Origination? I wonder if that is even a word. Spell checker didn't place a red line under it so I'll just move on.
The King and Yo! are absent today so we only have five scholars in the classroom.
9:00am
The Collector walks into the room and says I bit Straw's sister while on the bus. You did what? I bit Straw's sister. A short while later Straw comes flying into the room going a hundred miles per hour as he has not stopped by the office yet to take his medication. Straw confirms what The Collector said.
9:10am
MiniJ apparently heard a new word and wants to share it with the class because he thinks it's funny. While walking around the room he is repeatedly saying vagina.
9:14am
NoFouls is now agitated because he's had enough of MiniJ's talking and tells him to STOP TALKING. Naturally MiniJ continues because he knows it upsets NoFouls. The term we use for MiniJ's actions is called "fishing" and he's about to catch his fish. NoFouls aggression is escalating and he is moving toward MiniJ. I step between them.
9:26am
It's time for Math. The Collector, NoFouls and Uh-Uh-Uh are at the front table. The amount of talking is too much for The Collector and he walks away from the table. His decision to walk away rather that get involved and cause the situation to escalate is a good thing.
During this same time frame I have MiniJ and EM with me. We are doing a measuring project with rulers. This lesson is asking the scholars to measure in centimeters. Gnu spent quite a bit of time previously on measuring so I'm thinking this should go fairly well. EM is doing a decent job placing the ruler in the correct location to get the measurement of a required item. MiniJ on the other hand appears totally clueless on properly placing the ruler to measure an object. The instructions said to measure the length of the tigers foot. MiniJ sets the ruler down in the middle of the tiger's body. There were a total of six objects to measure. For each object MiniJ placed his ruler in the wrong place. At one point he tried to measure a horizontal object by placing the ruler in a vertical position.
9:38am
NoFouls his reached his limit with Math as his whining and complaining is getting excessive.
10:07am
We have moved on and are now reading in combination with a social skills session. The subject matter is sequencing and the book that is being read is about baking cookies. NoFouls continues to be in his whining and complaining mood about doing academics. Gnu asks him to move away from the table. He folds his arms and puts on his stubborn look and doesn't move. Gnu asked him three more times to move away from the table before he actually moves. While getting up his folder, paper and pencil are aggressively pushed off the table.
10:30am
Math Quiz on measuring. This went surprisingly well except for MiniJ who appeared to have a problem with his neck. He frequently had to turn towards Uh-Uh-Uh's desk and stretch his neck in her direction to work out some kind of kink.
11:10am
We've been in PE (gym) for about ten minutes. The instructions were to get a jump rope and a hula hoop. When the bell sounds start jumping rope. When the bells sounds stop jumping rope and put the rope on the floor and pick up the hula hoop. When the bell sounds use the hula hoop and the process repeats itself. The Collector decides it will be fun to walk up to the girls during the hula hoop process and grab theirs hula hoops. He is laughing and the girls are upset. As I'm moving toward him he approaches the next girl but instead of grabbing the hula hoop he kicks it. I collect The Collector and transport him to the main office for the remainder of PE. When I return MiniJ is running and spinning his hula hoop on his extended arm. With the hula hoop moving rapidly he moves his arm position and the hula hoop soars up in the air. I collect MiniJ and he spends the remainder of PE sitting by the stage.
11:30am
Yoga time. Yes, yoga. It's an attempt at giving the scholars a tool to use to help them calm themselves down when they feel that their anger is rising. We do yoga daily with the scholars from the upper grade level so at times there are ten to twelve scholars with anger control issues in the room. Fortunately at the same time there are six adults in the room. The Collector is still agitated and is not participating. Instead he is pacing around the room. He is asked to stay still but chooses to just walk out of the room. Gnu follows in pursuit.
12:04pm
We are six minutes from lunch and MiniJ is fishing again and as usual NoFouls is his target. NoFouls takes the bait and aggressively moves toward MiniJ and knocks him off his chair.
12:10pm
Lunch and I'm in my quiet place were for twenty minutes there is no one around me.
12:30pm
Lunch is over and I head to the cafeteria to pick up the scholars for recess. When I walk into the cafeteria I see Gnu physically struggling with The Collector. As I move towards them The Collector sees me and all his aggression ends abruptly. Gnu tells me he scratched her. I look at her arm. The scratch mark is about eight inches long and a band aide is required for the worse part of the scratch.
12:55pm
Recess is over and I'm are heading back to the classroom. As I approach the room there is a lot of activity at the door. That is not a good sign. As I get closer I see Gnu and IvyL inside the room. Oreo is standing at the door and steps in front of me as I attempt to enter the room. Quickly EM closes the door and turns out the lights. I now know what is going on so I wait a few moments and them enter the room. SURPRISE! All the scholars are really excited as they want to celebrate my day of origination. There is a pan of brownies with candles and IvyL is lighting them. When it is time for me to blow out the candles NoFouls can't control himself and blows out half of them. I sit at my desk at the back of the room as everyone eats a brownie and cookie. Then I'm handed my day of origination cards. NoFouls grabs one from my hand and opens it. It's one of those cards that plays music and is signed by all the scholars. The song playing is Shake Your Booty. MiniJ and NoFouls decide to sing along but alter the words slightly. They are singing Shake Your Ass over and over. NoFouls then grabs my other two cards and opens them. One is from Gnu, IvyL and Oreo. The other is signed by just about the entire staff at my school.
Approximately 1:20pm
EM is upset. He is saying loudly Mr. Schultz didn't even get to open his own cards. Every scholar is running in overdrive and that is an environment that EM doesn't like. For him there is way to much activity and noise. I'm not sure exactly what happened but suddenly EM is shouting loudly at Uh-Uh-Uh. He is right up in her face shouting and interestingly Uh-Uh-Uh doesn't give any ground. IvyL steps in and takes EM to Oreo's office to settle down.
Approximately 1:30pm
With all the activity in the classroom The Collector manages to leave the room without being noticed. He went to Oreo's office and for some reason walked up to EM and slapped him in the face. He is returned to the classroom.
Approximately 1:40pm
I leave the room to go to the restroom. When I return Gnu is frustrated and tells me that The Collector had an aggressive choke hold on Uh-Uh-Uh and she had to physically separate them. The Collector is removed to the front office for the remainder of the day.
Approximately 2:00pm
Gnu is standing by the classroom door leaning against a counter top. I'm sitting at my desk. Gnu says to me I don't know what to do as they are out of control. I respond I know. For the first time since I starting working with scholars with emotional disabilities I was at a loss as to what to do so I just sat there silently. Only Uh-Uh-Uh, MiniJ and NoFouls are in the room. If aggressive behavior started I'm not sure I how quickly I would have moved to shut it down.
Approximately 2:05pm
I start to put the classroom back in order. Desks and chairs are everywhere. Paper plates and food crumbs are everywhere. Either IvyL or Oreo step into the room and inform us that EM wants to spend the remainder of the day with CorP, Floss and Straw in their classroom. It is agreed as the expression on EM's face is sad and emotionless.
2:30pm
Attempting a reading block. It starts fairly well and we are settling down.
2:53pm
MiniJ and NoFouls are again in a verbal discussion leading toward anger. MiniJ is fishing.
2:59pm
NoFouls throws his reading book across the room and is constantly whining and complaining about having to do school work.
3:04pm
NoFouls just threw another book, paper and pencil.
3:06pm
NoFouls is now getting angry over a simple word game. To play this game you have to follow the rules. He is not following the rules. In his mind there is only one rule, his rule.
3:12pm
Gnu is reminding everyone about an upcoming spelling quiz. NoFouls starts whining. His aggression is building and he says I don't want to get a good grade. You don't get anything for good grades. I don't want to go to high school and I don't want to go to college. This is a simple conversation about a quiz and he's on the verge of an another eruption.
3:40pm
The scholars are on the bus. You've just read how I spent the first seven hours of my day on the day the scholars wanted to celebrate my birthday. This is not the first time that a fun activity for the scholars turns out badly and I suspect it will not be the last time.
It was a tough day. I'm out.
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