Force feeding my learners Ritlain

A long time ago my brothers and I were known as “Those damn Neiberger boys.” Like many kids there were several adjectives associated with us, the nicest of these were things like “adventurous” and “Rambunctious,” the worst (and more common) was things like “pugnacious” and “a terror in my classroom.” A friend of mine once told me, during a Boy Scout meeting, that his parents had, at one point, forbid him from playing with us on the church playground because we were too rough. Elementary school, for us, was a time of rough housing and fighting. However we were lucky enough to miss the Ritalin craze of the late 90’s and early 2000’s and just enjoy our fighting. Eventually my brothers and I all used sports as an outlet for our aggression and what a great outlet it was. Now let me tell you; there were teachers who wanted the three of us to be on ADD medication or at least mild sedation. I would love those teachers, psychiatrists, and concerned parents to look at my learners. My learners don’t often listen to me or anyone else. Some of their favorite games involve punching each other in middle of my class. Another game is slightly like dodge ball but instead of teams throwing big red balls at each other they throw anything that is available. It could be a dirty sock or it could be a rock. Whatever is available. It reminds me of a game that we use to play in our neighborhood called “Pinecone War,” where we would throw pinecones at each other as hard as we could. Although it is usually infuriating when my learners do these things while I’m teaching, I find I often have more in common with 5th and 6th grade learners than I do with many of the kids back in the states. It could be one reason why I hate kids, with the exception of my amazing niece Gabby. That kid is adorable.