How Not to Talk Me Out of It

The other day as I was clearing out some old papers, I found some blog posts that I'd never posted. I wrote them down with the intent of putting them on the blog, but then... I suppose something more interesting happened that week. That's my only guess.

"But if I get another referral, I'll be kicked out of school."

He should have thought of that when he refused to step outside and stay outside when I told him to.

"If I get another referral, I'm going to be sent to my dad in Texas. I don't want to live with my dad. He drinks."

And yet, when I asked him to stop talking so I could go over the day's assignment, he couldn't manage it.

"I can't get another referral. Could you make this a warning?"

And what were those three other instructions? The "stop talking"? The "step outside"? The "go back where I told you to go"? And what about continuing ot talk after I said he'd get a referral for disobeying me? No contrition until the paperwork came out.

I pulled out the form. He snatched it off the desk and walked away with it. Luckily, I had a second form.

Then he started random attacks. Something about a restroom pass. How I "wasn't being fair" and was "going to get reported" for something or other.

Yeah, I know this one. He's trying to make me feel bad or worried or something. The big secret is, I hate writing referrals. I hate this sort of confrontation, this sort of drama.

I already am second guessing myself. Was I clear enough? Am I being unreasonable?

This sort of behavior? It reinforces that I'm doing the right thing. And I'll be so much happier when he's out of class.