He got into some trouble at school when he disappeared from school grounds for a little while, and they started to panic when they couldn't find him.
Hmm, let's back up a bit. First of all, he's seven. And his favorite thing to do at recess is play on the monkey bars. Apparently the standing monkey bar etiquette is that you can stay on them for a maximum of 100 seconds, after which you must dismount, and let the next kid in line go. It seems my son was waiting his turn while a 1st grade girl was in front of him, but she was disregarding the 100 second rule, so he took matters into his own hands. He first tried telling her, but when he was ignored, he sought out a yard duty who apparently did not take action. I think the seven year old rule of thumb is, "When in doubt, smack the person." And so he did. THAT got people's attention -- unfortunately, the wrong kind.
His teacher asked him to apologize to the girl, but for whatever reason, he wouldn't. He doesn't handle embarrassment well. No apology? Go to the office.
Which is how he came to turn up missing. Because he didn't go to the office. No, it seems he left "school grounds," which I guess end at the green gates, and was standing in front of the school for a bit before they found him. That's when I got "the call," telling me about what happened and asking that we pick him up because he's done for the day. Fabulous.
When I got home that night, we talked about what he did wrong, how he should have handled it, etc. He was given the choice of either writing an apology letter to the girl, or missing his Christmas party at school the next day. After much discussion, and parental pressure, he took the high road and wrote the letter.
The next day (Thursday) his punishment at school was that he would take all of his recess' in the office. Everything seemed well and good until he returned to class after lunch recess. It was shortly after that his teacher discovered a note on my son's desk. It said,
"I'll be back."
Um, what? They thought he might have hit the restroom, but when he didn't turn up, they started looking. They never did find him, but after a while he came back on his own, and when they asked him where he'd been, he said, "I took recess."
Wow.
Needless to say, he missed his Christmas party after all, and was not pleased about it. He says he's learned his lesson about leaving without permission, but only time will tell.
All I can say is...how much trouble am I in?
12 comments:
Wow, well following through on consequences is what you do as parents, sounds like he is very determined.
Have a Merry Christmas, see ya at Bunco next week!?
oh my gosh.. he left a note.. I am sorry but that is funny! Ok, not funny to you I'm sure...
I hope he learned his lesson.. and what kind of security do they have there? geesh.
I am seriously trying not to laugh, because it isn't funny to you, I am sure, But WOW, the note, was over the top! you did what you could, what else is there? the consequences will just have to get harsher if it become more of a habit. I hope they won't, but watch out teenage years!
I am so sorry but I couldn't help but laugh...at least he left a note stating that he would be back! lol
Nobody laughed louder than me -- I was shocked, but it's pretty funny. This kid knows who he is, doesn't he? I think I even told the teacher on the phone, "He's got balls, hasn't he?!" lol
Oh, Mer, definitely funny, but in a scary-oh-crap-just-wait-til-the-teenage-years kind of way! In my 5 years of teaching I had some interesting behaviors but I can't say I ever had a child write a note that he'd gone to take his recess. And, actually, kind of within his rights, I might add - we get coffee breaks, shouldn't all kids be able to have their recesses?!
That's a hard one! Sometimes I wish my 6 year old would be a little more assertive!
Strong will and independent- good characteristics to have in todays world.
Now its up to you to mold them properly. Whew- Lord bless you in that.
lol- I thought it was super cute that he left a note saying he would be back. (I may be laughing, but thats becuase its not my kids)
but I have to ask, where was the teacher that was supposed to be watching him?
Is there any age that hitting is really Ok? Also, he doesn't sound like he respects authority figures. In this case, he was told to go straight back to class and he blatantly did what he wanted. In the end it was a huge safety issue. What if there was someone stalking the school and he's out there where no one knows. People comment about where the teacher was but the teacher is not a personal security guard.
You mock that you are in trouble, but it doesn't sound like you're taking the situation very seriously. What that little girl did was wrong but your son at 7 doesn't get to chose where he wants to go and what he wants to do when he makes choices like hitting someone.
Anonymous -- and by the way, how clever of you to hide who you are.
My approach in my blog is to use humor and sarcasm. I don't believe I once condoned his behavior or blamed anyone else for his actions. He made several wrong choices, and was met with concequences. He was sent home from school early, lost recess, and then lost his party. Never once did I disagree with those decisions the school made, and I also didn't tell you the concequences that were met at home for his actions.
No, hitting is never okay, and he was punished for it. But he is seven, after all, and this is how children learn, and I get that. They make mistakes, and hopefully they learn from them.
Perhaps next time you can be the real you when you share what you really think. Even my son has more confidence in his own opinions.
Oh my gosh! What a week you have had. I cannot believe he left a note! I think Christmas break is just what the doctor ordered! Here's to a better start to the "new" school year! :)
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