Patience is a Virtue

When speaking of my job with those outside the field of education, a typical response I receive is, "Wow, you must have a lot of patience!"  I usually smile and say, "Well, I love it!  Patience is part of my job."  Usually, it comes easy to me.  When I feel myself being pushed by a child or a situation while at school, I am able to calm myself and react in a loving and mature way.  However, I am finding this year that my patience is being tested.  

Having a child in the classroom with severely disruptive behavioral patterns can be detrimental to the learning of other students.  My initial reaction, given my personality, is to focus on that child; try to find ways to improve behavior and that child's ability to learn and have a good day at school.  Today, I set out to make observations of this child throughout my entire school day.  After five hours, I had two pages of documented notes of disruptive, and sometimes, dangerous behavior; and this was a good day.  

After reviewing my notes and seeing the kind of time and effort my co-teacher and I devote to this child every day, it put in perspective the amount of time this child was taking away from my other students.  I began to think about all the moments I must blow through with other children to focus on this one child.  I wonder if they can feel the absence or notice that my attention is focused on him, rather than the collective group.  

I felt my patience slip today.  I noticed that I was not speaking in my normal tone; that I was not allowing myself moments to breathe and enjoy my students as I usually do.  I am seeking additional services for this students, but it's going to be a long road.  I suppose what I'm looking for here is advice.  How do I give this child the support he needs without sacrificing the needs of fifteen other students?