Personal Narrative: A Day In The Classroom

Nine am. Cool July morning. Then, the screaming. Over the summer I worked at a special needs camp in a pre-k inclusion classroom, and one of the neurotypical peers was a four year old boy with bright blue eyes, a warm laugh, and defiant, aggressive attitude. Anytime this little boy would be asked to do anything, whether it be transition activities or put on his shoes, a full blown meltdown would ensue. The meltdown would not only be disruptive, but potentially harmful to the others since the intense screaming and kicking could cause a sensory overload. The other staff would try different methods of discipline, that would, at the most, last 10 minutes. Then one morning, I was assigned to him. Although discipline was my weakness, I agreed without hesitation. I had been curious about this little boy, he was gentle, curious and silly,
Discipline may be my weakness, but creativity is my strength. Throughout the day, I talked him as a friend, I explained things logically when he was being defiant, and instead of commanding him to walk down the hallway, I became the monster whose favorite meal is little blue eyed boys. We developed a routine rather quickly. In the morning we ran around the gym. Next we would go to circle, and instead of screaming, he would eagerly sit with me and I’d scratch his back. We would then go out to the swings where we would make up stories about how he was swinging so high, he was going to fly over the moon and meet the aliens that drove pizza cars on Mars. He would laugh when I told him I fly a pink plane to camp, saying that he knew I was lying because he went to the airport and didn’t see my plane. I became the only one he would listen to, but also the only one he would trust. Even on days where his mom told us he had been nasty all morning, it took me three words to see his smile again. And admittedly, the kid that everyone hated became my