Little Struggles

Occasionally while teaching, one or two students will be disruptive enough to make learning hard for the entire class. Tonight, I have one of those classes. One of my students consistently wants to be the center of attention, and with this kid, it's more like an epicenter. He arrives late, and crashes through the thin aluminium door loudly, consistently. He makes all sorts of comments (some a hair on the lude side) about everyone else's answers and makes it difficult to help the shyer students want to participate. I've been lifting this situation up to the Father, and tonight, seems to be going better.

Tonight, he arrived late and loud as usual, but because he was so late, there was only one really accessable desk, right up front by the blackboard, all alone, in arm's reach of me. So, I told him he would sit up front with me today. He seemed a little uncomfortable, but quickly hid it behind his "happy-go-lucky" facade. Throughout the lesson, he was dropping his pen and scooting his desk toward the rest of the class in order to file back in with them. I told him to move his desk back to where it was supposed to be, and he only half-complied, and I, hoping this would be a fitting compromise, let it go, but he continued to try to get out of order. So, I stopped my lesson, something I hate to do, and told him that he could move his desk back to the front, or go home. That gave him the necessary motivation. Even in this, he tried to put his desk where he wanted, on his terms, but I didn't budge, and once he had returned himself to where he was supposed to be, I continued my lesson as if nothing had happened.

The why behind his behavior is a point of continued speculation between my teammates and me. Whatever the reason, I'm hoping that a firm, but caring, presense in his life (if only 90 min a night/2 nights a week) will help him to learn how to be a better part of the class.

Please keep lifting us up!

Edit: Well, I spoke too soon. I wrote the above during the break during the class. When I returned, the student in question had moved to the back of the class. I told him that he needed to return to his seat up front. That he was too disruptive if left on his own. Well, he picked his things up... and left. Just walked out and said, "Hello...I mean, Good Bye!" and left. The class cheered. They actually cheered his leaving. One student called him a monkey. I just wish he could have been a productive part of the class.