Personal Space

What is it about people not understanding that everyone has personal space, and that you should not invade it?

Issue Number 1

Today, a youngster in one of my classes was a tad unco-operative (I;m being polite). Followed our behaviour process, warning, 2nd warning, 1st sanction, etc etc. It works normally...if you are clear with them. Our kids have a real sense of fair/unfair and usually they are right. And they normally take the sanction as a fair cop, if you have followed the system (which they know very well!). However, this young man was not for playing. The issue was that he had not listened to my instructions or watched my demonstration, nor had he done so when I gave both for a second time. And despite a very clear example of the task being shown on the large interactive whiteboard at the front, young man didn't want to try to complete the task.

He came over to my desk, basically to demand that I came over to his desk, and leaned on the desk, right over me, pushing stuff around on the desk and getting right into my space. I don't like that - it makes me feel very uncomfortable. Only family get to instigate contact with me...and close friends. I'm quite funny in that respect. Or maybe not.

So, young man got told to get off the desk and go and sit down. Tizzy fit followed. Wouldn't do anything I asked. Wouldn't respond to me at all. Sent for behaviour manager to remove him...he got up and wandered round the room, went over to my desk, removed his report from the desk, then wandered out of the room. When he did so, everytime I started to speak he interrupted. I can be patient. Honestly. But my patience ran thin. Eventually, he shouted (yes - shouted!) at me that the way he had behaved was ALL MY FAULT! OK then. Asked the behaviour manager to take him away. And as a result of his poor behaviour, I have to sanction him (no problem) which will mean having to spend an hour in his company after school (problem!)

Issue number 2

Went to Asda via the Post office - please note mum, I have posted a thank you card to Auntie Rose BEFORE you have rung me to say have I done it!.

Went to buy a variety of cards - birthday, mothers day etc. Saw one I liked and reached down to get it. Just as I did so, a woman who was stood to the right of me stepped back, balanced on one leg to tie her shoelace on her raised foot....in order to balance whilst doing this she stuck her royally fat backside out and no word of a lie, right into my face. So fat she didn't notice she'd given me a facefull. So when I said, with some degree of sarcasm "oh I'm sorry"...she didn't have a bloody clue.

Grrrr.

And finally ...Dad has made some headway with regards to laying my Aunty Pat to rest (see yesterday) although it looks like it will be early next week by the time arrangements are made and finalised. I don't envy him the task, made all the more difficult by the distance.

Thank you to all of you who read, and commented, yesterday. It is hard. Being at work today actually helped to focus me on something else thats important.

The picture is a doodle (yeah - I don't do simple doodles) - I was thinking a lot today about my hope that Pat is reunited with Jim. Thats where this has come from (although they didn't look like this - slightly wonky and cross eyed)

Off to complete behaviour records and then some snowboarding on Wii.