Thursday, June 28, 2018

Diary of a First Year Kindergarten Teacher: 14th Entry



https://kaboompics.com/photo/3355/empty-notebook-with-a-black-pencil-on-a-wooden-desk

Wednesday, September 18
Dear Diary,

Six days of school completed and it feels like it's been six months.

Today was absolutely crazy. It began on a sour note and continued to get worse as the day progressed.
            
In the schoolyard this morning, Rose Gil, one of my students was pushed by a second grader. The scuffle left Rose with a bloody lip. She had to go to the nurse's office.
           
Luckily, an older student was able to take Rose for me and even more fortuitous, the nurse was there to take care of her.

Due to funding issues, the nurse only comes to our school three half days a week.
            
Miss Mary was able to assist me during arrival but shortly after she was called to the office. I didn't see her for the rest of the day. 
            
Shortly after arrival, at 9:00 am, I called the class to the Large Group area for our Morning Meeting. Upon sitting, Christopher Matthews immediately started lying down on the carpet, making it difficult for the other children to sit.
            
I redirected him to his table and gave him paper and crayons to use while I instructed the rest of the class. 

Within a few minutes, a few of the children told me that Christopher had started breaking up the crayons into little pieces.
            
I ignored the behavior and continued with the Morning Meeting.  I was extremely frustrated. Since the school district wouldn't supply me with crayons for my class, I bought them.

After the Morning Meeting, I placed the crayons in a pencil box. From now on they will be Christopher's crayons to use.
                                             
Following lunch, from 11:15-11:30,  the children have a 15-minute recess in the schoolyard. When I arrived to pick up my class, Christopher and Devon Wilson were fist fighting.

Apparently, Christopher had touched Devon and Devon didn't like it. I should have done a pink slip for the both of them but I just can't bring myself to do it. Pink slips in kindergarten seems a bit harsh.
            
I did do a lesson on the appropriate ways to use our hands and read the book, "Hands Are Not For Hitting." I also informed their parents.
            
Around 1:55, Devon was caught up in another fight with Brandon White. The pair had started arguing at their table.

Before I could get to them to intervene, they were slapping and punching each other.
            
In order to avoid future conflict with the boys, I reassigned Devon to another table. Five minutes later, Devon had slapped Jason Peters on the arm for pushing his char. Jason was clearly shaken.
            
He said that he was just trying to get Devon's attention. I explained to the boys that we have to use our words instead of our hands for certain situations. Jason seemed to get the message. I'm not so sure about Devon.
            
At 2:10, Samuel Bishop started tickling Violet Martinez. She told him to stop but he kept doing it.

I gave him several warnings and reminded him about the book we'd read earlier, but he wouldn't stop the unwanted behavior. I moved Samuel to another table and spoke to his father.
            
Not five minutes later, Cyrus Jackson pulled Rose's hair. He continued to do it even after she told him to stop. When I got to the table he stopped and apologized to Rose.
            
Tomorrow I'll do another lesson on positive ways we use our hands and make the individual sticker charts for Devon, Ramona and Christopher. That's all I'll be able to manage right now.
            
If Miss Mary is able to stay with me for longer than 20 minutes, I'll try to get her to help me with more sticker charts.
            
Hopefully, in a few more weeks the children will learn the classroom expectations better and be able to engage with each other more appropriately.

How are behaviors the first few weeks in your classroom? How do you deal with them?

Thursday, June 7, 2018

10 Things You Need To Know About Out-Of-School Suspensions


Photograph by: Wokandapix  https://pixabay.com/en/classroom-school-education-learning-2093743/

As a former classroom teacher I know that out-of-school suspensions aren't very effective, unless the student is usually a well-behaved, first-time offender who will learn a lesson from their temporary removal.

Some of their chronic counterparts, however, tend to view suspensions as an impromptu holiday and will deliberately misbehave to be granted another one.

So what's the proper way to handle this tricky discipline technique?

In order to make an informed decision you need to know the facts. I have uncovered some of the most pertinent.

1. A high accumulation of student suspensions leads to negative consequences, such as lower academic achievement levels and a larger number of school dropouts.

These side effects contribute to the cycle of unemployment, which in turn can lead to a higher crime rate.

2. African-American students and students with disabilities have a higher suspension rate than white students.

3. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students have a higher probability rate of not only being suspended, but expelled.

4.  According to an article by the AFT, during the 2011-2012 school year, nearly 3.5 million public school students were suspended at least once.

5. It's been estimated that in one school year public school children in the United States lost a sum total of 18 million instructional days due to suspensions. Staggering!


Photograph by: geralt   https://pixabay.com/en/board-school-task-auto-task-2161880/

6. Research has shown that suspensions do not promote safer school climates.

7. Students who are suspended or expelled are more likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system. 

8. There are research-based programs, like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) and Safe and Responsive Schools (SRS) designed to train teachers and administrators in techniques to improve student behavior and school climate.

9.  It will take willful political strength, adequate funding, community involvement, and unwavering commitment to properly integrate a cohesive non-exclusionary discipline plan in schools, especially in high-risk areas.  

10. Our children and teachers deserve better.

Photograph by: Sweetlouise  https://pixabay.com/en/friendship-hands-union-life-2156174/
How do you think school suspensions should be handled?
           

Monday, June 4, 2018

School Shootings: What Do Nikolas Cruz And Dimitrios Pagourtzis Have In Common?

Photos courtesy of Wikicommons

Originally appeared on CHW on June 4, 2018

Trigger Warning: This article contains sensitive material related to school shootings.

What could drive a young person to commit the heinous act of mass murder?

I asked myself this question on April 20, 1999, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (both 17 years-old) killed themselves, plus 13 others, and wounded 24 more at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

And again on, April 16, 2007, when Seung Hui Cho (23 years-old) killed 32 people, including himself, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, in Blacksburg, Virginia.

And again on, December 14, 2012, when Adam Lanza (20 years-old) killed his mother, then entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and killed 20 first graders, six school employees, and himself.

And again on, May 23, 2014, when Elliot Rodger (22 years-old) killed six people and wounded 13, before killing himself outside the University of California, Santa Barbara in Isla Vista, CA.

And again on, October 1, 2015, when Christopher Harper-Mercer (26 years-old) killed nine people and wounded nine others at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Oregon. Mr. Harper-Mercer was later killed exchanging gunfire with police.

And again on, February 14, 2018, when Nikolas Cruz (19 years-old) gunned down 17 and wounded 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

And again on, May 18, 2018, when Dimitrios Pagourtzis (17 years-old) shot and killed ten students and wounded ten others at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas.

And again on, May 25, 2018, when a middle school student injured two people before being disarmed by his teacher at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, Indiana. The name of the student cannot be released at this time.

I hope I don’t have to ask it again, but sadly I have a feeling I will.

This nagging question led me to research the background of two of the latest killers, Nikolas Cruz and Dimitrios Pagourtzis to see if I could find a common theme in their pasts. According to the facts I uncovered, this is what I discovered:

Both shooters were male teenagers, who had a fascination with guns, were drawn toward white supremacist dogma, were reported to have difficulties with girls, and experienced bullying.

These characteristics are superficial and merely scratching the surface of a much larger problem in our society. According to Dr. Reid Meloy, there may be an intermittent sociological contagion that has become a part of our culture, a psychological phenomenon known as the “copycat effect.”  Copycats feel such a strong unconscious connection with someone else’s behavior or appearance they consciously emulate their fixation.

Most of us have gone through a phase where we take on characteristics of people we admire like our parents, teachers, peers, or famous figures. When this fixation with another becomes obsessive, there can be a more serious problem known as identification.

Most often identification can be expressed in a non-threatening way such as wearing your favorite icon’s tee shirt or sporting your favorite designer shoes. Dr. Meloy surmises that this characteristic in tandem with violent tendencies is an area that needs to be investigated. He stresses, “that identification warning behavior is a new concept, is not a predictor of violence–but may be a correlate of targeted violence–and should be treated at this point in time as another helpful lens through which the threat assessor can view his or her case.”

Studies have shown that mass murders are on the rise in America. Four or more unrelated people killed in a public setting is considered a mass murder. Social media may be the key reason for why these killings have increased. Cyberspace has made it all too easy for the people who commit these terrible crimes to achieve their goal—notoriety.

Nikolas Cruz and Dimitrios Pagourtzis both used social media to post pictures of their guns and other toxic items related to their deviant behavior. To top it off, they have also become mainstream media sensations, garnering front-page headlines across the country, conversations on various news outlets, and articles like this one being written about them.

Since we are steadily learning the driving force behind the shooters’ actions what can we as a society do to stop them? First and foremost, we must be vigilant in our perception of dangerous behaviors and report them. The Sandy Hook Promise is a national Non-profit Organization that offers a program to help protect children from gun violence. They have relevant resources that help students, teachers, and parents identify potential threats.

We also have to reevaluate our media consumption. Like sex, violence sells. Many Americans, myself included, enjoy video games, movies, and TV shows that showcase violence almost like a main character. This isn’t a new fascination; it is only a side effect of the human condition magnified by technology. As a species, our fascination with violence and its many lethal weapons has wrought civilizations that conquered and raped the Earth, enslaved other humans, and drove many species into extinction.

A return to nature is something else we must strive to accomplish. When we gave up our connection to the earth for processed food and bottled water, we lost a fundamental element that helped us interact more harmoniously with the world and all of its inhabitants. Shinrin-yoku or forest-bathing is a common practice in Japan that people engage in to reconnect with nature and reduce stress.

In one study, hostility and depression levels dropped significantly after time spent among the trees. Some experts have recommended nature walks for children with ADHD. A study of children who engaged in these types of walks found that these children were better able to concentrate afterward.

Although we have made great strides in advancing our sciences and technologies, we have a long way to go in our evolution towards equality for all and to curb our propensity for violence.