Thirteenth Day

Today, during recess, Katrina came up to me, took me by the hand, and lead me behind the swingset.

I guess I have cooties now, too.

Twelvth Day

Half the class are carriers, now.

Jan tells me I'm being paranoid, but it's true.  The students are terrified.

I don't know what to do.   The other teachers aren't doing anything.  The Principal doesn't care.  I've tried calling their parents, and when I don't get yelled at for "telling them how to raise their children",  I'm getting an "Oh, we'll look into that" that doesn't fix anything.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

Eleventh Day

The carriers got to class first.  They've spread themselves out, so that the other kids can't sit down without  being next to at least one of them.

I turned my back today and I heard Ashley R. scream.  I turned and saw Katrina leaning over her desk.
I ordered her to sit down.

She turned to me, smiled, and went back to her seat.

I don't think I'm going to be able to control them, much longer.

This is crazy.  They're just kids.  I'm their teacher.

I shouldn't be nervous.  I should be taking charge.

Tenth Day

Ashley L., Brendan, Sona, Katrina, Joey, Bobby, and Danny are now all shunned as well.

They're acting like cootie carriers, too, and I feel so damn ridiculous that I'm considering cooties as a real thing.

The students are acting nervous, too.  At recess, they've starting forming traps.  Trying to box in children.  I've broken them up before anything's happened, but I'm positive, that Sona managed to get a girl from the other first grade.

Get.  Is that how I'm thinking, now?

They're just kids.

Ninth Day

I've been informed that Felix will be going to another school from now on.  I wasn't told why.

Ashley R. came back to school, today.  The other students are giving her a wide berth, but not as strictly as they do for "confirmed" or "suspected" Cootie carriers.

Thhe worst part is, Ashley seems to understand completely.  She's almost dutifully enduring her exile, while they try to figure out whether or not she's "infected".

This would be fascinating, if they weren't my students.  If this was in just another behavioral textbook on children, I'd be chomping at the bit to write my thesis on the phenomima.

But these are my kids.  And this is wrong.

I don't really know how, though.  I hope...it's just some behavior, they'll grow out of.

But I keep getting this sinking feeling, in the pit of my stomach.

Jan's of the opinion it's just a phase, too.  She's also of the opinion I should talk about it less and kiss her more.

Sigh.

I feel paranoid.

I feel very, very paranoid.

Eighth Day

Both of the Ashleys (I've been referring to Ashley R., in the posts so far), Brendan, and Sona are absent today, as well as Felix, Katrina, and Joey.

This caused no small amount of rumbling, in the class.  The general belief seems to be that some sort of covert, cootie-spreading operation is going on.

I've been laughing, and trying to distract them from thoughts like that.

But, honestly...a part of me wonders if that's not the case.

Seventh Day

Felix and Katrina didn't come to school today.