OP, sounds like you are in the middle, whether or not your job is at risk, with some people simply accepting what alarms you. Why isn’t this as simple as pointing out that kids are sensitive to the way their misbehavior is handled? You don’t have to lodge a complaint to start a conversation, see where it goes, and then say more. Depending on whom you speak with, you can even pose it as a question, a sort of, “How should I be handling this?” You don’t have to blast into someone’s office loaded for bear.
This is different than an office situation, because they are little kids. Be diplomatic, be strategic, but if it were me, I would try.
You have no idea if little Johnny is complaining at home, or just stuffing it down accepting that school is just a place to be miserable. You don’t know if the parents are worried about him withdrawing, or if he’s now acting worse at home. The damage done to a child in school at a young age can last a lifetime. It can affect their future choices in behavior and attitude towards school.
I’d seek a mentor you can talk to confidentially. You can even ask, how long is long enough to belittle a child in front of the class? 1 minute? 5 minutes?
And I agree, I’d keep a notebook so you can be specific and not go in with someone about vague feelings of discomfort.
Since we’re talking about 7 year olds, 1)I don’t think there is ANY amount of time that should be spent shmaing the child in front of the class. 2)I’d bet most of these kids AREN’T telling their parents what’s going on. Little kids, especially ones new to school like 1st or 2nd grade, don’t even always know what’s
normal" and what’s not. When my D told me what was happening in her class, it was well after things had happened and it took a lot of careful questioning to determine exactly what was going on. Not all parents would even know what to ask. 3)They’re probably all scared of this teacher. The part about shaming the kids in front of class and yelling for 5 minutes-brought back memories of my 5th grade year. The teacher, a nun, hated this one kid and regularly shamed him in front of the class. I remember cringing in my seat while he cried, only to be bullied more. None of us ever spoke up and I never told my parents. Even though I was on this teacher’s “good side” I was terrified of what she would do to me if she ever found out I said anything.
I would do far more than find a new job and quietly report this. That just leaves the door open for this witch to do the same to new classes year after year. And yes, unless I was the only reason we had food on the table, I would risk my job to do it. I deal with kids at risk as a corollary to my job now and believe me, sometimes school is the best thing in their lives. They don’t need crazy teachers too. Or conversely, they’re AT risk because of the way they were treated in school. Do something. Please.
It’s time to act when it’s affecting either your own work or the students’ ability to be successful. Sounds like both of those are happening. This is inappropriate and problematic behavior which has the potential to shape these students’ view of education for the rest of their K-12 and even college career. Students that young often don’t know how to advocate for themselves, so it falls to the teachers to advocate for them.
@greenbutton good luck. It’s obviously a very upsetting situation since kids are involved, so rehearse what you will say while remaining calm and objective.
Have your documentation with you, including the times when you have spoken to the principal and the teacher.
School should be a safe place. Safe from bullies on the playground, and in the classroom.
Children may think that their parents already know, or the parents may not understand the extremity of the behavior.
You may be their only advocate.
Greenbutton - write out your thoughts, put it in an outline or bullet points and bring it with you. That way if things get off track you can keep referring to your notes and everything you want to make sure you get out there.
I’d offer something like…“I am troubled by the disciplinary measures in X’s class. If I were a parent seeing this I would be appalled. Children in her class are routinely driven to tears.”
Those kids are lucky to have you speak up for them. I’d still make it part of the game plan to seek out a new job situation sooner than later. Something sounds askew besides this one crappy teacher. I find it hard to believe that all kids in the class would remain quiet. My own kids would have talked whether it was directed at them or one of their classmates. I have one child who was very sensitive at that age and would not have dealt well with others being treated poorly in her classroom. Where’s the supervision? Where are parent volunteers? My kids’ K-5 school had tons of parents in and out daily who would notice things. It sounds, from your posts, like there is a climate that accepts this (I am guessing a private school?).
Tempemom, with all due respect, I think your language is fightin’ words.
I suggest instead something like,
[quote]
I have some concerns about a few things I’ve noticed in Mrs. X’s classroom. One of the times I was present, she yelled at Child A for four minutes, even while the child was crying. Another time, she xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Are you aware of this?"
I think it’s more objective and less inflammatory.
OP - I agree with your H, I think you will need to have some idea of what you want to see happen. It is my guess that quite a few children in the classroom are intimidated even if they have never personally been singled out for public humiliation, and also that the teacher is either hopelessly lacking in classroom management skills or unsuitable for working with the types of students assigned to their classroom.
If any students in this classroom have iep’s and a parent or advocate gets wind of this, there is always the possibility (at least in our district) that the district could face some very expensive legal challenges, especially if the humiliated student(s) have an iep that does not specifically permit punishment by public humiliation. You might point this out, and suggest that the district might want to be proactive.
That is how I would approach this in our own district. But, that said, in most cases this kind of behavior will continue even after expensive legal proceedings initiated by parents, except that the special education student might be placed in another classroom with a teacher who is more effective with this type of student, or another school. Occasionally a behaviorist is called in to observe, document, and train the teacher - that would be ideal, imho, but in our district this will happen only if a parent raises a fuss and there is no other placement that is remotely suitable.
If several parents of regular ed children get fed up, then action might be taken against a teacher. But, it sounds as if parents in this particular district are on board with this type of behavior.
Oh, yes, I would come prepared with objective data (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence, with a note on intensity and duration) rather than a vague “X is in the habit of humiliating students in front of the classroom until they cry.”
Very Happy…interesting. I get why being more objective (eg 4 minutes) would be good but…to defend my super important suggestion lol…I generally prefer rather than to cast shade on someone else tell how I feel about it and, in this case, remind the principal that there are parents out there who might be alarmed doesn’t hurt either.
There are several ways to approach this gently, at first. OP would need buy-in from the person she speaks with, to see any change- not to put him or her on the immediate defensive. Especially if it’s a school fiefdom. As a start, “There’s a situation I’m not sure how to deal with” could work better than either “I’m appalled” or the four minutes. I.e., you need the supervisor’s thoughts and advice. Then, you may have the chance to get more specific. It’s in the phrasing. If kids are crying or withdrawing, I’d mention that before making charges against the teacher. Same goal, different approach.
No offense intended.
