It could just be my imagination, but when I first started teaching Kindergarten, it seemed like the ‘challenging’ students were always placed in my classroom.

This was back in the day (am I really old enough to say that) when most of the children were super sweet, excited to be there and for the most part, rather well behaved. There were just 1-2 per year that would test you at every turn.  I seemed to draw them like a magnet.

I remember a mom and her son standing before me 30 minutes early the first day of school. Nervously racing around to make sure everything was ready, I was startled by their early arrival.

“This is Sam (not his real name). You’re going to have your hands full with this one!” was his mother’s greeting to me.  Astounded that anyone would speak that way about their child and most especially IN FRONT OF their child, I smiled reassuringly, then reached down to put my arm on Sam’s shoulder. “It’s going to be a great year!” I said.

“Ha! young thing, you’ll see”, came mom’s response. With that she turned and walked out of the room, leaving her son alone with me.

I squatted down, looked Sam squarely in the eyes and in my most serious teacher voice said, “In this classroom we have rules.  You will listen and follow the rules. Do you understand?” Sam grumbled.

“Yes, ma’am” I corrected  him and waited.  I could tell it was going to be a LONG year.

That first week of school Sam called me a b____ (rhymes with witch) and a wh____ (rhymes with door). I spent more time redirecting, prompting appropriate responses and behavior training with Sam than anything else the first few months.  It was exhausting.

I’ll never forget standing with my students one morning to recite the pledge of allegiance.  Sam was extremely inappropriate and needed immediate attention.  I sweetly said, “One minute please” to the students, interrupting them while bracing myself for the battle I knew was about to begin.  The class watched in stunned silence, hands still on their hearts as I firmly placed Sam in a ‘time out’ chair with his back to the rest of us.

He refused to stay, kicking and swinging at me. He was tiny but he was strong! I insisted he stay, wrapping my arms around his little body, waiting (a long time) for him to calm down.  I held Sam until he relaxed a bit.  I explained he would sit in the chair for 5 minutes.  Those minutes would start when he was calm.  If he got up, the timer would start all over. I had to restart the timer more than once. Then I stood, smiling at the other students who were staring wide eyed at what they had just witnessed and proceeded to finish the pledge as if nothing had ever happened.

This type of scenario played out many, many times those first few months.  Sam was a fighter. He insisted on his way, was determined to get it and would stop at nothing until he did.

But, by the middle of that year, Sam was a different kid. He would say yes ma’am, no ma’am, please and thank you without any prompting. He was calmer and much more pleasant to be around.  With loving consistency, he learned what the expectations were and met them.

Sam started out as a firecracker but quickly became one of my most favorite students.  I loved his spunk and feisty personality, once tamed.

Today, Sam would be about 32 years old.  If I knew where he was, I’d call him up to thank him. Sam made me stronger.  Sam taught me to never give up on anyone.  Sam showed me all kids have potential.

I didn’t realize it way back then, but Sam was training ME, whipping me into shape all those years ago for such a time as this.

Our boy is getting bigger, quite a bit more non compliant lately and challenging to the very core, He’s been scratching and hitting, dropping to the ground, refusing to cooperate. He’s bound and determined to have things his way,

Bring it on Sam…er I mean Josiah.  I’ll get the timer ready.