Tough Teacher

My fourth hour class is wild. It has some great kids, but they are a rowdy group. I have one kid whom I can't decide if I like or not. Okay, I like him, but he is a pain sometimes. He is always messing with things and often destroys things - like rulers, pencils, paint, etc. The other day, he was beating his ruler on the table. After telling him to stop it several times, he continued, absentmindedly, to beat the ruler on the table while talking with the other kids. I went over and snatched the ruler away from him. I was going to pretend to hit him with the ruler, while I scolded him. Instead, as I rared my arm back, I threw the ruler backwards. It was so silly. How could I not laugh? The kids did for sure.

A few days later, the same kids needed another scolding. I was serious this time. I gave them a good chewing out. Then I walked behind the work station, bumped into a box on the counter, nearly knocked the box to the floor, but caught it just in time. Unfortunately, I also bumped a large piece of Plexiglas that I use as an easel on the counter. It and all the papers fell over and hit me on the head - while I was scolding the kids. Things went everywhere - like falling dominoes. So much for being a tough teacher.