This Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You

Jenny, Sylvia, and Shauna (fictitious names real students) had been at it for a while before I intervened. They had been pecking at each other all day and I could see the occasional feather flying. I knew I had to do something before World War III broke out.

I got a baseball bat from the equipment room and called the three young ladies outside the classroom, bat in hand. I said to them: " It really hurts me to see you girls fighting like this. In fact, it hurts me so much that I think it would hurt me less if you hit me with this bat." I then presented the bat to them and continued: "Here, I'll make a deal with you. Take this bat and hit me with it as hard as you can. That way you will get rid of the anger that makes you fight like that. I think that would hurt me much less than your fighting does."

Fortunately for me, all of the girls simply grinned and refused the extended bat. And yes, they did stop fighting. The peace between them was in fact long-lasting. I do not recall any further serious skermishes between them that day or even for the rest of school year.