Last night, I had my second session with my 5th grade CCD class. So far, this hasn’t been a lot of fun. The “little darlin’s” are beating the crap out of me. They are excessively “chatty,” and there are a bunch of them. I had seven new students come in last night, bringing the class size to 24.
It was difficult to get control of the group from the beginning because those new students kept coming in after we had begun. They needed seats, books, etc. Although it was the third week of CCD, there are still families who are just now bringing their kids around to get registered.
On top of everything else, there are only 17 desks in the classroom, so I had to keep hunting around for additional chairs, stools, etc.
Just before class started, one boy wandered in sucking on a MacDonald’s milkshake. He casually ambled through the room and looked around with a weird smile on his face. When I called to him asking who he was and if he belonged there, he glanced at me and then turned away. I really thought he was just messing with me. I figured he was a friend of some of the other kids in the class and came in to visit and screw with the teacher. It was particularly strange that he was very non-responsive to me, even when I walked over to him and looked him in the eye. Eventually, I got out of him that he was a 5th grader and that he was a new student last night.
About that time, I looked over and saw his mother looking in the door, apparently checking on him. I went over and she asked me if everything was OK. I told her that I thought he was messing with me and described his actions.
“Oh, he has Aspergers, so sometimes he will act that way.”
Oh great. Thanks for the warning, mom!
And he is one of two autism kids in the class. Oy vey!
After class, I talked with another mother who said she would be willing to come help out. That’s great, because I’m going to need it.
Another Beautiful Day in Paradise! 