I unexpectedly ended up doing second recess yesterday. Typically I do first recess on Wednesday. Second recess is usually pretty terrible because the kids aren’t fresh…usually they eat for fifteen minutes and than go tearing back outside. Some terrible fiascos:
1) There is a group of boys we privately refer to as “The Frat.” Do I need to expound? Anyway, this gang of guys really likes throwing the old rubber ball around. They organize long, detailed games involving one kid throwing the ball in the air and the other kids clamor and scrape to catch it before it lands on the ground. The Frat is led by two boys, let’s call them Tony and Ahmed, who are generally well liked, older (meaning five going on six), leaders of the school. Their biggest threat is not another competitor, but actually a younger boy who insists on tagging along regardless of The Frat’s genuine dislike of him. This boy is socially and mentally a little behind his peers. Even though he just turned five his mentality still borders on two. He bitterly cries whenever he catches on that he is the butt of The Frat’s jokes. He’s not as fast or as quick as the others and typically the ball sails over his head. Today he bawled his eyes out when the leaders of The Frat told him he couldn’t be a coach. When I approached Tony and Ahmed they took off running to the lower playground. Ok, now what goes through a kid’s head when they choose to flee? Their flight totally busted them. Luckily, I turned them over to their teacher and resumed my playground duty.
2) One of my students brought to my attention several large wagons that were precariously hanging inside the play structure. Seriously, it was a huge hazard. Two boys had dragged the li’l red flyers up the slide and somehow managed to stuff them in the jungle gym. It was so dangerous that I had difficulty dragging the wagons out of the play equipment and had to clear the whole structure of small children. The worst part was that the two culprits took off in different directions and hid in the tall bamboo. I gave them an out: “Whoever is hiding from me, come out right now.” The bamboo giggled. It wasn’t hard to sus them out. I turned them in and today they gave me detailed apology notes about how they respected me “keeping them safe.”
3) One boy tripped over one of our tiniest students and hit his head on the pavement. He lay on the ground, crying, and refused to get up. I thought: “Oh my God, just watch it be a concussion, and during my recess duty of all times!” Think I was overreacting? His nose started flippin’ bleeding! I was certain he was hemorrhaging from the brain. Of course he was fine, but it still scared the shit out of me.
4) It was the Recess of The Multiple Narks and I was Tattletale Central. Every squabble, every itch, was reported to me by several overzealous students. Do I need to hear about every hurt feeling when I have a kid bleeding on the pavement? I had to explain to one little boy that physical pain comes first in my book, emotional pain comes second and could he wait while I hauled off another student to First Aid?
5) I was hit in the head by a jumprope. The best part was that the kid acted as if it was my fault.