Hmmm...

There's a girl in my room - I'll call her Blondie, since she's the only blond in my class. So Blondie has been with me for almost 2 years now. I retained her last year due to her less than stellar performance in my classroom. And let me tell you, the honeymoon is over. I am SO ready to pass her off to Miss W in second grade (along with a bottle of tequila, because she'll need it). She is the only student I have ever felt like I didn't reach. And I feel like after 2 years, I should have gotten somewhere with her.

Last week, she wrote the following in her journal (spelling corrected by me, otherwise you wouldn't be able to read it):

This weekend, I am going to the bar where my mom works. I will help her. I am going to meet my mom's boss for the first time.

I knew her mom worked at a bar, so I didn't think much of that journal entry. Today, however, she was supposed to be writing a letter to Blue Bird, a character from our last story who was afraid to fly. She wrote:

Dear Blue Bird,
Don't be afraid to fly because I will take you to the bar to get drunk.

I asked her to read it to me, to make sure I was reading it right. She giggled the whole way through. I said, "Do you really think that will help Blue Bird?" She grinned. Smirked. Shook her head and tried to look cute. No dice, sister.

I copied the letter and sent it home to her mother, with a note saying, "Blondie wrote this today. This is not appropriate for a first grader!" Do you think Blondie gave a shit? Not at all. She is, by far, the most frustrating child I have ever taught. She doesn't respect anyone's authority. And mom doesn't do anything in the way of discipline at home. I'm not expecting miracles this time, either. But seriously... it only takes a little bit of common sense to figure out that taking your 7 year old to the bar is NOT a good idea.