Withholding recess in 1st grade - ?
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Anonymous
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I need some perspective from others with more experience...DD is in 1st grade. She had a great year last year and seems very happy this year too. I'm concerned though about the fact that the teacher seems to use withholding of recess as a regular punishment.
Examples: Didn't do homework one night - kid stays in to complete the HW before going out for the remainder of the (pretty short) recess. Note - this happened for a 1st time "infraction" - not consistently blowing off assignments. DD says kids also sometimes have to stay in for "not listening". I 100% can understand using no recess as a consequence for some type of major offense such as persistent bullying or hitting another kid or over the top rudeness to the teacher. But to make it a consequence for not doing HW and "not listening" (which must be a near-constant for at least part of the class given that they are 6) feels excessive. The teacher's been teaching 1st for over a decade and with this school for several years. DD does not seem particularly bothered by this rule, but it doesn't seem like it would set up a healthy dynamic for the class. Is this normal??? This is our only school experience so far so I'm not sure if my expectations are out of line or if the teacher's approach to this is. Since I doubt my DD is likely to end up on "no recess" very often (given that she's generally a big rule follower for anyone aside from me and DH!) I'm also struggling with how much of an issue to make of this given that obviously I want to preserve a good relationship with the teacher too. |
Anonymous
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I don't think that teachers should ever withhold recess as a punishment. At best, the punishment doesn't fit the "crime". At worst, it's counter-productive, because kids behave better if they have recess.
My child's teacher last year told the class last year that she would not withhold recess as a punishment, and she didn't. I thought that was great. My child's teacher this year is a recess-withholder, unfortunately. |
Anonymous
| You cannot do this in FCPS. Contact the VP. |
Anonymous
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I'm in MCPS if it makes a difference.
- OP |
Anonymous
| Why doesn't your DD do her homework? |
Anonymous
| Withholding recess is dumb. Kids need to get out their energy. If they don't have recess, they are even more likely to be antsy, to not pay attention, and to get cranky. |
Anonymous
| Withholding recess is stupid and counterproductive. Recess isn't a "treat," it's a necessary part of the day for children. |
Anonymous
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"Why doesn't your DD do her homework? "
She forgot since it was only the 2nd time this type of assignment had been given & DH didn't realize she had something extra to do that day (I was on travel.) This was a 1 time issue; not a recurrent problem. I agree she should not blow off HW and that the teacher was right to point out to DD that she needed to do it. I would not even be opposed to having to do an extra assignment or something as the "punishment" to help underscore that it's important to be responsible for your assignments. What I'm asking is just whether withholding recess as the punishment is normal/good practice. - OP |
Anonymous
| It is not a normal or good practice, no. And it doesn't work to help kids behave better. |
Anonymous
| I doubt your daughter knows why other kids are being held in and it may not be for punishment. My SN son, whom most kids don't recognize as SN, got held in often. It may have appeared to other kids that it was due to behavior but it was actually to give him extra instruction time so he didn't fall behind. As far as her not having completed her work, it's not a punishment to require her to do it. I don't get why you jumped to that' point. I don't know your daughter or the class, so I don't know what the best way to handle it is. But my first grader knows to do her homework without me reminding her. |
Anonymous
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For not doing homework in FIRST GRADE??? What the heck is this world coming to? This is an institutional policy modeled after a juvenile detention center. Do they have stop light codes in the lunch room, also?
Take back your power, parents! |
Anonymous
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How does withholding recess help the child to keep track of and remember her homework? (Is the question that I'd be asking the teacher ...)
I'm sympathetic. This wasn't deliberately blowing off homework. This was a misunderstanding because she hasn't got the new routines down yet. |
Anonymous
| This is a teacher problem - it is not supposed to be done in elementary school in MCPS, either. Contact the teacher first, and then contact the administrators. |
Anonymous
Is there an MCPS policy? There should be, if there isn't. |
Anonymous
| This is what happens when we have zero tolerance policies. It gets abused and applied with no common sense. |