Working 9 to 5

Towards the end of last week I started to do what I should have done the first week. Crack down, send kids to the office, hand out detentions. It's under control, but it's still not enjoyable. I can do it....but do I really want to? I'd never leave in the middle of the school year, but I find myself counting the days until Christmas (and it's only the second week!) and then the second semester.

It is strange how great it feels to have kids silently working in your room, even if you had to turn into the devil to make it happen. I'm still having trouble with kids names, which is the ultimate classroom management no-no, but I know enough now that I can kinda wing it. I'm just bad with names! One kid I sent to the office on Friday is really mad at me. He thinks I was unfair (and I kind of have to agree with him), but he was argueing with me in front of the class at the beginning of the period (because his desk doesn't have a basket underneath--I told him he could move for the day or I'd switch it after school)...I took him out in the hall to calm him down, because this was obviously not about the desk....I explained that he can't talk to me like that because it's disrespectful and if he has a problem like that he should talk to me privately. He calmed down some and we went back in. Suddenly Miss ISS (newly back) frantically raises her hand (without shouting though, thank god, I must have broken them of that habit). I call on her..."THERES A ROACH" (boo for bug spray....asked them to spray for ants.....now have live cochroaches trying to escape). Told Miss ISS she could move to the other side of the room. Smashed the cochroach (about the size of a paperclip) with the stapler...laughing/talking/chaos ensues as Miss ISS makes a production of moving to the other side of the room. I tell her to move quickly....spin around to call out the first kid I see who's talking/laughing and instantly see Mr. Desk-basket. Tell him to stop talking and get to work. Instantly he starts telling me it's unfair, etc., etc.....I can feel control slipping away. I ask him to come out in the hall immediately and write him up (not very eloquently I might add). He thinks it's unfair that I sent him after 2 incidents...I think talking back is disrespectful and warrants instant action. I'm not sure I conveyed this well to him or the administration (although I clarified with the admin later). He came back with about 15 min left in the period and was fine, but when I saw him at lunch he said something as I passed and glared at me....He was my sacrificial lamb...

Also, my Student of the Week in 4th period behaved so badly that I changed my mind at the last minute and gave it to someone else. Once they do announcements in fourth period everyone starts talking and packing up....it's worse on fridays when we do student of the week, they applaud and ALL start talking. I'm awful because I let it slide.

I'd like to spend my Sunday at the grocery store, but instead I'm sitting here writing lesson plans (crappy lesson plans). I'm starting to realize that not having a 9-5 job for the past 3 years and then jumping into this was a little psychotic.