Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Discipline and disrespect are real issues that need to be addressed - submitted by a member
On the same day that Durkin said that the students were nothing but respectful to themselves, one another, and their teachers and staff members but were in fact suffering from boredom, a student told me to "f#$! off".
This happened as I began to pull together a variety of manipulatives including my own personal technology for the days lesson which sought to increase engagement and rigor.
While most students are respectful and willing to participate in their own learning, we can't discount the issue of discipline as a district and blame teachers for their poor classroom management skills and lack of engagement and rigor.
Discipline and disrespect are real issues that need to be addressed in this district without scapegoating teachers for lacking quality lesson plans. Rigorous Lesson plans aren't the problem: a variety of individual student needs without adequate resources and consistent, sustainable, authentic support systems is at the heart of the matter.
I wish the current administration would allow us to look carefully at the issue of discipline as a district. Simply saying that we are going to cut suspensions by 50% is not a plan; it's an empty promise.
We should be looking at our systems and processes; not our teachers.
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6 comments:
We have been told that behavior problems fall away with rigorous lessons that engage the students. Well, we have many learners that struggle to focus for even small chunks of time. Even intelligent integration of technology can't bring them in consistently. These students need more than just RIGOR! They need an educational day that includes more variety, more specialists, and more social skill building activities. I can't keep bringing the rigor with understandable push-back by these learners.
With an urban district, comes urban issues. Our students come to school with so much baggage, learning is secondary to survival. This should be the focus: How to address these genuine concerns as many variables come into play including: high drop-out rates, attendance, immigration issues, transferring in and out of district, poverty.... things, we as teachers, have no control over. Get real!
Creating more rigorous lessons is not the only answer!!! If you want the drop-out rate to increase keep taking specialists away.... cut music, art and physical education....areas that actually HELP to keep kids in school. You want data? There is plenty of it addressing how the arts and non academic areas ENHANCE learning and keep kids in school!!!!! If PRAB wants to spew data I can give them plenty!!! I just don't think they have enough common sense to listen!!!!! This "leadership" is taking us in the wrong direction!!!!
Cuts of support staff for students only creates more broken children. Teachers often fill in the gaps of lost children, it's too bad that "others" have lost the vision of what teaching is truly about!
Got that right. When I read in Paper that New Superintendent wanted less suspensions at the High School I Laughed big time. I think see needs to spend a Week in the High School and get a Taste of what the Great Teachers there have been putting up with while they teach... there is no respect for the teachers from students teachers are constantly breaking up fights, being sworn at, and students are just plain rude, defiant, and disrespectful. I think the new Superintendent should hold an Assembly for the Parents and Students of the High school and see how many show up. Teachers are doing their JOB.. In my opinion Students and Parents need a refresher course on what their JOBS are.
Discipline is at the core of any learning.
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