For Hire

This morning I did my usual stroll around my classroom. You know the one... where you know you have a purposeful list of things to complete, but instead you must, simply MUST put that stapler over on the other side of the room... IMMEDIATELY.

As I was find a new home for said stapler, I meandered past a students desk. This particular student has found her own learning spot, and her desk happens to face a wall. When I try to move her desk to a more accessible learning spot, the student huffs and scrapes her desk & chair across the room, banging everything and everyone out of her way in the process.

Lately this student has been caught "handling" the students on the playground.

Exhibit A: Student approaches me with another, much smaller student, asking for the smaller student to use the restroom while out at recess one day. I say "Take a friend," knowing that he will be that partner for the bathroom. As they walk away, I see her, towering over him, with her hand firmly gripping the back of his neck - keeping him in a straight path directly to the bathroom. As I watched them walk out of my hollering-range, I see him try to stray from the path for a moment, and then watch the towering student grab his arms and pull him back onto her imaginary track.

Exhibit B: She was caught yesterday picking up another student - male - on the playground. As she picked him up - face to face - he wrapped his legs around her at waist level. After all four teachers stared in amazement or shock for a moment, we then had the right mind to go over and give the "appropriate behavior" talk... again.

So, back to the meandering past her desk....

I see a post-it note on the wall. Not in her handwriting, I think... but I haven't totally eliminated the possibility.

The note says "Push _________ up against the wall at lunch."

A gentle reminder of the bullying she would partake in at a later date and time.

I took the post-it for a later discussion with the student.

Then I started thinking... if someone had written it - then that would mean that they were asking another student to do their dirty work... to be the heavy hand at lunch.

I was chewing on this as the students were arriving. Within 10 minutes, I walked past the student's desk again... only to find what I can only assume is payment for the post-it deed...

A small ziplock bag of goldfish crackers with a note - a purple post-it - that says: For _______. And a smiley face signal as a "go ahead."

So... I'm still thinking it through.... Hired with goldfish or not?