smoke up

You know?  There are some students that I just don't like.  I'm not the kind of person that blows smoke up people's butt so that they'll do what I've asked, especially not students.  There are two students that require this for them to cooperate and not get an attitude with me for me telling them 'no' or anything else they don't want to hear.  I understand that teaching involves handling children with contingency and consistency, but I also have a whole class that needs attention, not just that student that needs their ego stroked.  I'll inflate their ego when they do something worthy of it.

Take, for instance, a 7th grade percussionist who plays TOO LOUD!!!  The whole band knows it and asks her to stop playing so loud, it's hurting everyone's ears.  She's always played too loud and no matter how many times anyone has asked her to play more quietly, she doesn't.  When I tell her she's playing too loud and ask her to play more quietly she either acts like she didn't hear me, retorts with some lame excuse, or doesn't change.  Today, like every other day, I told her to play more softly and she responded by saying that "it says to play forte (loud)"  and I said "it also says to play in balance with the rest of the band, but you're not doing that either!"  The whole class said "ohhh".  So, of course, she didn't play any softer; I then gave her soft mallets to use instead of drumsticks so as to muffle/reduce the sound.  She still played loud, but it was a little better.  Tomorrow will be different, I still will not blow smoke up her butt, but I will resolve this.  If it means she just won't get to play on snare, then that's what it means.  It's not like she really that good of player anyways.