Day 144: Eugene

Today was my first full day of teaching all by myself.  I was totally excited for it, and also really nervous at the same time.  I wanted to do well and come across as cool and confident - and totally organized.  I must admit that I was still a bit frazzled with all the schedules.  All the classes have funny code numbers and the fact that I have alternating schedules every day adds to the whole confusion thing as well.  Anyway, I have pre-school in the morning and they've been a breeze so at least I'll start off on a good foot.
 
I have 12 pre-schooler kids - 6 boys and 6 girls.  They're adorable and cute and FULL OF ENERGY!  WOW!  You don't know tired until you've done four classes full of a dozen 4-year olds all on your own!  Each block is just 40 minutes and the fact that it's broken into 'subjects' makes things a little easier for me.  My day was going really well and I was actually enjoying myself quite a lot.  All the kids were behaving and everything was going as smooth as silk...
 
...until the last few minutes of the last block came 'round...
 
My last block of the AM with the pre-schoolers is 'Activity Time' which is a great way to end my morning with them.  Everyday they get a new little project to complete - something 'arts n crafts' related and it's really easy for me.  My Korean assistant teacher organizes it for me and I basically just have to sit and supervise while the kids keep themselves occupied colouring and cutting away.  Today we were making shark teeth necklaces out of clay and it was proving to be quite a tricky activity actually!  The clay kept falling apart and the kids were making teeth way too small to be hung on a piece of string.  The clock was ticking away while only a handful of kids had completed their necklaces...
 
Suddenly the block was over and time was up - all the kids now had to clean up and pack everything away to get ready to head home.  Again, most of the kids hadn't finished their necklaces, which certainly disappointed them, but they put their incomplete pieces of clay jewelry on the shelf and soon forgot about it.  Except for one.
 
I have one student who I had been warned about ahead of time and her name is Eugene.  Under normal, everyday conditions Eugene is quiet and shy but friendly and fairly obedient.  She gets along with her peers...most of the time...and is a pretty smart girl.  Her only vice is that she hates, and I mean H-AT-E-S hearing the word 'No.'  So when it was time to pack up the activity and head home, and she was standing their with her half-finished necklace, and I told her she had to put it away, well...that's when all hell broke loose.
 
Eugene started to put up a fuss insisting that she wanted to finish the necklace, but we were completely out of time and the kids can't miss their bus so their was no option to delay any further.  Suddenly she broke out into a full-fledged tamper-tantrum!  Over the last 5 months of teaching young children I've seen my fair share of fits, but nothing can compare to what Eugene can do!  When she blows, she becomes this screaming, kicking, yelling, sobbing, flailing, hysterical, out of control brat.  We're talking a full complete Mariah Carey of a breakdown here, with all systems shutting down, and everything logical grinding to a complete halt.  And absolutely nothing you can do can shut her up.  You can try and comfort her, yell at her, attempt to reason with her, remove her from the class, send her to the hall or bathroom, whatever.  There really is nothing you can say or do to make her stop.  And she'll go for a good 10, 15, more minutes straight without stopping for a breath.  As a teacher I've never felt so frustrated or helpless!
 
She actually frightens all the other kids in the class, and is SO LOUD all the other kids in all the other classes in the school can hear her.  IT'S CRAZY!  So on my first morning I got to be an unwilling participant in The Wrath Of Eugene and it was not a pretty sight.  God I only hope that she's not like this everyday!  My ears and wits just won't be able to take this on a daily basis!  I feel kinda guilty for thinking it, but I was SO GLAD to see her leave the school that day.  Here's hoping that tomorrow she doesn't prove to be a repeat offender!