Trouble on Tuesday

I had hum-dinger first grade students today. One first grader says she likes to hurt herself and spent the entire class picking the scab off her knee. All I could say was if you're sad or upset or angry sometimes it helps to talk to someone. And also, in an aside, I told her, I was a scab picker when I was little too. You grow out of it, I promise! She wasn't so great at scab picking. I was way more destructive when I was her age, I still have my knee scars, so obviously there's hope.

I had one first grade guy literally rip up his drawing, which he drew last time we met, which I think was last Monday if I'm right... Today is Tuesday and there are six sections. I was pretty bummed because his teacher had already been in at the beginning of the 45 minute class period to say he was really on a roll. She looked exhausted. So Mr. B had a talk with him. Then told me that little warning, just send him to the office if you can't handle him. Woah that's just a challenge if I ever heard one. No way was I sending anybody to the office. I decided really I should just keep him in my pocket. Everywhere I went, I just kept him with me. Especially after he started ripping up his drawing. He took a lot of time from the other students. But I also know the principal was watching me or him through the window, so I made him the tape helper. First I had to get him to make a new drawing.

He hated his first one. We are doing a face, shoulders, and a creative, unique, funny/silly/serious whatever hat on top of the head. He kept starting, then x-ing out his work.
New Paper. Okay. I got down on the desk level in my best Outback Steakhouse Waitress imitation.  
What do you like the best. I want you to have a drawing so you can make a print with the rest of the class.
Football.
Okay that's great.
But I don't want to draw a football helmet.
Well what are you really good at?
Multiplication!
(My turn to be impressed!) Woah. I am horrible at multiplication. Do you know that stuff?
Yep. Big smile.
What's five times five?
25!
Awesome. You are so smart, lets make a multiplication hat! That's the hat you wear the best, right?
Yep.
So since he had already successfully done one drawing, I built a face and shoulders really quick on his paper then did the same thing and put a hat on it, on the dry erase board.
Look, do you know how to do bubble letters? They're really popular right now. Lets do the times (X) symbol in bubble letters. So it's a multiplication hat.
Super. I had already sort of sketched part of the drawing on his paper, to catch him up, and he drew his own features on the face. So my fella had a hat, and then I gave him the job of distributing tape. Legit way for him to move around the room, if he could handle it. Or at least a few kids would get tape while I was also making the tape rounds, which is the biggest pain of this entire lesson.

I learned that even if he does want to help, he does not really have that  follow through every time. Even though he seemed pretty proud to be my helper, and wanted to be there at the front of the class standing with me and liked the idea of being in charge of distributing tape around the room, I think only a few people got tape from him before he gave up to chat with some friends. Completely impulsive. At least the principal or whoever that was standing at the window watching him/me left without coming in and spoiling my experiment.

For tomorrow, I have totally ripped off all the chunks of tape and stuck-em to my desk so all I have to do is line the kids up and hand out the styrofoam and tape. Woo hoo, last day for this lesson tomorrow. I feel like I've been talking about styrofoam and running around sharpening pencils and checking tracings for a zillion years. But it was only 6 days. 


I have no pictures today I'm tired and going to bed.