And no, I am not talking about the month of March, I am talking about 6th graders entering and exiting their first year of middle school! I was 8th grade counselor last year and that bunch was sorta tough, so when I became 6th grade counselor this year I was like, "woo hoo, this should be a breeze." Well, it was for about 5 months, then after Christmas break it was like the hormone switch went off and kids started acting crazy and making poor choices. (I want to put in a little reminder here, though, to add perspective: I spend about 90% of my time with 10% of the kids, if you know what I mean, so when I say "they" started acting crazy, I'm really only talking about my 10%).
So, my little 10% start doing things like hitting other kids, getting ISS for poor behavior choice, continuing to disrupt class and say, "I didn't do it!", not following behavior plans the teachers set in place, those kind of things that keep my job secure. I called one student in to discuss a behavior plan that had been in place since November and he looked at me and said, "Behavior plan, what behavior plan. I didn't know I had a behavior plan." RIIIIGGGGHHHHT.
Another student wants to go live with the opposite parent, so I get word that this student asked another student to punch him/her to get a bruise so it would lead to a CPS report. Wow, was that on a CSI episode?
Many things lead to misbehavior in middle school and I know that kids are confused sometimes, don't know what they want, and generally feel lost, but sometimes when teachers and counselors spend extra time with kids to talk to them about things, I wonder why in the world don't they get it after I see them again for the same behavior?
Reminder to self: love them no matter what!
Definitely love them.
ReplyDeleteUnconditional love--it's tough balancing that with accountability, but one without the other is not very affective! Keep up the good work. :) You're probably having more of an impact than it seems sometimes! I was one of the 90% when I was a kid but there were still a few times I needed to be talked to, and I remembered what the teachers said years later, when it made even more of an impact on me b/c I had more maturity to interpret what they had said.
ReplyDeleteDoes that make any sense? lol