Prompt #5

There was the day when Mr. Ed had had enough.

The children were being rambunctious and combative.  They were, as a group, disrupting the class and talking back to Mr. Ed.  After Mr. Ed got them onto the risers, their disruptive behavior continued.  He began taking students off the risers, and giving them a "zero" for the day because of their behavior.  Two of the students that he had "sat down" got into an argument and began swearing at each other.  He sent them down to the office.  Another student on the risers talked back to Mr. Ed, so he sat him down as well.  This student, however, did not sit down; he walked right out of class.

That was the breaking point for Mr. Ed.  He took all of the students off the risers.  He told them that they would not be singing any more for the rest of the year.  Instead, they would be reading about music history and writing papers for the rest of the year.  He also told the students that he would be contacting every one of their parents to speak with them about the classes' behavior.

When I came back the next week, the students were much more quiet and well behaved.  When Mr. Ed put them on the risers, they went where they were told without much question.  All of the students had also written a letter of apology to Mr. Ed, Spock and myself.  The students did seem to be a little sullen, but being 8th graders, perhaps this was for the best.  Parents apparently are a powerful disciplinary tool.

In this case too, he was also acting as an authority figure, much in the way that Delpit describes and admires.  The children responded to his authority because he demonstrated that he had the authority.

Note to self.