Things with H.

H. has been one of my most difficult students for quite awhile now. I have written extensively about him in the past.

He is very difficult to maintain in a classroom. If he isn't given structured time, he is very disruptive, likely to get up, walk around, tip over his chair, throw pencils into the ceiling, poke kids in the classroom, draw on the board, you get the idea.

He has had a tough and very undisciplined childhood, with many of the adults in his life abandoning him or giving up on him.

I have tried to work with him. He and I made a deal that he would work in my classroom on any project that might interest him and that I would make sure that he passed my class if he completed work. For the first two or three weeks, this arrangement seemed to be working fairly well. He worked on things and was generally cooperative in the classroom.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, he got suspended for being disruptive in a class during a test, throwing things at other students. He was out of my classroom in "ISS" for a week and a half. Since his return, a week ago, he has been very difficult to manage. He does not work on anything like he was. He requires constant monitoring or he gets up and walks around the lab. I have had to put him out in the hallway twice just to be able to teach in the classroom.

I am not sure if I have failed or if circumstances in his life have gotten so that he just can't do it anymore. I keep trying and (mostly) being unsuccessful.