Safety in schools
Hi all,
I'm not really a complainer. But I need to vent for a bit. In the past month, while trying to do my job as an educator (I won't say where), I've been swung at by a high school kid, who nearly connected. No consequences were given by administration. Then, today, an 8th grader shone a laser pointer at my retina, and though I did everything I was supposed to do, the student has received no consequences.
I'm not an administrator. I don't get the big bucks to have an 092 and walk around the halls, solving problems. I just do my duty when I am asked to, teach my class as well as I am able, and would like to think that I am safe in my building. I'm a large, imposing guy. Kids don't generally mess with me, and if they think they can they generally think twice. Fast. I've never put my hands on a student, nor have I ever needed to. They generally do what I ask them to do, the first time because they realize they should, or the second time after I've called home or conferenced with them to explain why I asked what I asked, or the third time after the phone call didn't work and they realize that their behavior is making their grade go down (because they aren't understanding the material). However, none of those strategies work in the moment, with students I don't know or have in class, in the hallways, or lunchroom, or other common spaces in the building. I've always understood those spaces to be the purview of the administration. Their job, as I understand it, is to ensure the safety of the school - students, staff, and the building as a whole. If that one piece isn't taken care of, the school ceases to function. Kids can stop trying, because they don't feel safe. The climate of the place takes a hit, teachers start taking sick days because they can't handle it, kids continue to skip school entirely or skip classes selectively, and parents stop feeling safe sending their students to our school.
Now, if a safe and positive school climate is what the district is focusing on - and student attendance specifically - wouldn't we want to ensure that staff members feel safe doing their jobs? Wouldn't that be the highest priority of the administration and security officers? I know that would be my first job as an administrator, should I ever be in that position. Both times for me, I have reported the events promptly (immediately) and filled out the requisite forms. Both times, it was not an administrator who showed any human empathy and concern for my well being. Even if they don't want to tell me they are sorry it happened, wouldn't you think they'd at least check that I'm ok?
Instead, my district is telling me that I can't report student behavior. If it isn't recorded, the bad behavior doesn't exist, right?
Anyway, a follow-up. The laser pointer student was eventually suspended outside for 2 days, and the other student was expelled. However, NOT because of my incident. He was rude to an executive assistant and then the principal, so that was taken seriously. Almost hitting a teacher was ok. Either way, in all: I don't want to paint our students as dangerous people. There's enough of that in society and the local news. My kids aren't more violent than suburban kids. But ANY student, given a laissez-faire approach, will push boundaries until they find the limits. In this district, there aren't any - which means that some students will skip 40 classes before a consequence is issued. The memorable quote from the student this happened to: "If all I get is a period of inside (suspension) for 40 classes I skipped, why wouldn't I keep doing it?" Their behavior is learned, and we're not doing a good job teaching them if we just allow them to run amok this way.
I'm not really a complainer. But I need to vent for a bit. In the past month, while trying to do my job as an educator (I won't say where), I've been swung at by a high school kid, who nearly connected. No consequences were given by administration. Then, today, an 8th grader shone a laser pointer at my retina, and though I did everything I was supposed to do, the student has received no consequences.
I'm not an administrator. I don't get the big bucks to have an 092 and walk around the halls, solving problems. I just do my duty when I am asked to, teach my class as well as I am able, and would like to think that I am safe in my building. I'm a large, imposing guy. Kids don't generally mess with me, and if they think they can they generally think twice. Fast. I've never put my hands on a student, nor have I ever needed to. They generally do what I ask them to do, the first time because they realize they should, or the second time after I've called home or conferenced with them to explain why I asked what I asked, or the third time after the phone call didn't work and they realize that their behavior is making their grade go down (because they aren't understanding the material). However, none of those strategies work in the moment, with students I don't know or have in class, in the hallways, or lunchroom, or other common spaces in the building. I've always understood those spaces to be the purview of the administration. Their job, as I understand it, is to ensure the safety of the school - students, staff, and the building as a whole. If that one piece isn't taken care of, the school ceases to function. Kids can stop trying, because they don't feel safe. The climate of the place takes a hit, teachers start taking sick days because they can't handle it, kids continue to skip school entirely or skip classes selectively, and parents stop feeling safe sending their students to our school.
Now, if a safe and positive school climate is what the district is focusing on - and student attendance specifically - wouldn't we want to ensure that staff members feel safe doing their jobs? Wouldn't that be the highest priority of the administration and security officers? I know that would be my first job as an administrator, should I ever be in that position. Both times for me, I have reported the events promptly (immediately) and filled out the requisite forms. Both times, it was not an administrator who showed any human empathy and concern for my well being. Even if they don't want to tell me they are sorry it happened, wouldn't you think they'd at least check that I'm ok?
Instead, my district is telling me that I can't report student behavior. If it isn't recorded, the bad behavior doesn't exist, right?
Anyway, a follow-up. The laser pointer student was eventually suspended outside for 2 days, and the other student was expelled. However, NOT because of my incident. He was rude to an executive assistant and then the principal, so that was taken seriously. Almost hitting a teacher was ok. Either way, in all: I don't want to paint our students as dangerous people. There's enough of that in society and the local news. My kids aren't more violent than suburban kids. But ANY student, given a laissez-faire approach, will push boundaries until they find the limits. In this district, there aren't any - which means that some students will skip 40 classes before a consequence is issued. The memorable quote from the student this happened to: "If all I get is a period of inside (suspension) for 40 classes I skipped, why wouldn't I keep doing it?" Their behavior is learned, and we're not doing a good job teaching them if we just allow them to run amok this way.
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