Hunter

Greetings!

So tonight I sit here in quite a bit of physical pain. "Why" you ask...well, thanks for asking...Here's the story...

I was paged to the office of my school yesterday. When I was paged and I heard a kid screaming in the background, I knew it wasn't good. (When your trained in Crisis Intervention, you're often called to help in situations that have nothing to do with you) I went down (praying the whole way) and there were two adults restraining this kid named "hunter". I had never noticed this kid before in my life. However, I walked in and our secretary had his two arms, and my principal had his two legs pinned to the ground. I walked in and said, "need help?" Now, in hindsight, I wish I had stopped and thought before I responded. But, Spring being Spring, I jumped in. I took the kid's arms and put him in the restraint hold. He's a five year old, and fortunately he weighs significantly less than Z-Boy, so he was much easier to restrain, but he was in full crisis mode. I restrained him for 20 minutes before I was able to get him to verbalize his wants/needs. With these kids, sometimes you gotta physically calm them down before they will talk. So, I got up, my legs asleep from holding him in the restraint position, and my arms felt like jello. Hence, I think I pulled something outta whack, as my neck feels like I've pinched something. I couldn't get in to see my chiropractor today, so it will be Monday before I am out of pain. I tell ya, the things we do in this teaching gig are absolutely amazing... I am earning my keep this Summer. :-) As for Hunter, his guardian came to get him and he left. And we continued our day as usual...

Z-boy was okay today. We had one restraint, which was short-lived. I am seeing some gains with him. I have worked hard to connect with him, and I believe it has worked. He's still defiant, don't get the wrong idea. But, there are some gains. He will now do some things he wouldn't do before. And, will comply more often to my requests than he did before. Go figure, I'm getting somewhere and school is about out for Summer. :-)

I am ready for the break. I can honestly say Z-Boy has taught me a great deal about unconditional love and how hard life can be for some people, ,while I was fortunate enough to be "normal". (leave it alone, those of you who know me!) It has also been hard because you wrestle this little guy to the ground, you can't show emotion (they feed off of any reaction, positive or negatvie), then you get up and act as if nothing happened and go on with life. It has drained me. One minute I am holding Z-Boy down, and the next moment you're teaching him how to right his name. All the while, you must remain calm and not get mad. With 5 days left of school, I say to God, "I have enough character, no more please."

Now that I have shared the drama in my life, I am going to lay on the couch and watch a movie I rented. Have a blessed day. TAKE CARE OF YOU!