Meet Joking Jake

He’s quite a character.


The first time I realized I suspected I had a joker in my classroom, you see, I was correcting a certain “interest inventory” paper, getting to know my students’ interests, likes, and dislikes.  The very last question asked on this assignment was “If you have any other questions or comment for Mr. McManson, please write them here.”  While I scanned Joking Jake’s paper, I noticed he was one of the few students who took the time to actually write something to me under this section.
“If you wrote this thing,” he had scribbled, “you’re full of a lot of weird.”

     Since this initial little joke played on me by him, he has worked hard to keep my class anything but boring…
     Look at the cord of hemp strung up above my desk.  Clipped to it with clothespins are pictures my students drew for me, to help decorate the room.  Joking Jake’s picture is the one of the dinosaur.  That would be quite normal enough for a third grade boy, but this particular dinosaur is puking all over a sad looking man.
     Every day, Jake demonstrates with admirable consistency his ability to push every button he can.  Take last Tuesday for example….

     “This is not difficult!” I shouted at my students.  “Just copy it straight from the board!  No, Question Mark, that is the wrong journal… I said Social Studies!  Hey!  Everyone!  Look at my heading!  Look at my heading!  Bad Brenda, I said LOOK AT MY HEADING!  There we go.  Yes, now we’re getting it!  Listen, I’m projecting a piece of your journal paper onto the board!  Everyone just make their notes match!  That’s all I’m asking you to do.  Copy!  Just write it down exactly as I wrote it!  That’s it!  That’s all!  That’s not hard!  I better not hear any more questions!!!!!”
     With this, Jake throws his hand up in the air, a devilish smile on his face.
     “What, Jake?”
     “Um… can you repeat the directions?”
     As I began to approach him, he busted out into giggles, holding his arms up, shielding himself.

     Of course, if that is not proof enough for you that Jake is just a student who cannot help but try to test my limits… let me take you back to two weeks ago, when he read a story he wrote for the class about being a cowboy.

     “This is so cool!”  he read.  “I’m at a ranch!  If I was at a ranch, I would go behind a horse, and he’d kick he really hard, and I’d go flying through the air and land on my bottom.  Then I’d raise cows.  Then I’d kill a cow.  Then I’d eat it.  I’d ride horses.  I’d miss my playstation.  Boooo hooo hooo hooo!  But then I’d kill a sheep and eat it.  And I’d kill a pig.  I’d eat it too.  And I’d eat chocolate.”
     As he continued listing animals in his cowboy bloodbath, he was looking over the entire class, staring straight at me with that testing grin on his face, waiting for me to stop him.
     I did not.  I was too busy trying not to laugh myself.

     You see… what Joking Jake has it all wrong.  He thinks he is annoying.  He prides himself on being the “bad kid.”  He is positive that the jokester of the class is the one who the teacher will react the most to, because the teacher obviously hates him.

     What Joking Jake doesn’t understand, is how much I secretly enjoy him.
     When I watch his interesting episodes of insanity, I feel like I’m looking at me, 15 year ago….
     So meet Joking Jake.  I’m happy he’s in my class.  It just wouldn’t be the same without him.