Ok, today was a really hard day for me. I can't hear out of one ear still, and was feeling a wee bit crabby. I got enough sleep, but I think being sick is wearing on me.
My husband and I teach the 10-12 year old boys. We have two boys with adhd, or add, and we have one kid with aspergers.
They have been really hard to teach. They talk all the time, derailing our lesson. One of the adhd kids is always having outbursts of noise to get attention. I've decided that I'm not going to try to bribe them with treats anymore, and I just want them to be good. No matter what. It's ridiculous that these boys will be deacons soon and they act like this. I don't want to send them into the priesthood thinking they can act like this. Maybe having Jacob being a near-perfect child has given me unreasonable expectations of how a boy that age should act.
Today one of the kids refused to take out his scriptures and participate. First, I should mention to any newcomers or non LDS people reading that the first Sunday of the month is what we call Fast Sunday. It's where members of the church fast for 24 hours (consisting of 2 meals) and give the money they would have spent on those meals to the Bishop's Storehouse, which feeds and takes care of the needs of our poor. Then we also have a testimony meeting where we share testimonies of Christ, God, or Gospel principles with each other. So back to this kid... he'd gotten up in sacrament during testimony meeting and rambled on and on mingling the story of Nephi, and he didn't really know what he was talking about fully, because he was calling Laban "Lehi". His parents started waving to him to close up and get down, but he just sat there asking them what they were doing, while he stayed at the microphone. The Bishop got up and had to ask him to close up his testimony. In the end what his testimony was about was holding to the iron rod (the word of God). So this started the kid on a bad road for the day. I ended up having to ask his mom to come take him out of class and try to get him to cooperate.
Then the aspergers kid kept getting up and wandering around the classroom. At one point he was squatting and looking at me through the back of his folding chair... what's up with that??? Ugh. So I asked him, "If your dad was teaching," which his dad did teach our class for the last two weeks while we were sick,"would you be doing this?" He got up and sat down on his chair.
I'm so tired of people telling me to bribe them with treats!
The one boys mom said that I should have a treat they don't know about, and when I catch one paying attention to toss them a little, like a Hershey's kiss. Are you kidding me?
These kids are 10 and up.... are you telling me that their teachers at school do this? I think NOT.
Are the teachers at school just putting up with it? I don't know, but I know this is wearing me out already and we've only had this class since the first of January.
I'm not educated in the field to deal with these kinds of kids.
I know... I know.... the Lord will qualify those whom he calls. He did it for me when I was the Young Women's President. He did it when I had to teach Relief Society classes.
I think this is what they mean by "endure 'till the end". I have to "endure" 'till the end of the year. I am desperate to find order for our class. I am tired of asking kids to be quiet every two seconds. I'm tired of trying to get back on task every 5 seconds. Our class needs a specialist.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
ah jen,
sorry babe that this is such a pain in the aspergers for you. wish i could make it easier. it sounds really yicky! and keep standing your ground girl! you're doing the right thing. you do not need to bribe with candy or anything. they need to get it. and they will eventually, in your class or in future ones, they will eventually. don't give in, then they will know what a pushover you are. if you keep kicking one out to go be w/his parents, do be it. do what must be done and what feels like the right thing to do. you will know. but i know that feeding them candy to sit still is so not the answer.
i love this quote ... "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called." i like what you said about your other experiences in other callings. it'll work out, but maybe not right away.
hey, i loved love loved jamming to YMCA right when i clicked on your blog today. it made me all smiley and dancy! hehehe. see my big grin? you put it there.
come and see me. i can't believe i wrote about this on my blog last night. this is something i thought i would never say publicly on my blog or anybody else's but i am glad i did this. i keep getting bolder and more comfortable about what i am willing and wanting to share in the blogosphere. it feels really good lately, really good, to say what i really feel jen. and i am not embarrassed that i talked about this last night.
see you soon girl.
it's going to work out.
great day friend.
love and hugs and puppy dog tails, he he.
kathleeny :) xoxo
ps. he he, opps, didn't mean to write you a "book" comment! you got me on a roll. loved loved loved your comments yesterday to me. you made me grin!
Hmm, I think I'd be through the roof. I'm tired just reading what you said. I wish I had some really super dee dooper advice to make next week better, but I don't. :( I think the no-candy rule is one of the best things you can do. The last thing they need is sugar. :P The only thing I can come up with, other than a great deal of praying which I'm sure you're already doing, is to talk to the parents. Ask what they do at home that works and maybe you can incorporate it into your class.
I'm really sorry. That's a nightmare of a Sunday and being sick too. *big hugs*
Sounds like your friends gave you some good advice. I like your plan.
Some classes are just really hard to teach. Just keep lovin them and teaching them. Keep your expectations high. It will be fun to see you telling about the progress in later months.
Luv ya,
banana
Thank you so much everyone for your comments and advice! I'm going to stick to my guns about the "no treats, unless it's a birthday" rule.
Post a Comment