Repeat....Repeat...Repeat

“Please follow my instructions. Bob, please follow my instructions. Bob, you need to do your work. Just sitting there is not an option. I will write a referral. You need to do your work….” And on and on it went.
One of my student’s, who shall be known as Bob, is emotionally disturbed, daddy in Jail, and who knows what crap going on at home. His favorite thing to do, come to CM, say “I wanna go back to class” go to class and say, “ I wanna go to CM”. Then, if we try to make him work, its “I don’t wanna work. I don’t wanna do this.” I spent 30 minutes today getting him to do work that should have taken 5. I still don’t know how I got through to him that it was a better option to do this. Perhaps it was the threat of the referral combined with effusive praise anytime he answered a problem. I don’t know.
That is one thing about kids, especially kids in the poverty level income bracket. If you criticize them, they don’t connect that as the result of a poor choice. They think you are just hatin on them. So you have to praise them a lot so they can see you aren’t just “The Man” out to get them. Otherwise, you are tuned out.