Last week two of my boys started to rough house. Of course they were just playing around but I had to make them stop. I usually don't like to do this, but I had both of them find a corner in the classroom to occupy for a few minutes. One of them chose this corner. BIG MISTAKE! Not becuase it is by the fire alarm but because this kid can't stand still and had to move his arms all over the wall so that he could be moving in some way. He placed his hands firmly on the wall and stretched his arms above his head. As he couldn't stretch any further his hands began to creep back down. Of course, on his way down he grabbed the fire alarm and pulled it.
If you are thinking, "Why did you let him go to that corner?" The answer is that the fire alarm he pulled is part of our old system. I didn't even know it still worked. The "real" fire alarm is outside the classroom and you have to lift a plastic covering to pull it. After he pulled the alarm a deafening noise sounded. Oh, and during the time he was in the corner I was mostly faced away from him and I was teaching so I didn't notice where his hands were going. I know...my bad. Anyway, in my class we all knew he pulled it so the kids didn't know whether they were supppose to line up. I told them they needed to because in any case the fire alarm did go off.
As we were walking around the school I noticed that we were the only class to depart from the school. I thought this odd (at this point I thought since the alarm was going off in my room it should have sounded off in the other rooms as well) so we walked to the office where I informed the accountant that the alarm went off in my room. She was confused because I told her the alarm went off. "Shouldn't it already be off?" She asked in confusion. I then had to change my statement to, "The alarm in my classroom is on." ...English is such a complicated language. Anyway, she called the principal so he could shut it off.
We went back to the classroom where Mr. Youngberg came and stuck a piece of paper in the bell so it would stop the sound. While doing this he asked me who pulled the alarm. I told him and he said that person needed to go to the office. With head hung low, my student walked calmly to the office. I then talked to the students about the fire alarm....which they already knew but I had to talk to them again because of the incident. Then the principal came back in and told them the story of the little boy who cried wolf.
At 9:30 AM my little boy and the principal came back to the room where my little boy appologized to the class. Mr. Youngberg informed the class that my little boy would be suspended for the rest of the day. Later on I was informed that he had to write a letter to the fire department saying he was sorry.
In case you are still confused about some things (as was I) Mr. Youngberg told me that the alarm in my classroom, when pulled, goes off in two rooms. Mrs. Youngberg, the kinder teacher, was the other room but she was not in it at the time the alarm went off.
Well, lesson learned. Never stick a kid next to a fire alarm whether you think it is turned off or not! Also, I knew my kid was getting a lecture at home. Why do I know this?? His dad is the fire chief.
