Youth of the Nation

I shall call him John. He's in kindergarten. And he's a spoiled brat.

Every time I come for music class, John throws a tantrum. The first day was because he didn't want to wear his name tag. Following week was because he refused to sing the song we were singing. The next week because I refused to stop the class (we were in the middle of a song) to listen to whatever it was he wanted to say.  I told him I was busy and didn't have time. You might think I'm mean, but he had already loudly proclaimed 10 minutes earlier that music class was boring and he hated it and he wasn't going to do it. I refuse to reward students with poor attitudes with attention; it sends the wrong message.

Now I can understand a kindergartener who takes a couple weeks adjusting to school life. But John has been whining and pouting and screaming during my class for a full month. It's becoming obvious that this kid has always been the center of someone's attention and never been required to do anything that he did not want to. The way the rest of the class ignores John suggests his problem is not confined to music class. I feel so sorry for his teacher who has to deal with this brat all day long, and yet remains completely placid. She's a saint.