Homeless

Several of my posts seem to be about the same child. :)

Yesterday, my students were doing group work.  I had some groups in my classroom working on their scripts, some in the hallway practicing their scripts, and some in the room beside mine recording their radio shows, so needless to say, I was running around with my head cut off.  I was attempting to monitor all my students, but I stepped into the recording room for a brief moment.  When I looked back into my classroom where some groups were busily working, this is what I saw:

A man was walking on the sidewalk next to my school, and he could be seen from my classroom window. One of my beloved students gets up from his desk, runs over to my window (which is beside my desk, and they are aware that they are not supposed to be over there), and opens the window.  Then he proceeds to yell out of my window, "HOMELESS!!!!" 

The thoughts going through my head while this is happening:  "Who in their right mind decides to do something like that in the middle of class?"  "Where in the world did this come from?" "And how am I going to address this obvious behavior problem?"

After the brief moment where I had no words for what I just witnessed, I call the student over to me, and said, "First of all, you are not supposed to be out of your seat.  Second of all, you are definitely not supposed to be opening my window.  And third of all, what if that man goes home to his 'non-home' and commits suicide?  How would you feel?" 

The look on my student's face seemed to be sincerely upset and embarrassed, so I felt like I had gotten my point across.  Until... 5 minutes later he blatantly and loudly yelled at another student about his "ugly hair line."  

I tend to ask myself often: What will reach my students and actually encourage them to become better people and students?!

Who knows after the "homeless" incident...