Tough Days, Tough Love

This year I have a challenging and "interesting" bunch of students. It is Week 2, Day 2 of school, and already there have been a few tough moments. Every teacher ends up with a couple of squirrelly students in each class, and, ultimately, these are the students who make our lives interesting and give us good stories to tell. These are also the students who test our last bit of patience on a Tuesday morning; these are the students who make us figure out creative "management" strategies; these are the students who make us look a little frazzled and rumpled at the end of the day; these are the students who push us to be better teachers (or push us right over the edge...); these are the students who make us cry on the last day of school when they tell us that they've never had a teacher that they truly loved before. But first we have to make it to the last day of school - with everyone still breathing.

I know I was completely spoiled last year (with only one or two squirrelly ones...). This year the squirrelly is just a little more so, and I've got more than a few. Today, during science class (and it was a good one - complete with an experiment, an acted out demonstration, and picture drawing), I look over to see my most challenging student with two pencils stuck in his nose. I, of course, told him to take them out, and charged him classroom dollars (they buy privileges with their dollars) for not paying attention. His response: "I am paying attention. I can pay attention with these in my nose." He was not being obstinate, just stating a fact. I hope this makes you laugh - but I have to say that it's probably going to make my hair fall out. This is also the child who insisted that he had already done his spelling homework and was not going to take his spelling book home. But when asked if I could see his work, all of a sudden changed his mind and decided that I had told him the wrong page number. (Somebody tell me, how is it only Week 2??)

Ok, I do know that I was spoiled last year. But any teachers out there with good advice, I'd love to hear it. I'm just asking the father for some tough love. You know, the kind of love that can be a little tough and can take it when things get tough. I loved being able to genuinely love my students last year, and I want to find a way to love these kids as well. After all, they're no less His - even if they do drive me to madness at 8:30 in the morning. For now, I'm going to be super-strict teacher and see if I can "encourage" them towards learning. And I'll try to remember to smile a little along the way...