Garfield book

BC Standard # 1: Value and care for all students and act in their best interest
Program Values # 3: Critical Mindedness

The day I shed a few tears:

BC Standard 1 states that teachers should value and care for students and act in their best interest, and the Program Value # 3 reinforce the need to have critical mind when comforted with complex educational issues. I demonstrated these traits while physically and emotionally challenges by one of my students with severe behaviour problems.

I met Nathan only once during my short practicum because his behaviour did not allow him to be part of the classroom community. While he was in the classroom when I came back for my long practicum, he only attended school sporadically and not full time. Over my first weeks, I had to intervene in a violent fist fight between Nathan and another of my students, and I had to call the office because Nathan was ripping his work apart and pouring liquid glue all over his desk and his neighbour’s desk. In both incidents, Nathan went for a calm and obedient state to a very defiant one almost instantly and without warning.

One particular incident really shook my beliefs and displayed my ability to treat my students with respect and dignity while ensuring their safety at all time. Without obvious trigger, Nathan became defiant and put three small sharp pencils in his mouth. I called the office, and the Vice Principal came to help. I quickly evacuated the other students from my classroom. While we were outside, Nathan messed-up the classroom (students’ work spread all over the room, papers ripped apart, etc…). Then he was physically removed from my classroom by two grown-up men, and was restrained in another room, screaming in rage.

I know that Nathan has dramatic trauma happened in his short life and I know that he lives with a mental illness. While I was concerned for his safety during the crisis, I know that I asking for help and evacuating my classroom was the most efficient response to unsure that all my students were treated with respect and dignity. I believe in full inclusion and I truly care about all my students, but that incident challenged my values and I had to be critical minded to maintain a positive attitude with Nathan.

After the storm, Nathan apologized for his behaviour and I debriefed the course of event the Vice Principal. It is my duty as a professional to try to understand what happened and get ready for the future. I never hold a grudge against Nathan and I always welcomed him in my classroom with a genuine heart. Every day, hour, minute is a fresh start and the past can only be forgiven in order to move forward in education. After the day I shed a few tears over my messed-up classroom, I always had a Garfield book for Nathan to read in case he was becoming defiant. It worked well for the very few times he attended school.