Mean Mrs. Joy

I interrupt my lunch period to bring you a story too funny to pass up.

The kids I work with have really been pushing me lately. This week I decided to put my foot down. Monday was the stern "I have a waiting list of kids who would rather be here" speech with the threat of suspension. Tuesday the kids didn't have school (election day) so I didn't have them. I spent the day at the Center and saw about half of my kids on the playground. Throughout the day different kids kept knocking on my door asking "Will I be suspended tomorrow, Mrs. Joy?" So Wednesday I sent every kid home with a discipline contract. I thought it best to clearly outline our code of conduct (which they have all seen before) and the disciplinary consequences for them and their parents. On each kid's contract I highlighted specific things pertaining to that child. For example, "your child throws chairs," or "your child shouts profanities," or "your child screams in the middle of class for no reason what-so-ever." Needless to say, the kids were NOT happy with me yesterday.

Also yesterday, I had my 3rd graders write "If I could be an animal, I would be a..." for their journal. They turn them in and move on to the next thing, so I typically don't read them right away. Just now I was going through yesterday's journals and came across this...

If I could be an animal, I would be a lion. I would be a lion because I want to eat Mrs. Joy. I can be at the circus.

YES! I can't wait to see those signed discipline contracts come back today!