Day 43 - Kurt Trundlebury's Pencil Case Part Deux: It's in the Bag!

When Kurt Trundlebury had to borrow a pen in today's lesson, I asked him where his pencil case was. He told me that he'd lost it and then glanced sideways at me to see what my reaction would be. I didn't say anything at all, and two minutes later, he muttered, "It's in my bag, miss." Then he quietly got his pencil case out of his bag, and began to work. Quietly.

Two minutes after that, he started sucking the ink out of his pen, telling me he was going to poison himself and die. I calmly informed him that the ink in pens was no longer poisonous and all that would happen would be that he would make a big fat mess.

He still hasn't got a ruler in his pencil case, so I folded his A4 paper to create lines for him to follow, because he was worried about his writing slanting across the page. Then, I showed him how to use these folds to guide him as he wrote on the sheet. By the end of the lesson, all that was on this sheet was the title I had written, and the first line of the work he was redrafting. He then told me that he hadn't been able to finish his work because I hadn't helped him, and then he looked at me under his lashes to see how I was taking that snippet of news.

Kurt Trundlebury thinks I'm a soft touch. He thinks I like him. He thinks that I'm on his side. He thinks that I will let him be as objectionable as he likes to be and I won't challenge his poor behaviour, or manners or attitude. This is not the case. I just won't challenge him in the way he expects to be challenged.

I am overly patient with this boy, but not because I like him, or feel sorry for him, or because I think he can change with a little understanding (although this might be the case...) - no, my motives are a little more self-centred that that.

And they are very simple motives. If I can keep the little bugger busy, with suggestions and reasons and explanations, the other members of the class will be able to get on with doing what they want to do and life will be a lot easier for all persons contained within that melting pot of hormones, anger, frustration and stunted emotional literacy.

And really, at this point in proceedings, with everything else that's going on, like coming to the end of my time here, planning the Big Move, wondering what on earth my teaching life will even be like come January, I am beginning to value that quiet life more than ever and I will do everything within my meagre and dwindling power to achieve it - and if that means having the patience of seven saints with a little scroat like Kurt Trundlebury, then so be it.