In other school news.
I was just informed that a student is suspended all week for making a threat against me. This student has special needs and I was told by his parents and his support team that I was to be hard on him and keep strict boundaries so he could learn how to behave in college. This poor kid thinks we should be buddies and pal around and I spent the first month of school explaining that he is a student and I am the teacher and that our relationship doesn’t extend beyond that. And then he thought he’d start to “tease” me the way friends do. He’ll chant my name randomly in the middle of class and also blurt out inappropriate words/topics. For the last month when he comes in during tutorial or my brunch I let him stay until he acts inappropriately and then I ask him to leave my class until he can behave appropriately. He will pace outside my door chanting my name and saying inappropriate (but not vulgar) things. Lately, the resource specialist who comes with him to class every day will just remove him when he starts. I’m told that yesterday, after being removed from my class he threatened to beat me up because I won’t be his friend.
Honestly I think the school is suspending him to put pressure on the parents. The school’s point of view is that he isn’t ready to be “mainstreamed” like the parents pushed for. He really isn’t ready. I was told he’s latched onto other teachers in the past and demonstrated the same actions, but I’m the first one he threatened to harm.
The principal just dropped by my room to ask if I felt scared or uncomfortable.
“I didn’t until you suspended him and now he’ll blame me.”