A Kindergartner recently broke his nose in my class.
You are probably running through scenarios in your mind, trying to come up with a logical explanation. You might assume a number of things, such as:
Or, worst of all, you might assume that the kids were running around like maniacs, un-supervised and drop-kicking each other in jest. But I assure you, I run a tight ship in my classroom and this was not the case.
We were pretending to ride skateboards while singing a song about how awesome we could ride our imaginary boards. There's a special part in the song where they get to perform a "daredevil feat" and naturally, it is their favorite part. Because it was a room full of Kindergarteners and because I have five years of experience behind me, I had laid ground rules:
Normally, that covers the bases, but it does not account for sheer clumsiness. Clumsy (as his mother calls him) started his imaginary skateboard daredevil feat on a good foot. He jumped an amazing 6 inches off of the ground, arms splayed out for balance. Next came a clean 180 degree jump in mid-air before a solid landing on two feet. Unfortunately, the momentum behind the maneuver jolted him forward and he face-planted on the hard floor. When he rose from the ground, screaming and crying, the amount of blood was shocking and I knew instantly that his nose was broken. I calmly directed him to the nurse and he walked himself there, dripping blood all the way despite holding several tissues to his nose.
I called his mom at the end of the day to check in. Much to my relief, she was laughing about the whole thing and was happy to announce that the doctor called it a clean break and Clumsy's nose would not be needing any setting. *Phew!*
I may not have needed a lawyer that day (thank goodness) but I did need a drink.
You are probably running through scenarios in your mind, trying to come up with a logical explanation. You might assume a number of things, such as:
- He jumped or fell off of the risers
- He ran into another student
- He was being careless or crazy during a movement activity
Or, worst of all, you might assume that the kids were running around like maniacs, un-supervised and drop-kicking each other in jest. But I assure you, I run a tight ship in my classroom and this was not the case.
We were pretending to ride skateboards while singing a song about how awesome we could ride our imaginary boards. There's a special part in the song where they get to perform a "daredevil feat" and naturally, it is their favorite part. Because it was a room full of Kindergarteners and because I have five years of experience behind me, I had laid ground rules:
- Your trick must start and end on your feet
- You must be a safe distance away from others
- You should never be upside down
Normally, that covers the bases, but it does not account for sheer clumsiness. Clumsy (as his mother calls him) started his imaginary skateboard daredevil feat on a good foot. He jumped an amazing 6 inches off of the ground, arms splayed out for balance. Next came a clean 180 degree jump in mid-air before a solid landing on two feet. Unfortunately, the momentum behind the maneuver jolted him forward and he face-planted on the hard floor. When he rose from the ground, screaming and crying, the amount of blood was shocking and I knew instantly that his nose was broken. I calmly directed him to the nurse and he walked himself there, dripping blood all the way despite holding several tissues to his nose.
I called his mom at the end of the day to check in. Much to my relief, she was laughing about the whole thing and was happy to announce that the doctor called it a clean break and Clumsy's nose would not be needing any setting. *Phew!*
I may not have needed a lawyer that day (thank goodness) but I did need a drink.