Rubber Chicken

Several years ago, one of my students apparently took an eraser shaped like a rubber chicken from another student whom I will call Millie. Millie didn't have the best ability to deal with other people so instead of just asking to have the eraser back, she bit the other student on the hand. As I tried to intervene, I was a little shocked by the argument that was taking place. Millie kept talking about the rubber chicken and just wouldn't let it go and before I knew it, I found myself saying "I don't care about the rubber chicken!"...words I never thought I would utter as a teacher. I decided that a higher authority needed to intervene, so I marched Millie to the office, stopping by a co-teacher's room to have Millie share this story. As Millie started to tell her side, she kept talking about her anger problems and started saying that sometimes she would get angry at her cat. (I'm not sure why that was important here.) My co-teacher's response was priceless when she asked Millie if she ever bit her cat. Needless to say, I had to turn and walk out of the room.