Tomorrow begins a two day school week and the beginning of crazy.  Thanksgiving break is this week and of course, Christmas is soon to follow.  I survived the Halloween, full moon, first snow, pajama day week, but there’s something about this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that can test even the most veteran teacher.

I get it.  I was a child once.  A long, long, long, long time ago.  I remember looking at the clock as it so very slowly approached 3:00 p.m. to signal the end of the day and I couldn’t wait for Christmas break, breathlessly waiting for Christmas Day where I could open presents with my little brother.  However, some of our students are acting out, not because they’re excited about the break from school but because they’re afraid or unsure of what the break will mean for them at home.

Yes, the crazy at school, especially that last week of crazy is hard for teachers, but nothing like it is for a student who is dealing with a less than perfect home life.  Perhaps it means they won’t get to eat as often, or maybe it means parents who are struggling financially or with addictions or worse yet, abusive.  It may mean leaving adults they can trust, who are consistent and who care for them and going to uncertainty.  Not exactly the happy holidays we imagine for all of our students.

To add insult to injury, it’s that last three weeks of school before the end of 2nd quarter which also means assessments and grades, the last thing kids are wanting to think about.  I wonder if teachers really get a true picture of how kids are doing at this time?  Especially those kids who are not receiving the most basic of needs.  If kids are not fed, don’t sleep and don’t feel safe, it doesn’t matter what we do as teachers.

This is why I strongly believe we, as teachers and caring adults, need to find out the WHY kids are acting out.  So many times we’re treating the symptoms of the behavior and never seem to have the time to find out why they’re behaving the way they are.  The quick fix is to recommend that the child receive medication because it’s easy.  But those same children who act out all the time or who vacillate between appropriate and inappropriate behavior in a way that seems to make no sense, need adults who are willing to stop and find out why.

It’s a tricky business, with privacy being an issue and you certainly don’t want to influence a child to say something.  However, in my years of teaching, there have been times when I have taken the time to sit down with a child and have found out they were being hit and were frustrated because they couldn’t hit back or a parent had left the family that morning or they had left home without breakfast again.  Taking time to figure out the why is what leads to real assistance for the child, not the quick fixes.

I know some of my teacher friends are reading this and thinking, where do we find the time?  My question is, what’s more important, your content or their contentment.  Yes, I believe with all of my being that my music content is an essential part of every child’s well rounded education, but it’s more important that the child grows up to be a happy person, a good citizen, someone who has empathy and cares about others.  Someone who can work through struggles and become the best person they can be.

So I’m thinking, as I check out the sign by my desk that says “relax and accept the crazy”, I’ll remember to cut the kids a bit of a break this last month, make sure I let them know I care and to take time to listen and when the crazy kicks in, to relax.