Even after his poetry memorization success, the mean boy is still mean. He takes regular verbal swipes at other students, often at after-lunch recess. (So much of the drama happens at after-lunch recess, because the kids are completely out of teacher ear-shot.) It has come out that many students are afraid of him. Yesterday, in the boys' bathroom, the mean boy allegedly threatened to beat up another student because the that student had told the truth (along with about 10 other kids) about the mean boy throwing a piece of food at a girl at lunch.
I am resisting the temptation to write about him as Mean Boy, with capital letters, like that's his name. Why? I still have hope for him, hope I can't explain. This boy has potential. He's bright and sensitive -- and miserable, I think, which is why he's so mean. I don't know all the reasons for his misery. I can guess that it has something to do with not having a father involved in his life, and with the mean older sister he mentions regularly.So for now he's just the mean boy, a common noun. I hope he will become Kind Boy, Changed Boy, Caring Boy, Friend Boy. Anything is possible.
Maybe if you could get him to write about it, it might help him. Suggest that everyone in the class write about a bully one day, and a nice person the next. I don't know, but try to come up with some method through which he can unleash some of what he needs to. Or write about siblings. I recently made a week of school visits and when the teachers sent me "thank you" letters from their students afterwards, they told me they'd had a "hard time getting many of the children to say anything kind about their siblings." Kind of amazing, no? But maybe it's a topic your class could write about and share. Just a thought ...
ReplyDeleteThose are great ideas! He does like to write and draw.
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