My bad first year junior high school student had a decent class last time. This time he was bad. He came in late, wasn’t carrying a book, and tried to play dumb until I mentioned that he’d have to stand all class if he couldn’t answer “What is your name?”

He answered and got to sit down.

Later, he put his head down and the students near him confirmed he wasn’t sleeping, he was just bored.

I do worry about students getting involved in such things. It’s too easy for them to cross the line from “helpful jerk” to “straight up bully.” This is not good as, technically, it’s my job to be the bully, which I define more along the lines of “bad cop”.

My form of bullying, though, only lasts during class (and maybe a lunch or two) then goes away. It will even go away in class once a student’s work is done.

Classmates, though, are always around and can continue bullying long after class is over.

Eventually we’ll have open classes where parents can visit. I kind of hope his show up.

Until then, I’ll be the bad cop.