The "Welcome" assembly hadn't even begun this morning when I spotted one of our most restless students squirming in his seat. I knelt down next to him and quietly asked him to sit in the chair rather than wiggle around on top of its folded seat.
He sighed, crestfallen, and sank into the red velvet theater seat. He wasn't defiant or angry; he was just struggling to be comfortable and still in this structured environment. "If you need a break," I told him, "just ask. I'll be right over there." and I returned to my own seat across the aisle.
He did not take me up on my offer, but as our school administrators went through the annual litany of warnings and don'ts, I watched him as he quietly tapped his foot, rubbed his eyes, pulled his hair, and lightly banged his head on the seat in front of him.
He never bothered anyone, but he was never engaged in the presentation, which was a text-heavy slideshow with a lot of adult narration. For him, it was 45 painful minutes with no gain in knowledge or understanding.
Noted.
He sighed, crestfallen, and sank into the red velvet theater seat. He wasn't defiant or angry; he was just struggling to be comfortable and still in this structured environment. "If you need a break," I told him, "just ask. I'll be right over there." and I returned to my own seat across the aisle.
He did not take me up on my offer, but as our school administrators went through the annual litany of warnings and don'ts, I watched him as he quietly tapped his foot, rubbed his eyes, pulled his hair, and lightly banged his head on the seat in front of him.
He never bothered anyone, but he was never engaged in the presentation, which was a text-heavy slideshow with a lot of adult narration. For him, it was 45 painful minutes with no gain in knowledge or understanding.
Noted.
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