Bieber Fever

It goes without saying that many of my students have character. That being said, it is fun to give them a hard time when given the opportunity. One of my students, R, is a particulary sharp student who I felt could handle a fair amount of razzing. As such, some of my colleagues and I decided to tell him that he was suffering from Bieber Fever. This was simply done to tease him a bit and show him the human side of his teachers. This is a strategy that can often be effective in building relationships with students. On one particular day he was not making the best of choices. Thus, he was asked to go to the buddy room (another teacher's room) where he was to fill out a reflection sheet regarding his choices. The following events ensued. We enter...

Phone rings in my classroom...

Mr. A: "One moment please...continue to be model fourth graders and follow the expectations."

Voice on the other line...

Ms. P: "Hey Mr. A, I thought you should know that I am playing some music for R while he reflects."

I can audibly hear "Baby Baby" playing in the background.

Mr. A: "Yes, I fully support this. He was not making good choices so this should help him reflect."

Ms. P: "Oh wait...R is banging his head against the desk now, I have to go."

Mr. A: "Good call...evidently this went too far."