The Class Clown

When I was teaching in the public schools, dealing with a class clown was to be expected. When I gave that up to teach at home, I never really expected to have that kind of challenge again, and for a long time I didn't. Then Nolan started school and the antics began.

Nolan is rather witty for a five year old. Daily he has something quirky, funny, or just plain ridiculous to say during school. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes annoying, but it is always distracting to the rest of us trying to get things done.

Today he had us rolling on the floor with a couple of his remarks. We were reading a Bible story and it mentioned the seasons. He looked a little confused. I asked him if he remembered what the seasons were. His response, "You mean gun season?"

The story continued and talked about the first man and woman created. He had a little trouble remembering their names. I reminded him that the man was Adam, and then asked if he remembered the name of the woman. "Madame," he said.

Yes, everyone was distracted from their school work when these comments were made. Yes, I was laughing too. How could I not? This is my Nolan. He is the class clown even if there are only three other kids in the class. At least, from a teacher's perspective, reeling in a class of four to get back on task is a lot easier than a class of twenty four.