Scenario: In your class you have a student that misbehaves on a daily basis. He talks back to the teacher, has trouble following classroom rules and procedures, and consistently expresses how he doesn't care about school or the teachers. One day he uses profane language towards a teacher. The teacher writes him up and calls the parent. The principal refuses to send him home due to AYP. Do you think the student should have been sent home or was AYP more important? Please explain your answer.
If you are within the thirty day AYP attendance blitz then I do understand why the principal did not send him home. It's just part of the game that teachers know they have to play. Teachers and administrators alike endure all kinds of awful behavior in order to ensure that this first AYP indicator is fufilled. I do not think the correct action by the administrator was to send him back to class though. There are other alternatives that could have been used such as on campus suspension, a parent conference, or some sort of behavior assignment. Simply sending the student back to class sends the message to the student that their behavior is ok when they simply get sent back to class. When a teacher resorts to sending a student to the office it is a cry for help from the student and teacher alike and should be met with more importance than what was shown in this case. Regardless the system is not perfect, and that child could be going through a terrible ordeal that we don't know about. I think trying to break the barrier and show that student some sort of compassion could be a start, but I know that is hard when you feel like you are being pushed away for no good reason already.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say that I am not teaching right now, so I do not know a lot about AYP as I should. I do know some things about it and what it is. With that given situation though I think the principal should have found out what reason and why the student was behaving like he/she did. A student should never disrespect a teacher it is wrong and they should reap what they sow with a discipline action against them. I think the student should have been put in at least in school suspension for a couple of days and during that time period a parent conference should happen. I don't think that was the right action taken.
ReplyDeleteI agree whole heartedly, actions need to be taken when students act inappropriately. If not, there is a risk of something greather happening.
DeleteI am not currently in the classroom and have been out of it from some time now. i confess when i read your post i had no idea what AYP was. I did some research and found out. This is a very delicate subject because involves the entire school's performance in the AYP. I would not send the student home, but give detention. What would be accomplished if the student were sent home? Just more free time to get into trouble. Detention inside the school and if there is reoccurrence, punishment such as help clean up the classroom after the school day is done, or organize supplies... Maybe what i am saying is not doable, but like I said, I am just now learning the ropes of US schools and their policies.
ReplyDeleteI have to confess, I am unfamilar with AYP. After a little research, I'm still not 100% sure how it relates to attendance. I know a lot of my teachers in high school were upset about the No Child Left Behind Act, but they really didn't discuss anything in detail with students. However, if I had a student use profanity in class, especially towards me, I would reinforce some kind of disciplinary action be made immediately. Parents should definitely be called, but if this was a reoccuring issue, it seems the child should visit a detention center. This might seem extreme, but this child could potentially be a threat to the other students, and the teacher.
ReplyDeleteAYP has a lot to do with funding for schools. The No Child Left Behind Act has sparked a lot of controversy in and out of the school system. Sometimes you have to take extreme measures to get your point across.
DeleteI totally agree with mlietz on this subject matter. Sending the student home is not the answer and neither is sending the student back to the classroom. The student should be reprimanded and some form of punishment such as intract or Saturday school should be used to deter future behavior from the student. If I were the teacher, after the student has served his punishment, I would speak with the student to see if I could get through to what had been bothering him at the time.
ReplyDeleteI realize that not meeting AYP puts fear into principals hearts and maybe the behavior could be ignored until this time period is over. In the mean time what about the counselor? Maybe try having this student sit out part of the day in another classroom? Sending this student home to where his problems are originating might even make matters worse, for him and his parents. Students from homes that are struggling financially and emotionally act out in ways that they themselves don't understand.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Billie. Even though AYP is very important to all principals, there should be an inschool type of punishment for students that misbehave in this manner. Allowing them to go on like nothing has happen, sends a bad signal in my eyes.
DeleteI am not in the classroom right now, and not too familiar with AYP, so I do not have much knowledge on the situation as others have stated. I would, however, call parents as mlolley suggested. After that, or maybe in addition to that, I would use other methods such as in school suspension. I'd also see if I could talk to the student, see if there was anything going that would lead to these problems.
ReplyDeleteI would just continue to stress the point that the behavior is not tolerated in my classroom. At the end of the day the principal is the big boss. I would just continue what I was doing and if the problem persisted to where my class could not function properly then I would setup a meeting with the child's parent(s). I would start there and see if the problem could possibly stop.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this is a touchy subject especially in schools who are going through school development plans. In my honest belief, I think that the student should have been sent home. By allowing him to stay in the classroom, it is setting a negative and wrong example to all students. It is telling them that it is perfectly fine to be disrepectful to the adults of the school.
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