Progress?

I don’t know if I have done a good thing or not. The kid I have constantly been having problems with since the beginning of the year; I think the stunts he pulled on me yesterday were the straws that broke the camel’s back – I think he was expelled today. Aside from his normal obnoxious behaviors, yesterday in the middle of my freshmen english class he started yelling “English is stupid! You don’t need it for anything. You don’t need f**king teachers for anything;” all said while staring right at me.

Hell, after all of this I was still willing to work with him, and then I was approched by a parent of two of my freshmen. She told me that both of her kids love my class, even her son who HATES english likes my classes; BUT she also said they both have been complaining about this one kid, both had told her that they felt they weren’t learned because of him . . . and she ahdn’t heard about the explosing yet. . . . I was approched by at least seven others kids seperately and told the same thing “Why like your class, but we aren’t learneing because of one person . . and you know who that is right?” . . . . SO I had a lovely little meeting about these conversations with the Vice Princple, and she said the kids had basiclly used his last chance.

I’m not sure if he was expelled or if he is just suspended; but for the frist time in months, I made progress with my freshmen. Everyone was on task, asking questions, participating. Same thing in my sophmores class (but they are pretty goofy as is)

I don’t know if this is really progress or not. I had been workign with this kid so hard, been trying to mak classes more challenging for him because he is so smart; trying to giv ehim leadership roles and help him out as best I could. . . I’m tired of smashing my head into a brick wall, with no one helping me. Support yes, tons of suport from all the teachers and the princple and vice principle – but support does not equle help.

I feel horrible. I feel like everyone has given up on this kid . .Once we had a long talk and he told me that, he said “Everyone has given up on me except for you . . . . and you are a good teacher, I like you and you treat me with respect. . . .” That amkes it even ahrder for me, but with all that he said then – yesterday’s explosion is all the mreo annoying to me. Not once has he ever treated me with respect. AND last week when I had a guest speaker come in, my brother, he was so disrespectful that on the way home my brother told me “If he had talked to me like that anywhere but a high school I would have beat the shit out of the little asshole.” Yes, he was that bad.

I’ve been triyng so hard, but I am tired. After almost 4 months of working with him and trying to help him with no sign of progress (behavior wise and trying to keep him in school so he can graudate with his class)

Do the needs of the many out weight the needs of the individaul??

Nothing changes – so now I can make progress with the students who want to learn, who are willing to work with me, and this kid is lost.

The other students win and this kid loses – again and again.

This sucks.