Kids no longer sitting in the Fence doing resscess
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Anonymous
And the only way you think that can be done is by withholding recess? If a teacher is unable to think of an appropriate consequence, she should contact her grade level team or an administrator - or she shouldn't be teaching. |
Anonymous
NP here. I'm definitely against withholding recess for any reason. However, I'm also curious, PP, since you're obviously a teacher, what you think is an appropriate consequence for misbehaving in class that isn't disruptive to the rest of the class? |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
Your child is a liar and you are making it a joke. |
Anonymous
| When I was in elementary school we had PE 3 times a week and 2 recesses a day (fcps) so it wasn't a huge deal to eliminate one recess because there were plenty more opportunities for movement. Not so these days. |
Anonymous
Interesting. I grew up elsewhere, but we also were sometimes punished for bad behavior with recess time-outs (sitting on steps). I have absolutely no recollection of what my bad behavior was or why I got time-outs or any learning or reflection during this time. However, as a chubby and unathletic kid, I hardly considered missing recess punishment (and it probably would have been better for me to miss math or reading or something I actually excelled at). My personal opinion from watching my own extended family members become parents and try to handle the cultural changes between our childhoods (many in a different country and much stricter culture) and our kids' childhoods is that those who want to rely on others to provide structure and discipline for their children are often sorely disappointed. They send their kids to school with a strict "Do what the teacher says" and are at a loss when it becomes apparent that this is not the culture of schools for many parents and children. I think as PPs suggested, OP, that you are not going to be able to rely on your child's school or teacher to discipline her and that you have to come up with a structure at home that will help her succeed at school. |
Anonymous
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Kids in FCPS need more recess. Kids are burned out from excessive testing.
You need to start discipline at home. |
Anonymous
Different poster. My son's teacher has a "break chair" for disruptive classroom behavior like talking. For things like missing homework, she's in touch with parents. My son has had trouble with his attitude in math. If it's the least bit difficult, he clams up, shuts down, and does nothing. She can't sit there and cajole him into doing the work at the expense of other kids, so she's instituted a "star" reward system. He doesn't have to get the math right, but he does have to pay attention, focus on the lesson plan, and ask her if/when he needs help. If he does that, he gets a star for the day. If he comes home with 5 stars for the week, I give him a Sweet Frog treat on Friday evenings. It helps teach him very specific, concrete steps he needs to improve during math. And over the past 6 weeks, it's worked really well. He no longer shuts down when it gets tough. There are many things like that a teacher can do, depending on the situation. OP, talk to the teacher. |
Anonymous
I am not a teacher but have kids with SN and a lot of experience with setting kids up to succeed and to get desired behaviors. The key is to identify the cause of the problem. Is the kid sitting too close to her friends? The first step (after warnings), is to move the child. This could be closer to the teacher, away from friends, etc. If the behavior happens on the carpet/during circle time, the child can remain seated in a chair, sit next to the teacher, sit off to the side, etc. Put the child somewhere she isn't encouraged/drawn into chatting. If she continues to be disruptive from a distance then it's time to call a counselor/administrator. It is not typical of kids to engage in that behavior from those positions and it's likely there are extenuating circumstances. Find out what those circumstances are. I have a kid that gets wound up after sustained mental effort. He needs a break. The teacher sets a timer, he works independently for 10 minutes and then bounces on a ball for 50 times. He then goes back to work for 10 more minutes. (Withholding recess from him would be highly counterproductive). Depending on the age of the child and motivation, reward systems certainly work (as PP noted). It could be iPad time, sitting in the teacher's chair, lunch with the teacher with chosen buddies, stickers that can be redeemed for prizes, etc. We routinely worked with the teachers so their was continuity and support in all environments. For example, for each day a kid had positive behavior at school, he'd get a token for an extra 10 minutes for video games on the weekend. If he had positive behavior 5 days in a row, he'd get a bonus 20 minutes. I have another kid who wasn't motivated by video games but did like to watch particular show with me. She got 10 minutes of the show for every positive day. As the kids got older, what they were motivated by changed and so we adapted. One huge motivator for one of my kids happened in 4th grade. He wanted to be on safety patrol. He didn't get selected that year and we discussed the reasons why - he hadn't demonstrated he was responsible enough. We then discussed what he needed to do to demonstrate responsibility. He had developed enough maturity to be able to work towards a long term goal. No way he could have done that at a younger age - he needed more immediate results. |
Anonymous
| Re: withholding recess--if it worked, it wouldn't be the same kids losing it every time. In the school where I teach, teachers used to be allowed to send kids out to recess with work to complete. They were supposed to sit by "the wall" and finish their work before they got to play. Sometimes they finished, usually they didn't. Every day, it was the same kids. We got a new principal who said teachers could keep kids in for a maximum of five minutes AND the student had to be with the teacher during that time, not sitting outside while the teacher had her lunch. Somehow everybody found new, different ways to motivate students to get their work done. |
Anonymous
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We don't have kids sit at recess either. Kids need to move!
Instead, the consequence is to walk around the parameter of the basketball court - that way they're moving but not playing. Sometimes it's partial recess, sometimes full. You need to reinforce and give consequences at home for lying and not completing homework, and work with the teacher to find ways to help your daughter remember and be better organized. |
Anonymous
That's on you, not the school. You want her punished to learn a lesson, punish her. |
Anonymous
| when my kids were in elementary they'd be kept in at recess if they didn't finish or forgot homework. The teachers would also make the whole class sit out all or part of recess if a few kids were misbehaving. I really hated that policy. School is a long day of mostly sitting inside, and taking away the recess time just makes no sense to me. There are other ways of delivering consequences. |
Anonymous
| I am curious what everyone thinks should be done. Most kids have zero discipline at home and the teachers now can't do anything before a helicopter mom is zooming into school crying foul. |
Anonymous
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The only reason kids need more exercise and recess is NOT the school's issue. School has been the same amount of hours and there has always been one recess a day. The problem is BEFORE and AFTER school. Kids used to walk to school or at least walk pretty far for a bus stop. Now we have parents who drive their kids to school and heck, even drive them to a bus stop. After school? Kids used to play for hours outside no matter what the weather. Now they are in structured activities or sitting in front of a screen.
So instead of parents whining about how little recess kids are getting, how about you keep up your end of the bargain at home. I am sure you have plenty of days you take away recess before and after school. |