6/29/10

I might not survive the summer...


This morning in summer reading camp we began the day with our greeting, and a bit of telling sharing. As we progressed around the circle, two of my new clients decided it was a PERFECT time to practice some wrestling moves.


“George!! Steve! I want you to keep your hands to yourself, and sit on the carpet. I do NOT think you would enjoy sitting on the bench at recess today. Do you WANT to sit on the bench at recess?” I asked in my most serious and sad voice.


“Awww man.” George said. “This is JUST like regular school. On the bench. At recess.”


"Oh," I said, "Were you on the bench OFTEN at recess this year?"


George, "Yep."


“Me, too.” Added Steve. And then, like a chorus of angels, about a hundred voices chimed in.

“Me, too!”

“Me, too!”

“Me, too!”


“Wait!” I said, as a light bulb went off in my head. “Raise your hand if you were ever on the bench during recess this year.”


Almost every single hand in the circle went up.


I quickly looked over at my summer school para, who smiled and said,


“Looks to me like you just won the lottery.”




(And as an addendum- I made a vow that I would NOT put anyone on the bench this summer. That is cruel and unusual punishment- for not only the KIDS, but the teacher as well. )

27 comments:

Ann On and On... said...

Well, look on the bright side...all you'll have to do at break is sit there with all of them on the bench. (Good Luck!)

Anonymous said...

My name is steven, but I assure you I never had to sit out play time on the bench (if u believe me, I got somew beautiful swamp land for sale...lol)

Gigi said...

LOL! Sounds like summer reading camp may be a challenging one - for you.

Sprite's Keeper said...

This is why I don't play the lottery. :-)
xoxo

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Ahem, from a mom whose kid was on the bench at recess, might I say that this punishment most definitely doesn't work for these types of kids? Taking away their one chance to burn off that extra energy isn't effective. Try the opposite: Whenever Evan is out of control, I make him do sit ups and push ups instead of sit still. If you've got a room full of wriggly kids, MAKE them move BEFORE they get into trouble!

Linda said...

What a blast. I'm just considering getting my foot operated on, but your summer sounds way more funner.

Anonymous said...

I say give 'em the bench... it's about behaving whether in school or not... and children need to know about consequences when they misbehave.

IMHO

Di

Brian Miller said...

so just who in administration did you piss off this year? smiles.

Real Live Lesbian said...

I say no benches! They'll remember YOU forever!

Plus, you probably don't have enough benches. Smart move. ;)

ChiTown Girl said...

I didn't know you were doing summer school, too. WHY did we agree to such torture!? Ours only come from 8:30-11:45, though, so there's no recess. Trust me, there aren't enough benches, anyway, for all the kids that would have to sit out in my group!! ;-)

Sarah Garb said...

Perhaps that question could be a first-day ice breaker to get a feel for the group....Who here has spent some quality time on the bench at recess this year?

Joanie said...

and that is exactly why there are such things as vodka in this world.

Anonymous said...

I second what Tracey said above - I spent a lot of time on the bench at recess back in my day, and it was exactly the opposite of what I needed. If they have too much energy, it needs to get out somehow. Start the day with some aerobics and laps around the classroom, then get down to business.

Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...

you will be just what they need!

Trooper Thorn said...

The kids who like school and were never punished were forced to go to wrestling camp.

Joanna Jenkins said...

No sitting on the bench this summer? I think your clients just hit the jackpot!
jj

WeaselMomma said...

I hoe you are being paid well.

Dee at Pedestrian Palate said...

Uh oh! Someone's got their hands full.

Elaine said...

I cannot even believe that you are teaching summer reading. Didn't you ever hear the phrase "take a break"??? Kudos to you though, seriously.

Anonymous said...

I say get crazy and give them overly-sugared Kool-Aid too. Then sit back and watch the show.

Jules said...

I was one of those kids but I do not recall being given an option. Kudo's to you.

At least they all sound honest.

Carrie B said...

Exactly why their parents put them in summer school. Ha Lucky you!

Pollyanna said...

Look at the bright side. This summer will be a plethora of new blog fodder! You will not have a single day for a looooooooooong time where you struggle to find something to write (not that I ever got the impression that you ever do, but I'm just saying . . . )

Lynn said...

Oh, NO, you are NOT teaching summer school, are you? I dreamed I was last night and woke up in a sweat!

Brie said...

Awe, I'm happy to hear that you weren't benching anyone! For my school, it was "go stand in the circle". Talk about cruel? At least let me sit down!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

God showed me a lady, wearing a Coach Outlet red Coach Outlet Store dress. Passing in a church crowd, I made mention Ray Ban Outlet of how nice that color looked on her. Her face lit up and her mouth flew open. While that's a good start, you're encouraged to also consult a mental health specialist right away too. Specialists like psychologists and psychiatrists can more Yeezy Discount reliably diagnose a mental disorder than a family doctor can.Some people may feel more comfortable reading more about the condition first. While we have a great library of resources here, we also Coach Handbags Clearance have a set Ray Ban Glasses of recommended ADD/ADHD books and a Yeezy Boost 350 peer led, online ADD support group just for this New Jordan Shoes 2020 condition..

Northerners in the Philippines watch and wait for safe way to get homeDavid Bob arrived in the Philippines on March 1."COVID[ 19] wasn really on my mind at all," he said. "I didn really know what COVID[ 19] was."He started to realize the full extent of the pandemic around March 13. He has a fiance living there and had planned to stay for two months with her and her family.