Just don't whine

I can't actually handle whiny kids.  I think that's why my own kids were never very whiny.  I couldn't.  Just don't.

I struggle to be charitable when my students are whiny.  I struggle not to be sarcastic.  (I may or may not have recently told a student that was whining about their computer not working properly to keep whining because that may help. Also, the reason their computers don't work is because they misspell their passwords.  Always.)

I also don't love girl drama.  A few weeks ago, a girl came in from recess, weeping.  I asked her what was wrong and between sobbing gasps for air she told me her friend had said she was a drama queen.

Um.

What I can handle better / have ample experience with is recalcitrant boys who can't sit still/ can't suppress their impulses/ can't stop talking.  

Yesterday, my little guy who doesn't speak English had a struggle.  Nola, who is a saint, was working with him and other non English speakers.  He wouldn't sit still/ suppress his impulses/ stop talking.

After she left and he had had lunch.  I took him to the ELL teacher and told her his misdeeds and had her relay a message for me in Spanish.  I left him in her charge.

Later, he presented me with this:

The outside of the envelope

My closest approximation I could come up with on Google Translate is this:

 I'm sorry teacher for misbehaving now I'm going to be a teacher, I love her very much.

I don't know?  Maybe someone who speaks Spanish could tell me.

I don't know Spanish, but I understand little boys who have big personalities in little bodies.

When Mark was about the same age, he threw a ball and decapitated a reindeer, which was a Christmas decoration.

He wrote me this:

 Of course I forgive them.  Every time.  They're so cute it would be impossible not to.

My little friend at school gets to play with Legos for a few minutes in the afternoon if he's good with Nola in the morning. (I always think, how would I handle this with Mark at this age?  That kid trained me up!) My student didn't get to play with them yesterday.  Instead I had a few projects for him, including putting papers in the take home folders.  He attacked the chore with gusto and smiles.

I love my job and these little people.

(Especially when they don't whine.)