Attitudes and Actions (especially amongst the boys)

                It is interesting to see how the attitudes and actions of people change as they grow to trust you. My students have behaved exceptionally well over the past two weeks and have truly begun to open their hearts to me as both a teacher and a friend.

                First of all, we did end up losing two of our girls about two weeks ago. One girl, Andrea, was in my class and the other, Jessica, was in the second grade. This may have aided in the improvement of my students because of the conflicts Andrea typically seemed to be a part of. However, I am overwhelmingly sad that she moved, as both her and her sister needed to be here. These two girls are the type of children who need consistency and were just beginning to get comfortable in their new school year and the changed environment.

                My two fourth grade boys, Ruben and Carlton, in particular, have started to open up exceptionally well to me. I believe a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have made it over to the boys’ dorm more often in the recent past. One time in particular I voyaged to that side of campus (it’s really not that far…) to clip toe nails. I believe I have previously mentioned the fact that they will not clip their own nails. Ruben and Carlton will both allow their fingernails and toenails to grow abnormally lengthy and fill up with dirt beneath. Therefore, I busted out the clippers and made my way over. I pulled them up onto the couch as they stuck their feet in my face. It was quite pleasant (not!). To be honest, they stunk! Imagine a fourth grade boy’s feet at 7:00 p.m., after a long day of running, playing, jumping through puddles, and sweating. God has given me a great tolerance for stinky feet though, so I was okay throughout the clipping process. Immediately upon completion of the clippings, I had a sixth grader stick his feet in my face, followed by an eighth grader. I could start charging snack shack money for this service! The remainder of the night was spent playing speed and eating jalapeño chips.

                This past week I found myself in the dorm once again. This time I read with Ruben for half an hour. He then pulled out a deck of cards from his pants pocket and asked, “Will you teach me to play speed?” I replied, “Absolutely!”  and we spent the next half hour playing. He did end up getting his cards confiscated by Rodney a little later due to the fact that they are not allowed in the dorm. I was unaware of this at the time but apparently the boys are putting playing cards above both homework and chores. Greg (the other dorm parent) showed me his policeman costume, and I tried it on. I then proceeded to wander around the dorm and “arrest” a variety of boys for their actions. I even handcuffed Ruben and Carlton together! Moments like this build trust with my students, when they can begin to see that I really do love them and want only the best.