Tea and Sweatpants...

So, I am realizing that one student in my class is acting about 55 years old as each day passes. He lives as an only child with his grandparents so he actually takes on tendencies of a 55 year old. On Thursday he came in and patiently followed me around the room as I took care of some morning business. Finally, after asking him several times to sit down I asked him what was bothering him. He proceeded to tell me about a fight he had been in with a younger boy on his street. I talked to him about this for several minutes and he expressed his concerns (pros and cons) about fighting. He told me how at home if he doesn't fight back his family will laugh at him...if he fights here at school he'll get suspended. So I talked to him about having a safe place to go to in both settings. I thought this discussion was coming to a close until he started to discuss his level of sensitivity...hum...yes... you read correctly. A 4th grader was actually telling me about how sensitive he was and how he actually might cry if he had to hit back. "I am a pretty sensitive guy Mrs. Mucci, I think that if I don't hit him I will cry but if I do hit him...I think I will cry too." I tried so hard not to giggle at this. So yes, on Friday he reached the age of 57!