Glennalicious: Kid Z and the swinging door

April 20, 2005

Kid Z and the swinging door

I have one wonderful class of kids that I usually enjoy teaching. For the most part, and for teenagers, they are a wonderful bunch of kids. They are really learning math, and I've seen some positive changes in even the worst ones. As any other teacher knows, this is the class that I love to have during an observation, or when visiting administration drops by.

I have some really boisterous boys in the class, but they're fairly manageable. Even Kid Z. Yes, he curses enough to make the families on the trashy talk shows blush. Yes, I caught him hanging from the power line conduit in the hallway on Monday, trying to yank it off the ceiling (which would have killed him via electrocution, a la Darwin Awards). Still, he makes it to school on most days, even though he lives in a shelter. At the beginning of the year, he did nothing. Now, he does about two-thirds of the work, and even recognizes what 2/3 looks like. That's an improvement. As long as I can keep him from frying himself on electrical lines, he should make it to graduation.

I was so disappointed in him today. Another teacher got him mad and he violently kicked a door. This would have been just one in a string of similar events, except the door wasn't latched. It flew open right into a little kid's face. Not good, and a perfect way to start the spring break early for him.

For the first time this year, I met his dad. Numerous calls during the year, but never a response until now. The situation was comical, because the dad looks and sounds EXACTLY like an older version of Kid Z. I was actually trying to keep from laughing because it suddenly seemed funny. I'd be angry too i I knew I would look that goofy in 15 years. Along with the English teacher, I tried to explain to the father and son about how much improvement we'd seen, but that Kid Z still had to improve his anger management.

Kid Z bursts out with "I DON'T FUCKING HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH FUCKING ANGER MANAGEMENT!!!"

Well. That clears THAT up. Thank you so much for the witty elucidation.

He's suspended, and his dad is infamous for doing nothing. I'm trying to get him enrolled for free at a martial arts or boxing class. I think it could be good for him. I had a violent temper when I was young, but he doesn't have the outlets like I had. He has to learn some way to deal with it, and he hasn't found a way yet.

Posted by G at April 20, 2005 10:23 PM

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Comments

"I DON'T FUCKING HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH FUCKING ANGER MANAGEMENT!!!"

I think that would have been all I could take, and I would have burst out laughing. :)

Posted by: Jess at April 20, 2005 10:16 PM

You gotta feel sorry for the kid on some level, though. I'm no therapist, but I think the kid is probably internalizing all that rage from the absent father issues. He's got nobody to pay attention to him so it manifests on what you're seeing here. And he's probably a smart kid, too. Good for you for trying to get him into the martial arts stuff. Maybe it'll teach him some self control and create some internal peace and focus.

Then again, maybe you're giving karate lessons to the most violent kid in school. Er... I'm not sayin' but...

Posted by: palochi at April 21, 2005 12:14 PM

Your stories sound like mine, only worse; possibly because you have middle schoolers and mine are nominally in high school, and maybe our school has slightly better administration.

Gotta say, though, your post today called to mind a girl who said her therapist suggested to her mom that the girl is a sociopath. I've known her as a sweet but chatty kid, but she almost seems to be playing up her new Angry Young Girl persona for effect. Today she bursts into class 20 mins late, first thing she says to another kid includes "fuck you," and she proceeds to plunk herself down and fume to her friends about something. I mananged to convince her to go see the guidance counselor or mediation person, have no idea where she actually spent the rest of that period, but she returned the next period (I have her for 2 in a row, 2 different classes) to write her midterm essay.

Another nutty kid, whom we've been told is supposed to be on meds, will control his behavior when he really thinks he must, but otherwise will be cursing and throwing things and making sexually inappropriate comments. On high-stakes days, he will say things to me like, "So today I can't fool around?", and if I say he can't, he'll be an angel the whole period. He did that today during a test, and -- bless his insane little heart -- when I was observed. But when I chirpily said afterwards, "So, F_____, you can be this way EVERY day!", he looked at me, smiled, shook his head, and said, "Naaw."

Posted by: Cohort 6 Fellow at April 21, 2005 08:57 PM