Now that final exams are over, my kids’ behavior has taken a turn for the worse.

Screaming, shouting, running, wrestling, punching, throwing paper, throwing food, hiding other people’s pencil cases, walking out in the middle of class, defacing school property, disrespecting teachers even MORE than they used to (and this is all that I experienced in only 50 minutes) …it’s a zoo.  I take that back, it’s worse than a zoo.  It’s completely uncharted, untamed wilderness.

The teachers complain about it and tell me about things that happen when I’m not there, as well as fill me in on the gossip of what goes on in their household—how one kid’s family is “strange” or another kid’s parents are going through a divorce, or about how one kid was caught robbing a neighbor’s home (he’s only 13)!!!

I realized today that I’m not so much fed up with the kids as with the teachers—it almost seems like they enjoy sharing these battle stories or gossiping about broken families instead of trying to solve any problems.  Of course, a teacher can’t be expected to (and should not) pry into family issues, but instilling in students a sense of respect for others and themselves doesn’t seem too much to ask.