was listening. Finally they are all sitting, and I gave them a huge speech about how I’m very disappointed and they will not be having a break for a long long time because they didn’t listen. They seemed to get it, and were all listening for once! The teacher FINALLY came back to see all the students sitting perfectly on the ground, as if they had been that innocent all along. They start to explain what happened, and I told her I needed to go check on them all at the nurse, so she took the class…
I go to the nurse to find one with cotton in her mouth, one with a band-aid on her chin, the nurse helper, and the tagalong. I sent the nurse helper and tagalong to the classroom (after telling tagalong how worried I was and she should never do that again) and waited for the nurse to fill out paperwork for the stitches that the girl would be needing to get after school. Finally, I got to take them both back to the class and calm down for a second.
I cried on the bus ride home, but I’m hoping this is the worst day for a while!
when you write your autobiography years from now you’re gonna laugh your ass off at the situation. : )
ah the joys of working with children!…yikes!!! but funny
way to keep calm in a crazy situation. I can’t believe your MT brought the kids outside and told them to do whatever they wanted (without a plan or anything!). I’ve found that when kids get out of control it is hard to get them back, but you have to be very firm and maybe even take away privileges. It only gets better from here!