Your posts have given me a well-needed laugh today. I am a retired principal (4 years retired) and you brought back a memory from 1998. I had a second grader, (fictitious name will be Mia) who was a real hand full. She had a severe case of lupus and many times her medication would cause extreme mood swings. The teachers called her my little girl because she was from a dysfunctional family and my heart just went out to her. I would intervene many times to keep her in school until she was manageable and could be returned to school. My intervention actually began in first grade and by the time she was a second grader, she was doing much better in the behavior category (still had a long way to go). Now for the funny part.
We had a partnership with the Sears Retired Volunteers. Every year they would give our second graders a book bag filled with school supplies at the start of the school year. In 1998, they gave all of the children a small pair of scissors with pointed edges. As you know, that is a no- no. We took all of the scissors and replaced them with the blunt edged scissors (so we thought).
The next day, Mia's teacher brings her and another student to my office. Mia had gotten upset and tried to poke the other student (a boy) with the scissors. I told both of them to sit down at the Peace Table (in my office) while I talk to the teacher. Both sat down; Mia's seriously pouting with much attitude. I'm thinking that they are the ones that we had replaced. When the teacher gave me the scissors, I couldn't believe my eyes. They were a long pair of tailor's shears with long blades and a sharp point.
Now, I'm upset. I ask her firmly, "Mia! You've could have hurt him severely with these scissors. You know what we've talked about when you get upset and angry" (Sidebar: Mia had a habit of throwing objects in class occasionally).
"He was looking at me and laughing at my hair!" she exclaimed, "I was tired of him!" I continued with a firm posture and more guidance before dealing with consequences. Then I asked her the question. "Where did you get these scissors from anyway!" All of a sudden the anger turned into a search for an acceptable answer. As she sought for the appropriate response, she remembered the scissor exchange from the day before..."From Sears. They were in my Sears Book Bag," she answers. I looked at her and told her directly, "Mia, you're lying. We took all of your scissors and exchanged them for the safe scissors and-" "But nobody took Mine," she interrupted. "I still had mine."
I then told her, "Mia, you're still lying. The scissors that Sears had in the bookbags were NOT this color and they were NOT THIS BIG!" Realizing she was caught in her lie and not wanting to get in trouble, she did what most kids her age would do. She told a bigger lie. Are you ready for this? She looked me in the eye with a look of innocence and sincerity and replied, "They Grew."
The teacher and I left my office, retreated into the hallway and laughed so hard that others looked at us as though we'd lost it. After composing ourselves, we returned to my office to confront Mia again. Before I could open my mouth Mia said with even greater sincerity, "Really they Did!" Needless to say, the teacher and I retreated to the hallway to finish where we'd left off.
Mia is not her real name but the incident is true. We told the faculty at the meeting the story the following day and there was not a dry eye in the meeting from the hysteria.
The Prince (retired principal-Chicago Public Schools)