#25....I am not YELLING!!! I am talking loud...

Okay, I am not going full tilt-vent tonight. Mostly because I am afraid to relive the day I had!!

I got yelled at by a parent and a student today. Not fun. The parent...well, I am not even going there. The kid, although it got him in even more trouble with me, did provide me with a bit of comic relief.

Today at (indoor) recess...or as I call it, day 100 of the hostage crisis...two of my little friends were bold enough to pull out Bakugans and some Bakugan and Pokemon cards and thought they were going to play with them. We (as in me) have a very strict NO TOY policy in my classroom and the school has a NO TOY policy at school. I had seen a few of my little friends pull out toys the day before but then I got distracted (ie: overwhelmed) and forgot about it.

So today when I saw the contraband toys, I went over and reminded my little friends that we do not bring toys to school even to play with at recess because someone "forgets" that toys are for recess and decides to play with them during instructional time. I thought I was pretty rational and convincing...they put the toys away and that was that. Until a few hours later when my class was returning from switching with my team teacher for Math/Science instruction. As we lined up in the hall, my teammate informed me that she had taken a stack of Pokemon cards away from one of my students (yes, one who I had talked to about this very thing at recess). I send all of my little friends into the classroom but asked the "guilty party" to remain out int he hallway with me.

Before I even got the first question out of my mouth my little friend starts yelling at me..."they weren't mine..they we ______________'s cards." I calmly (at least in my mind) asked him to lower his voice and asked if the other student put the cards in his hand or in any way forced him to take the cards. Little friend continues to yell at me, "But, but, they were not mine." I (again ) calmly asked my little friend not to yell at me, to which he relied "I am not yelling, I am talking loud!"

I stepped back for a second, speechless. I tried to hide a smirk, and had to turn away as to not show him that I was about to burst our laughing. I wish I could say that my little friend repented and things turned out great for both of us. However, since he broke a rule, defied me and TALKED LOUD to me, little friend went home with a discipline referral (as did the little friend who gave him the cards in Math/Science class).

Maybe I am being a hard @ss...but nobody TALKS LOUDLY to me and gets away with it!!!