Young Men's Club - 4/3/08

I'm seriously considering changing the name of this blog to, "Why is Nasir such a huge pain in the ass?" I mean he is completely incapable of turning it off. Not even for one second. He literally waits for me to turn around so that he can pull something. A little dance; Throwing a piece of paper in the air; Whatever. So today he had to sit out. I just couldn't take it anymore. Other than that, the day went fairly smoothly. There were a couple of the kids that were out on Tuesday so I had to catch them up on the new introduction section of the drumming piece. Then I taught all the kids a new section to the drum piece at the end. While they managed to learn how to play the new part, they had a lot of difficulty incorporating the new part with the old part. But again, we've got plenty of time so it should be really good when it's all said and done. Also, it must be that time of year or something because the boys started having meltdowns at around 4:15. Suddenly, everyone just had to have water. Again, I don't want to sound insensitive but it simply isn't feasible to let everyone just go and get water. Actually, it's a lot easier in the gym because the water fountain is just outside the room. But when I'm in the auditorium it's practically impossible. The kids just can't be trusted to go, get water, and come back. I'll figure something out. Right now, I'm just powering through it and trying to get to that home stretch. Lastly, I've instituted one more attempt to control the minds and behaviors of the kids. I'm keeping track of how many times each kid gets selected as "line leader." Line leaders are chosen based on how well they behave. At the end of the month, a prize will be awarded to the kid with the most line leader points. I reward and punish. Giveth and taketh away. It's all very delicate.