Night and Day

The differences between the two junior highs at which I sub are monumental. At one school (the school where I have had to send kids to the office), the kids are hard to handle, have attitude problems, and many are quite unmanageable. At the other school, there are some problem kids, but overall they are much more manageable. Their attitudes are better, they are better behaved, and are more respectful. I wonder why the differences are so stark. The districts are next to eachother. I don't think there is too much of a socioeconomic difference (the more manageable district is slightly wealthier, but barely). I think the difference might be the teachers and administrators. I think the discipline at the "better" school is just, well, better. They have instilled respect in their students. Of course, I much prefer subbing at this district. I could be wrong. I know there are many factors that contribute to the attitude of a school.

On another note, I was at the "better" school today, and witnessed my first ADHD student who forgot to take his meds. He was bouncing off the walls. He admitted he forgot to take his meds. All day, students were asking him what he was on, and if he forgot to take his meds. By the end of the day, he could not sit still and concentrate. I know the school called his mom about having him take his meds, but obviously they didn't get a hold of her (or she couldn't do anything about it). Even though this boy was a bit out of control, he wasn't that bad. All in all, today was a great day subbing (I didn't have to do much - I subbed for a resource teacher. I had a math class and a study skills class, and the rest of the day I just assisted other teachers).