Blessed Quiet

Jake is not in school today. And he was not in school for very long yesterday. He has been in rare form lately. On Wednesday I turned away for just a moment and when I turned back he was dancing on his chair with a kick me sign on his back -- which he'd put there himself. Later in the afternoon he and his best-friend got in a playround wrestling match. When I went out to pick up my class after recess, Jake had a bright red handprint on his face and blood seeping from a scratch beneath his eye. I sent Jake to the nurse -- who cleaned him up and sent him (and his buddy) to the principal. Thursday morning before school I saw Mr. Texas-Drawl frog-stepping two boys to the office -- one of them was Jake. Fist fight. Both boys were suspended pending parent conferences. My classroom is remarkably quiet. My students are extraordinarily well-behaved. And I'm still waiting for Jake's mother to show up for his report card conference. She is only 3 weeks and 7 hours late .... It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...