no sarcasm: literal, specific instructions only.

Sometimes it is easy to forget how literal kids are. They don't get the sarcasm and don't understand why you are laughing at something that they do. One of my kindergarten students today was really misbehaving during music class... climbing on the tables, talking, not paying attention, and jumping all around his desk. Finally, after asking him several times to sit down nicely (even when I'm only helping in the Kindergarten class, I have to get on this specific kid), while we were practicing Away in a Manger, I went over to his desk, grabbed his hand and made him come stand right next to me up front. We were doing hand motions so all the other kids were looking at me to show them the hand motions... therefore, all eyes were on him too. He hid behind me and suddenly got really quiet. I didn't mean to embarrass him, but at that point I didn't know what to do, he already had three or four check marks by his name on the board (after 2 check marks a note goes home to the parents). So after the song, I knelt down and told him that if he could sit quietly, he could go back to his seat. He took the "sit quietly" option and went back to his seat (with a very cute pouty look I might add... its hard to be hard on these kids, they're too darn cute). He sat very quietly for about two minutes... then was back to laying on the table, talking, etc. I went back over to him to grab his hand again and he turned away from me like, "I'm not going back up there with you!" So I let him sit there but kept a constant eye on him. After class I got down on his level and talked to him, I told him that I know that he is a very nice boy because sometimes he behaves very well in class, but today was not a good day. I told him that he needed to sit quietly and nicely when the teacher was talking. He avoided eye contact but squirmed so I knew I got the point across. Two minutes later he was being loud and crazy while they were getting their stuff together to go home... I said, "Kouga, that is now how we behave in class!" He looked at me, realized his mistake, and squatted where he was... thinking that I wanted him to sit down. I literally laughed out loud. Apparently we had covered the, "this is how we act when we're sitting" behavior... but standing was another issue all together. I told him that he didn't have to sit but that he did need to quietly go get his bag and stand nicely in line. Then I left the room so I could laugh without confusing any of them... oh Kindergarten, I am growing to love all their cute craziness!