She Just Wouldn't Leave!!!

As I was writing yesterday's rant I had a very unexpected visitor. I heard a voice say "hello" at the bottom of the stairs. So I ran down the hall (like I always do) and I see this small head peep around the wall and ask to use my bathroom.

I recognize the kid as one that goes to my school (as all kids around here do, duh). I was a bit hesitant because my house was a mess and I didn't want some strange kid in my bathroom. Plus, safety issues about being alone with a student in my house. Where were her parents?

I said she could and I continued blogging away. When she was finished, she came out and started talking to me. To be polite, I asked her what she had been doing and if she was having fun, etc. i was just being polite. She of course, decided she wanted to hang out and came over to my computer and started reading my volleyball rant. Before I could minimize the window (I'm on an iMac so i can't just turn the monitor off) she saw the part where I say, "It fucking hurts" (Hmm, another indication I should stop swearing?).

She gasped and was a bit shocked that I had typed the F word in my work. I was embarrassed. Ok, she had her jollies so I told her I had a lot of work to do and she need to go back outside to play. She was having none of that.

Fuck. How do I get rid of this kid without being mean? She then started opening my computer desk drawer, pulled out two of my Sharpie markers and told me she had some things to write on with the markers outside.

Oh no, she was not walking with my markers! So I asked her to put them back. Instead she put them in her pocket. Crap! Ok, I calmly and nicely asked her to put them back and it was time for her to leave because I am very busy and need to get back to work. She said no.

She asked me who lives below me. I told her. She then began to tell me that no, that person lived nextdoor. Ok, this was getting old fast. I'm pretty sure I recognized the kid as being in the class of the person who lives under me. I asked the kid what grade she was in. She told me 2. Ok, that means she was either in the class of my downstairs neighbour or of a teacher down the street. I took the gamble and told her I was going to call her teacher if she didn't leave.

She looked at me like she thought I wasn't going to. She was calling my bluff. So I went to get the phone (which is in the room closest to the stairs). The kid followed. As I showed her her teacher's phone number in the phone she started slinking down the stairs. As I pressed the button to call her teacher she was almost to the bottom, but not leaving.

I asked my co-worker for help. I explained that her student asked to use my bathroom which I allowed her to do and then she took advantage of my hospitality and tried to walk with my pens and wouldn't leave. I put the girl on with her teacher and her teacher explained that it wasn't polite to stay when someone wants you to leave. The girl made like she was going to leave and we said our good-byes over the phone.

The kid still would not leave.

So I took her shoes and jacket outside and said I was going to leave them out there. I was feeling super bad now. So I did go outside and she came out to investigate. As she was standing half out my front door I realized she could just go inside my place, lock the door and I would be stuck outside while she did god knows what in my house. Good things she didn't! I came back in and kinda barricaded the stairs up to my place so she was stuck in the front hall.

She knew it was only a matter of time until I did my next move. I didn't want to do anything drastic like physically pick her and her shoes up and deposit the whole thing outside, but I was thinking I may need to. She then "bargained" with me that if she left, would she be able to come over tomorrow (today) and hang out? Ok, I was cool with that.

She asked me if I was lying. I would never lie to a student. And I wasn't.

I'm just hoping she forgets. Or if not, I'm wondering if it's wrong that I lock my door and not answer it when she comes a-knocking?

I called her teacher to thank her for the help. She gave me a bit of background on the kid. The girl was close with the teacher that lived in my place last year. The kid's parents are a bit neglectful too. They don't care what she does, as long as she's home before dark ... or she needs to pick a place where they can pick her up before then. She's also had problems with lice infestations for the last couple years. Remember, that this kid is only 8.

I feel a little sorry for her. But, I don't really want to be her new "big buddy" either. Cold of me ... maybe. But I don't want to be caught up in this sort of thing. But it's probably too late. This is why I teach high school. I'm not strong enough to deal with issues like this. I'm better at arming teenagers with how they can help themselves and I'm just better with helping teenagers and stepping up to bat for them. Little kids are tough because they need adults to look out for them.