Battle may be lost, but the war goes on.

They say that if you have to raise your voice to a child you have already lost the battle.

Well, bring on the crows and scavengers, because this voice of mine? Was RAISED.

Now, I usually have to shout a little just to be heard over the commotion. We’re a noisy bunch. But today, we reached a whole new low in social interaction: bear-baiting. Only instead of a bear, they chose the biggest kid in class. Not fat, just big. Husky, we’ll say. And ¾ of the class surrounded him and started chanting his name and poking him with their fingers.

What the hell is THIS?? I thought, already on the move. The kid naturally didn’t appreciate this treatment, and before I could get there, he lashed out, swinging fists and yelling for them to leave him alone. They scattered, giggling, and then closed around him again! One grabbed him from behind, and held his arms, and another one dashed up and punched him in the stomach!

And I exploded. I roared. EVERYbody got time out for that one. Except for like the five kids who had nothing to do with it and were peering from across the playground in horror at this bellowing creature who had stolen their teacher’s clothes.

Once they were all scared and quiet, I chewed them all out and let them go back to play in groups of three and four while I lectured the others. Grrawr.

Life went on.

Later in the afternoon, with the three year olds, I had to take two of them to the office. Three year olds! Babies! To the office! For biting. And not at the same time. The first one happened at story time. This year’s batch of three year olds is incapable of sitting through a story unless it’s Where the Wild Things Are or Wolves in the Walls, but we were gonna try. And one of them hauls off and bites the kid next to him. Not for the first time. We’ve talked about this before. His dad and I have discussed it. And my temper was gone.

So I yelled again. Marched him out in tears to the office. Came back to a huddle of babies all bug-eyed.

“Why were you so mad?” asked one of the more outspoken ones.

“He’s not allowed to hurt you guys!” I snapped, still kinda loud. I hate it when they get hurt on my watch. It just wigs me out. “NOBODY is allowed to hurt ANYBODY!”

“He hit me too,” offered one.

“And he yelled in my ear,” said another.

“And THAT’S why he’s in the office,” I said. “No fighting in school! No fighting, no biting, no pinching, punching, kicking, or calling names! NOW, let’s try this again… If you give a mouse a cookie…”

The kid was brought back from the office, very contrite. He apologized and was very well-behaved for the rest of the day. Then, at clean-up time, one of his classmates (this one again) jumped on another kid’s back like a jaguar and bit him on the side. There were screams. None of them mine, thankfully.

I didn’t have to yell this time. I didn't have the energy anyway. I just marched him out to the office too. Luckily his aunt was there and she chewed him out for me. There were more tears and promises to be good.

Tomorrow has to be better right? I can’t take too many more days like this one.