I found out that the student I sent out of class on Friday is caught in the middle of a VERY bad custody battle. Things have been getting progressively worse at home over the past few months (mirroring my class). Now that I know this, I can address the situation differently and maybe we can make some progress. I really miss the bright, cheery, funny girl I knew at the beginning of the year. How is it that the people who claim to love her the most can do this to her?
Students were doing as little as possible all day long. I gave out seven detentions, but those were to the most frequent time-abusers. Most students were willing and able to stay on task when prodded every few minutes or so by me.