The Little Guys

There's been a bit of a shuffle at Brooklawn, and now I'm working with the group collectively known as "The Little Guys." For the most part, they're ages 6-9, stereotypically cute kids who happen to be...um, let's use disruptive. I have 10 guys in the unit (Daubert Cottage) and 9 in the classroom.

Overall, they were pretty damn good today, though one had to go into seclusion for a bit this morning and several took a time-out at some point during the day. All this happened either this morning or after school when we were in the unit, where they usually make a lot more trouble than in class; when they're in a very rigid and structured environment, they're good about staying on task, but give 'em a little leeway, and it all goes to Hell.

The most exciting moment for me was when one of the boys (who had just gotten out of time-out) decided he was pissed at another resident and started pressuring him to fight. I picked him up kicking, screaming, biting, scratching, punching, and everything in between, and basically dragged him to the time-out room. My shirt, legs, and balls took a slight beating. It was fun times.

But seriously, today was pretty fun. The Little Guys are definitely a handle. They go into crisis situations a lot more frequently and are just much more difficult to control in general, but it's really a blast. They keep you on your toes, and the day goes by so much faster. Plus, when they're on task, they're great kids, and I loved working with them.

-cy