Phone woes

Goal for the week: Proximity. It's been going better today. The kids seem to be getting the idea that I circle like a shark. No one has used those words yet, but I'm sure someone will eventually.

Today's topic for discussion: when students attack, part 1. Today, I had a student who is normally extremely well behaved turn around and bite my head off. I guess the teenage years are just like that. This student had issues with missing a lot of school and she came in after school last semester to make up a lot of her work. She turned her grade around and really studied. She was such a good pupil. She had medical issues this semester and missed many weeks. She's now back and I was happy to see her.

Today, when I turned around in class I saw her on the school phone speaking loudly and agitatedly. The students know they are not supposed to use the school phones. I allow them to use them during the passing periods only in cases of an emergency and only if I stand next to them. She did not ask and this was during class. I would have written her a pass to the office to use their phone if it was an emergency. She only needed to ask.

When I saw her disturbing my class by yelling on the school phone, I was shocked. I was honestly shocked because I stared at her and she acted like nothing was wrong and ignored me. I walked over to her and by this time the whole class was watching both of us. I calmly asked her what she was doing on the phone. She ignored me and kept yelling into the phone. I had had enough. I told her in a calm voice that she had 5 seconds to hang up or I would do it for her. Then I counted down.

"5. 4. 3. 2. 1." I stared at her and she kept ignoring me. Then I signed and hung up the phone. She just stared at me for the first time and said "I can't believe you just did that," and walked out of class. I called that Dean and told her what happened.

Now, I've lost her. When I've seen her in the halls today, she ignores me coldly. She won't perform in class just to "spite me," except she's just hurting herself and I wish that she could see that.

Sometimes, my job really hurts.