The Shock of the New.

So...I was back in school today in Toerag and Fidget's class.There are two new additions to the class and as is the way, children who move schools mid school year generally are not easy and have moved for problematic reasons.I was alerted to the new additions when I got the planning for today, last night. Reading the teacher's notes I had already judged them and pre named the new boys Beelzebub and Baal!I was urged to seek out the SENCo first thing and have a chat.I did.OK...so there are mitigating circumstances and I regret now naming them so damningly before finding out about them. They shall henceforward be known as X and Y.Both boys have autism. X loves to say 'No' to everything but apart from that was pretty much a sweetie. Y however was much more complex and hearing about him really made me question whether I really want to put myself in these situations anymore.I have dealt with behaviour problems before and to be honest feel I have done my bit in that department but here I was facing another challenging day.Y had a tent in the classroom which was his time out area. He loved the Ipad but once on it it was hard to get him off it so that was just as a treat for the end of sessions before morning tea and lunch.The SENCo brought him in first thing and he introduced himself and I introduced myself and he was popped into the tent (not by me) with the Ipad with the proviso he came out when the school bell went for the start of the day.When the school bell went lo and behold he appeared to line up outside and the SENCo thought this was a miracle. So far so good.He sat well at Roll call. All the children told me their favourite animals. Toerag's was a snake of course. Fidget's was a Great White Shark! X's was a dog and Y's was a leopard.So far so good.After roll we had to go to a singing practise for an Eisteddfod evening on Thursday. Y held my hand and we all traipsed over to the Music Room.They sang through their songs twice. X wandered about a bit but Y stood and sang with the rest of them and then we all came back to class. So far so good.We had our morning snack. Y had a big red apple.It was then time to start the first lesson on words that start with C and words that start with K and how we can tell which is which.There was a Teacher Aide in with me but she took a group of other children with X as directed by the planning and I had the rest including Toerag, Fidget and Y.I have to say Toerag and Fidget were great and I did not have to speak to them once but Y would not get on with his work. He would offer answers and was right but would not put pencil to paper. I  said he could get a Gotcha band (school reward system) if he got three words down on his page but he wouldn't. He got up and wandered off into the teacher's office and I went after him."What's that?" He said pointing at a tub of jelly beans."That must belong to your teacher" I said and took him back to his place.The lesson continued as the rest of the class got more and more restless while I was trying to get Y to put something in his book. I had to have words with another boy who I moved to another desk and it was all getting harder and harder to keep them focussed.The teacher aide left saying she would be back in later and her children joined us and now I was alone with them all.I had been told that I was to ask for help if I needed it but soldiered on for a bit until I decided I couldn't teach and keep Y in his place at the same time so took him to his time out tent.I had been told he liked to sort the dinosaurs so gave them to him."I want the Ipad!" He said throwing the tub of dinosaurs on the floor."You can have the Ipad later." I said.He fetched a timer for me to set which would ping when it was time for him to have the Ipad. It was 55 minutes until that time so I set it accordingly."No, that's not right," he said. " Mrs G doesn't put it like that she puts it like this.." and he set it for 10 minutes.It would have been very easy for me to give in and say OK but then when the class teacher comes back she has to deal with him having the Ipad for lengthy periods.I said, " No, this is the time I am saying and you can have the Ipad then."He ran and started to climb up the bookcase to get to the Ipad that I had put out of reach. Meanwhile everyone else was off task and chatting and throwing rubbers and annoying one another. I grabbed him off the bookcase and lead him back to his chair and asked Donald ( the one who gave us Donald's Disease...see May 17th) to go to the office for help.I couldn't cope with all this on my own and felt a failure but I had to do it. The SENCo arrived and sat with Y and I was able to get on with the  C and K lesson then we moved onto Time, o'clock and half past. After about 20 minutes of this the SENCo said she would take Toerag, Fidget, X and Y for some extra physical activity and off they went.I breathed a sigh of relief but it was still quite hard to get the rest of the class back as they have been. I felt they weren't as on my side as they have been in the past.Just before morning tea the Teacher aide came back with Toerag and Fidget and they were allowed to have an Ipad for five minutes.She informed me that Y had been sent home."Y?....I mean Why?" I asked."Well, it seems he somehow got hold of a handful of jelly beans and ate them and the sugar has sent him off his rocker and so he has been sent home!""Oh Heck!" I said knowing where he got them but wondering how the hell he did it. I honestly don't know how he managed to get them without me seeing him.Anyway, the rest of the day was much calmer though I never got the class back to how I had them, though when I read the story at the end of the day it was the best they had ever sat for a story with me.I am back in again tomorrow......Oh, and I am dreading it but they have  PE and Music sessions which I don't have to teach so that is two hours out of the day without them. These lessons are when the normal class teacher has her Preparation Time. I am being sent to help in other classes."How was your day?" asked the Business Manager." Hmmm," I said, "A bit fraught at first  but it got better.""Well, here is something to cheer you up," she said."Two girls from the class you were in last week came and asked me if they could have you in their class this morning. Isn't that nice?""It is." I said, wishing I was in their class too!