I am having such a great year, all around. My morning art classes at the junior high are filled with nice kids from all walks of life. We’ve been doing ceramics the last couple of weeks, and there’s something about the clay, touching it, forming it, re-forming it, that relaxes and calms everyone, including me. I really love good design in ceramics. I notice that most kids really respond to the idea of good design. Many of the lesson plans available on the web include embellishments, like adding animal faces to the lids on jars, or scratching in patterns. Sometimes these designs are nice, but if you really look at the outcomes, most of the embellishments take us away from the interesting task at hand, making beautiful shapes and good design.
I am digressing. . . what I noticed during this process is that one kid out of my sixty-some can’t relax and enjoy the clay. He has taken to sneaking around making marks and even cuts in other kids’ work. I can’t be everywhere at once, and so I didn’t catch him doing this unpleasant business. Other students identified the boy who was destroying the ceramics but I didn’t see him. He wasn’t about to own up to his nastiness.
So I stood quietly in front of the class and waited for a hush. I said, in my quietest, spookiest voice possible, “. . . .a lie hangs in the air. . . . .everyone can see it. . . . .and I can always tell . . . . .” I let the sound die into the silence, and the kid began to shrink and melt, like the Wicked Witch of the West dissolving under the bucket of water.
I left it at that. I will help the students whose ceramics were marred so they can make something new. It never hurts to practice ♥ and it’s fun to make something new.
I realize that I cannot punish the wrongdoer till I see him in the act. . .at least, that is the way the system works around here. However, the heavy conscience of the miscreant is a burden indeed. It will be interesting to see how the next couple of weeks play out. The culprit can either improve (that’s what we hope for) or escalate (in which case I can probably catch him in the act).
I like better our disciplinary system in detention. For one thing, everything is on camera so nobody can sneak. For another, the classroom is surrounded by windows and there are adults all around. But the best thing is that the teacher’s word reigns supreme. Students can’t try to pretend they didn’t do something wrong, and they can’t argue their way out of things or make excuses. It’s not allowed. For my part, I try to be friendly and fair, and the students in detention know it. They almost never act out. When they do, it only takes a moment for a kid to come to his senses, own up to the problem, apologize, smile at my acceptance, and get back to business.
This is the model I love. I call it Triple A: Acknowledge, Apologize, and make Amends. Then the incident is over forever. No one ever mentions it and we all proceed with good cheer. I wish it were more doable in the public schools. Most of the time, this friendly model is acceptable to most kids. For the ones who won’t cooperate, we have to resort to the spooky. . . . .”a lie hangs in the air. . . . .”
