CCC #3: Wild Boys!

"SuperGirls" puppet stage

I can hardly fathom that it has been over one month since Chronicle#2.Though time has flown for me, I’m sure you all perceived time to have crept by as you patiently waited for the next Chronicle. (JUST kidding! J) With such a lapse of time, I will, of course, not be painstakingly detailed or comprehensive in this Chronicle; and after last Chronicle’s tormentuous length, I cannot again impose on so much of your valuable time. So, in summary, this Chronicle will recount merely *selected highlights of October and early November (such a task!).

            Of greatest importance is my change in position. Shortly after my last letter to you all, I was abruptly switched from Teen Center employee to Lincoln Elementary Site Director. Basically, that means instead of just doing whatever I was told and coming up with cool crafts once in awhile for middle-school kids, I would be in charge of running the whole program for one of our elementary school sites. “Being in charge” implied that the responsibilities of communicating with parents, building rapport with teachers and staff from 3 different schools, disciplining  members, meeting with and delegating duties to my staff, and  recruiting volunteers all fell to me (not to mention figuring out what to do every day with 30 wild K-4th graders for 3 hours). Needless to say, I had a hard go of it at first! The kids were WILD, the staff was dis-unified  the programming was lacking, and the teachers basically hated Boys and Girls club (or at least me!!).  After several weeks of no apparent improvement, I was very nearly ready to give up. If not for God, my strength and my song, I quite probably would have! Perhaps you think me melodramatic; I assure you, I am not! No exaggeration is contained within these tales I’m about to tell. I need no hyperbole to embellish or prove a point; fact is sufficient!

            Where to begin…As mentioned before, my site averages about 30 kids a day: of that 30, 10 are 4^th grade boys. As some of you may know, I HATE 4^th graders – almost as much as I hate 5^th graders (thankfully, the 5^th graders were moved up to the middle school within my first week!). There are reasons of course why I found 4^th graders to be so tiresome: but no reasons as valid as the ones I have now. My 4^th grade boys are no average troublesome school boys. I was convinced at the start that each was demon possessed! They made it VERY clear when I first started that they had no use for me and in fact wanted me gone! Blunt statements like, “This place used to be AWESOME before you came,” and “You can’t tell me what to do,” and “I’ll sue you,” “You’re stupid,” and even “I hate you” frequented their conversations with me. (Usually, those speeches came as a response to my making them do their homework during “Power Hour”! *gasp*). Ironically, their stubborn and unfounded dislike for me made me more determined to stick it out!  However, their constant fighting, yelling, rowdiness, bullying, disobedience, disrespect, and all-around bad behavior came to an unbelievable climax a few weeks ago. They were playing football as usual one afternoon – tackle of course – when one of the touchier kids got his glasses broken. Seth, my college freshman staff boy, suggested they stop playing tackle and use the flags we had just gotten. Nope: flag football is for girls! But not wishing for anything else to get broken (i.e. any bones!), Seth insisted. And they attacked – literally! Ten 4^th grade boys attacked my 6’4”,  200lb staff boy! They took him down! Jumping, kicking, punching, scratching…you name it! Seth called for help after several minutes of struggling. I ran over to settle the dispute, but instead found myself on the ground being kicked and punched as well!... Now, most of you know, I don’t really get angry; it takes a LOT to get me worked up let alone to take action. Well, this was MORE than a LOT!...Jumping to my feet, I yelled the first punishment that popped into my head, “NO SNACKS FOR ANY OF YOU TODAY!!”  “You can’t do that!”… “You HAVE to give us snacks – it’s in our contract!” …“We’re going to starve then YOU’LL be in trouble!” …“We could SUET you!”   Staring them all down, I challenged them to try. They huffed off, still yelling, while I consulted with my co-worker, Angie (the Columbian).  She came to the rescue: in her car was a bag of bland and stale crackers which she was more than willing to share! So, snack time rolled around, and while all the good K-3^rd graders got the best snack of the month – Fruit-by-the-Foot – the delinquent 4^th graders got old communion wafer crackers! LOL (okay, maybe they *do have a reason for hating me! J )

Two adorable 1st grade boys on Pirate Day

            Now, you mustn’t think that all of the kids are bad, that I’m having a horrible experience, or that my school is without hope because that simply isn’t true! Things have taken a turn for the better as of late. Yesterday, I’ve never seen the 4^th grade boys so well behaved; I think they’re even starting to like me (I got a fist bump out of ALL of them, and they didn’t want to play ghost in the graveyard without me: even though the two cool staff boys were already playing!!!). The girls are all very flatteringly adoring, and the younger boys all find me their greatest confidant when the overly romantic girls chase after them! So, I’m back to loving my job – even more so than before, I think! Praise the Lord!!

            I have so many more stories to tell  – of the National B&G Club celebration, Dairy Days, our Halloween Party, my run in with kids outside of club, my church-hoping tales – but in keeping with my promise to keep it short (that’s a joke!), I must now close. Adieu. You shall hear from me again; hopefully sooner than later this time!

~Corrie~