letters of apology

i got letters of apology from three out of four of my 11th grade boys that were involved in Thursday's altercation. they were very sweet and very thoughtful-- most of them said things to the affect of "i know that i need to grow up and take some responsibility for my actions" and "now is the time for me to get serious and take care of business". all of the boys said that they respect me as a teacher and that they appreciate my understanding and the fact that i care.

it makes me feel good that they recognize that even if they were "defending our class", that their actions contributed to the chaos.

maybe in some strange way all of this mess will bring us closer together as a class.