I'm doing 28 things
Yesterday I subbed in a 5th grade class with a boy named Alex. I’ve had trouble with Alex before. Every teacher has. But yesterday, after I reminded Alex what happens when he defies and argues, he resorted to sitting quietly in his seat, sharpening his pencil with his scissors. I didn’t care… he was quiet. The rest of the class finished their worksheets and were reading quietly as Alex sharpened. Alex sits at a table by himself at the back of the room, for obvious reasons and his chair was tipped impossibly back on two legs. Of course, I demanded he put it down and he complied but eventually, he moved back into that position. I shrugged it off and actually found myself thinking that if he would ever just fall when he did that, then he’d finally KNOW why all the teachers tell students not to do that!
And then he did. Crash went his chair, crash went Alex to the floor, clutching his head and, like a vacuum, all his classmates were pulled to his side. To their credit (because the kid annoys them, too) they were very solicitous and worried. One rushed to the nurse, one retrieved an ice pack from the refrigerator, one brought him a pillow. The nurse came up and checked him and we both remarked on Alex’s usual dramatic nature anyway. He was fine.
I somehow volunteered to walk home with Alex since his cousin lives on our way and so I stopped and told his uncle what happened. Maybe Alex will remember this the next time I sub in his class…nah. He’s probably leaning back in his chair right now, sharpening a pencil with his scissors.
I’d like to say I feel bad about this, wishing that on Alex, as if I myself conjured up his fall…but I really don’t. Is that bad? :)
