Brains of a Jackass


About the second year of teaching around 1970 I had a student that was continually interrupting me when I spoke and students when they were trying to talk. I had finally had quite enough, so I took him out into the hall and was explaining what he was doing and how it was disrupting the class. He kept talking while I was trying to let him know about his unacceptable behavior, Finally I said you don’t have the brains of a jackass, at which point he did slow down a little. We went back to class and finished the hour and a half without too much interruption.
The next morning, I got a not from the principal that I was to be in his office during my prep period. I showed up and there was the father of the student in the office waiting for me. The principal was already there and so the inquisition was ready to start along with the rack. The father said that he was very upset that I had told his son that he didn’t have the brains of a jackass, and he demanded an apology. His son was not there, so the apology was to be to him. So, I said “I’m sorry I said that your son didn’t have the brains of a jackass. I should never have said that. I see now it was wrong because it appears that you son does have the brains of a jackass.” The father looked at me and then of instead of be really angry which he had every right to be he started laughing and said “He kind of does doesn’t he,” He said he accepted the apology since I had said I was sorry for saying that his son had the brains of a jackass.  He said would you tell him that his father had come in an gotten an apology from you and I will tell my wife the same. I thought that sounded fine, especially since I was really in the wrong. The principle just sat there and stared. He asked later just exactly how I could do that and get away with it. I said that I was really lucky, because the father recognized some one else that was a teacher working with his son and cared about him and that person may also not have the brains of a jackass.
One day about the same time as the previous story I was walking down the hall to visit another teacher when I passed a classroom that was next to mine just as the teach was reading with expression from a book the students were reading. “Oh, my beloved and cannot live without you” upon hearing this I poked my head inside her door and said “are you talking to me.” She got completely flustered and couldn’t read anymore. It was really to the delight of her class, we had been good friends and we continued to be, but I think she had seen the teacher that had the brains of a jackass. Some of her students who saw me the next few days were sure that she was talking to me. I told them that to continue with the teasing which I often enjoyed would not be good for my friendship to her. I have to admit that over the next few months, sometimes I would just poke my head in the door and say high just for see her worry what I might say next.
On one occasion all of the history classes were together in the team-teaching room and one of Mr. Jacklin’s class kept pretending to run out of the class. I’m not sure what was getting into him, but he was having way too much fun running towards the door and then coming back. It was really getting on the teacher’s nerves. He leaned over to me and said go and put the latches up on the door. It would secure the door and the next time the student got up and pretended to take off his teacher told him that if he could get to the door and get out before he caught him, he could have the rest of the class off. The student made a bee line for the door and slammed head into it. It knocked him silly for a few moments and then he got up walked back to where he was supposed to be and didn’t try to make it to the door again. I felt bad for the kid, and for me, I had been the one who locked the door. These are a few things that didn’t ingratiate myself to the administration, and it was not good teaching technique, but did achieve the wanted results. Glasser would have been horrified and would have had to agree that it had achieved the desired results.  
After a number of years, the educational system I believe it was able to pretty much domesticate me. I do love Orem High



  

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