Tough Afternoon in Class, With Kindness

Blain came late to school Wednesday—nothing unusual in that for him. What was a surprise were his apologies for the tardiness. After returning from PE, he remained cooperative, completing his brief spelling worksheet. And even held in for study hall during lunch recess, he finished a math test without complaint.

After lunch, however, he became angry with his writing partner, rose from his seat, throwing erasers and a pencil in Ben’s direction, and threatened to beat him up. He ran from the room, and walked quickly down to the end of the hall, but when I called for him to come back, he did, staying to calm down outside our door.

The last time this anger surfaced, Blain had shouted similarly at Ben while pressing a sharpened pencil into each of his own temples. That was the day before he was committed to the hospital for a week.

This was only his second day back.

At recess I walked with Blain to the office where our Family Advocate calmed him, and brought him back to our room just before the end of recess. He asked to not sit next to Ben, and not have to speak with him. I agreed. As I let the rest of the class in from outside, I spoke with Ben, relayed to him Blain’s wishes, and elicited Ben’s verbal agreement to cooperate.

After about ten minutes of class time, Ben moved from his seat and passed by Blain to the supply area. I did not see, nor did I observe, any interaction between the two. Blain, however, must have perceived something I did not. He rose from his seat and began loudly cursing his partner, two or three times loudly tossing the “f-bomb” as he gestured angrily, stumbling in circles.

I moved Blain, still shouting, through the door and had him again sit in the hall to calm down. About ten minutes after this incident, he was speaking relatively calmly to me, and agreed to go to the office to await his mother for early dismissal.

I spoke with the class and said the obvious: that Blain was upset. Mollie raised her hand.

“I think he has some problems,” she said sympathetically.

“We all have problems, don’t we, at some time?” I replied. “I have problems and I get upset. How many of you have had problems and gotten angry?”

Nearly everyone raised their hand.

“What do we do when someone has a problem, to help them feel better?”

“We can be nice to them.” “We can be nice to Blain.”

“Let’s do that.”

I love these kids. They are kind to one another. They understand.

Next week Blain transfers to a small program in our district for other kids similarly afflicted with demons.