First Week

My first week of teaching went very well. I have a wonderful group of K-6^th graders, with four classes per grade. Most of the students listen very well, and there certainly are some talented artists in each grade.

This week, my biggest challenge was dealing with a student who enrolled in school midway into the first week. He is a kindergartner, and did not make any attempts to interact with other students or teachers. When his teacher brought her class to my room, she asked if she could talk to me briefly. She told me that he probably would not participate, and might run out into the hallway. I thanked her for letting me know, and began showing the students where their assigned seats were.

When I got to his name, no one came forward. I asked the other students where he was, and they all said he was in the hallway. I had not noticed him sneaking out! I imagined him running recklessly up and down the hall, but when I stepped out, he was just sitting by the wall with his face in his knees. I gently invited him into the classroom, and tried to talk to him, but he ignored me.

I finally called the office and asked for our assistant principal (who handles discipline) to come talk to the boy, but he made no progress either, and finally took him away. I later found his classroom teacher in the teacher lounge, and she said that he will be tested for autism. I hope he will be more receptive to art class next week! If he does get diagnosed, it will really help me know how to handle him.

Since he was my only difficult student to handle this week, I think the year is off to a great start! I am really looking forward to getting to know all of my students better, including that little kindergartner. Hopefully by next week he will have warmed up to the idea of being in school, and will be willing to sit and draw with his classmates.