Little Rotten Randy

I hope you don't think I'm bragging when I tell you that...Blake was almost suspended during his third week of Kindergarten. I know, right? I mean, I didn't even know this was possible! I got a call from his Principal. It would be the first of many....MANY... during his school year "activities". Apparently, there had been some sort of little misunderstanding about my precious Blake (allegedly ;) throwing food in the lunchroom. The Janitor had told him to clean up the mess. According to the Janitors accounting of events, Blake had responded with something like, "You don't tell me what to do. Only my mama and dad tell me what to do. Anyway, I don't talk to strangers, and YOU are a stranger." Uhhhhhhh....oppsy doopsy... Sooooooooo, anyway, the Janitor made Blake stay behind after lunch was over. He told Blake he was to move all of the lunch benches back against the walls where they belonged, as a punishment, before he could return to class. At this point, it seems, the Janitor left my little angel alone in the lunchroom to do his assignment.... Well, I would just like to say here, that some children have a shorter attention span than others...Ummmm, and that's all I want to say about that. The Janitor returned to the lunchroom approximately 15 minutes later. Blake had lined all of the benches up on one side of the lunchroom (which doubled as the auditorium), and had lined the garbage cans up on the other side. He was pushing the benches from one end, with all his little might, and running them into the trash cans...again, allegedly, while making a "choo-choooooo" train noise. Well, it seems this did not sit well with the Janitor, who grabbed Blake up by the collar and attempted to physically remove him to the Principals office. At the same time, it seems this action did not sit well with Blake. This part gets a little "he" said "he" said, if you know what I mean. But according to the Janitor, Blake informs him something like, "My mama says there are good touches and bad touches by grownups...and this is a bad one!!".... Ummmmm, at which time Blake attempted to kick his a**. In sweet Blake's defense, he was just trying to get away from the "bad stranger"... at least, that would be his side. Blake was swiftly deposited into a chair outside the Principals office where he was to wait until she came out and got him. Sitting next to him, would be another boy waiting for the Principal. This boy was much older. Somewhere in there, before the Principal came out, Blake and the big boy got into a little disagreement. When the Principal came out, apparently, Blake was in the process of removing his belt so that he could give the other boy a "good butt whipin'"... I recognized pretty quickly that this did not show well for me. As luck would have it, the Principal found herself to be very fond of Blake. (Thank you Jesus) She would explain to me that when she got Blake in her office and asked him exactly what had happened, he took a long pause... and then began..."You look very beautiful today Mrs. Principal! Is that a new dress? Have you lost weight?".... Oh, how she laughed when she told me this. In all her years, she said she had NEVER met any student the likes of my Blake. Under normal circumstances, she advises, he would have received suspension, however, after listening to his accounting of the incidences, she would give him a one time break. She believed they had come to an understanding. Yikes!!!! Following, of course, there would be the "Egg throwing through the bus window", and the dreaded "I accidental ran the Latchkey teacher over with the bicycle", and the "nobody pushes my sister and gets away with it" understandings.... All in all, it would be an eventful 7 years at Fairview Elementary.

I would pen this little ditty, when he was in the 4th grade:

Little Randy Rotten

Little Randy Rotten,

little rotten Randy Ray,

had a rotten attitude

in school again today!

He brought a rotten apple

as a Rotten Randy gag,

and gave it to the teacher

like a present, in a bag!

Little Randy Rotten

was caught running in the hall,

he hit a kid at recess,

and he popped a tether ball!

Rotten Randy saw us

see HIM pull the fire bell,

and threatened that he'd beat up

anyone who tried to tell!

Little Rotten Randy

didn't want to study books,

he called the teacher rotten names

and gave her rotten looks!

"RANDY", yelled the teacher,

"Little Rotten Randy Rude...

march down to the office

and adjust your attitude!!!

And so it would go...year after year. My sweet little misunderstood mischief maker. We did, of course, have him tested, and more than once, to see if he had perhaps a "little" learning or attention span deficiency. Positive results would allow him to go to a "special" class. But, much to many of his teachers dismay, the test would always come back the same. Blake was "above average". But of course, as his mommy, I could have told you that. ;)