Hoodwinked

I know I talked up my level one-ers in my previous post, but perhaps I was being naïve and prematurely optimistic. The second school level one is NOT made up of angelic, disciplined angels, as I had so quickly assumed. Maybe at first they came off as well-behaved children, but now they’re revealing their TRUE selves. Some of those children are extremely clever, as well as sneaky/subversive. HORRIBLE COMBINATION. My patience and creativity in disciplining/teaching strategies has truly been put to the test this week, and, unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the second school’s level one-ers has waned…significantly. (I’m still a huge fan of the level one-ers at the first school though, keep in mind).

Want examples of their bad behavior? Sure, not a problem.

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-Chamanti randomly stands up. I tell Chamanti to sit down. She folds her arms across her chest and shakes her head. I tell her again. She shakes her head. I tell her again. She shakes her head.

-Chamanti and Bhavani refuse to sit next to Sangeetha, and try to physically oust her from the ABC game circle via pushing/yelling/ignoring me.

-Lavanya hits Sangeetha and makes her cry, but then blames it on Bhavani.

-A bunch of the kids (Chamanti, Lavanya, and more) aren’t satisfied with their white chalk, and want me to give them my colored chalk. I tell them no, you already have chalk! So the sneaky buggers stuff the white chalk down their shirts, pretend/lie that they don’t have any chalk, and I (unsuspectingly) give them colored chalk. Then when I catch them pulling out the white chalk later, they refuse to return the colored chalk.

-General refusal to return items to me

-General hitting/shoving each other/shunning Sangeetha

(most of these are from today…there are more from other days too but that make too long a post)

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It could be worse, I suppose…

So at the end of class today, I was surprised to find myself hugging Lavanya and Chamanti and being affectionate with them. There was a part of me that was actually repulsed at the idea of showing these two affection, when they did absolutely nothing to warrant it, and in fact deserved scolding for being so awful during class. This part of me doesn’t like Lavanya and Chamanti, and wants fairness – if they treat me with blatant disrespect, then I should not reward them with kindness.

But I don’t like to listen to that negative part of me, because, as a psych major, I know what negative cycles it can lead to. Yeah, I can label all the bad kids in my class, and constantly treat them like bad kids(with scolding, yelling, ignoring), thereby eliciting more bad behaviors, OR I can break that cycle. And you know what? There’s another, bigger part of me that genuinely feels a deep care for Chamanti, Lavanya, and Bhavani and wants to express itself with affectionate hugs/pats/dances/whatever. Because this part of me believes that their worth is based off far more than just how well they behave or how much of the ABCs they know. Affection shouldn’t always have to be earned, after all.

It’s challenging, loving the troublemakers and children with bad attitudes. But I know it will be rewarding. We’ll just have to wait and see how.

On a random note, I just got a new kid in my small group today. His name is Raju, and he is a mute. I’m very excited because he has a fantastic attitude and adorable smile….but I’m worried about how I can pay enough attention to him (he cannot communicate back to me aside from facial expressions/vague hand gestures) when I am so absorbed in dealing with the key three trouble makers in my group. Maybe I’ll try learning/teaching him some sign language? I don’t know. I’ve never met a mute before.