Oh No You Didn't!

I seen a lot of teachers being man handled by their students and I've been totally shocked by the level of it. So far I had been able to maintain an ora of “Touch me and I'll knock your head clean of your shoulders”, a look I mastered on the mean streets of London Town. Even the rough older kids at the Junior High have a certain amount of respect for me. Of course youngest of students have no problem being a little bit physical but they don't know any better and its all playful anyway. However, that all came to an end last Tuesday:

It was a 5^th grade lesson and I was trying to enter the classroom when a boy who has been getting too big for his boots lately had blocked my way with a star shape across the door way. I asked him to move, politely, a few times, but the boy was fixed on his goal. I gently took his hand from the door gave a smile and a nod and entered the room, only to feel a firm punch on my back. I was not assumed. It gets to me sometimes the lack of respect teachers get, sleeping in class, constant chat back and physical attacks, but it's almost never treated as a big thing. I turned to give the boy a stern look to which he giggled and ran away. I yelled after him in my angry Japanese voice “おかしいじゃないよ！ (That isn't funny!)”

The boy evaded me until just before the start of the lesson, but I cornered him with the HRT (Home Room Teacher) and explained to her what had happened. She is the nicest teacher I have and a delight to work with, but she was even less amused by his actions than I was; partly because I'm a 'guest' and partly because this is her student, and proceeded to yell at him for a good 10 minutes. The boy slinked back into the lesson with his head low and tail well and truly between his leg. I had been avoiding this kind of conflict as I don't want to alienate the students but for me this crossed a line. I don't think I'll be having problems with this from this boy again.