Student Behavior - Starting to Fall Apart?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted about evacuating the class to the closet. These are not run of the mill behaviors that cause this. I've seen more serious behaviors over the last 10 years. A lot of kids have never heard the word "no" in their homes. Their homes are often chaotic and they don't have stable families. These kids have very reactive personalities. They explode about little things. There are many transitions that occur during a school day and they often can't deal with it. You can't just send them to the office. Sometimes they elope from the classroom and you have to text an admin to go get them. Other times, they start yelling and screaming and overturn furniture, throw school supplies, etc.

I have noticed the escalation too. In my observation technology plays a huge part. Many kids get violent when their preferred activity is not available or has ended (iPad) these are often the same kids who obsess over video games, talk about them all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SpEd law has ruined public schools, which must bow at the alter of IDEA and special education lawyers. If you’ve worked in a school, you know that it’s nearly impossible to get rid of students who destroy (many times literally) the learning environment for other students. When I was growing up, these students received an education in resource rooms, received lots of individual attention, and did not disrupt the academic and behavioral rigor of the general education classrooms. Mainstreaming/inclusion has so tarnished public education and it’s a damned shame.

This is also 100% accurate. We had to fight for my DS (who does not have an IEP) to not be in the inclusion room. Not because we don’t believe that all students deserve a chance, but because learning wasn’t happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SpEd law has ruined public schools, which must bow at the alter of IDEA and special education lawyers. If you’ve worked in a school, you know that it’s nearly impossible to get rid of students who destroy (many times literally) the learning environment for other students. When I was growing up, these students received an education in resource rooms, received lots of individual attention, and did not disrupt the academic and behavioral rigor of the general education classrooms. Mainstreaming/inclusion has so tarnished public education and it’s a damned shame.

This is also 100% accurate. We had to fight for my DS (who does not have an IEP) to not be in the inclusion room. Not because we don’t believe that all students deserve a chance, but because learning wasn’t happening.

The inclusion rooms of the past worked beautifully most of the time. Two of my kids were in one for a few different grade levels even though they do not require Special Education services. I had no problem with this. The other students needed accommodations such as note taking, visual schedules, a PHA to help with medical needs for a student with a physical disability, that sort of thing. There was plenty of support in the form of a Special Education teacher who was doing push in or pull out hours, or an IA who was assisting the children who needed help with writing or monitoring them when they needed extra time on tests. However, the shortage of Special Ed staff and the reluctance of schools to escalate behavior referrals lately has led to these classrooms becoming de facto behavior classrooms. This is terribly unfair to the students with disabilities who can succeed in a general education classroom with appropriate supports because the special ed teachers and assistants are constantly dealing with the behavior problems. I am not surprised when reports come out that detail how far behind students with disabilities are on some of the tests. There is no way the kids who are well behaved are getting the services they're entitled to under IDEA when their teachers are spread so thin and spending multiple hours per week gathering behavior data and attending emergency IEP meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted about evacuating the class to the closet. These are not run of the mill behaviors that cause this. I've seen more serious behaviors over the last 10 years. A lot of kids have never heard the word "no" in their homes. Their homes are often chaotic and they don't have stable families. These kids have very reactive personalities. They explode about little things. There are many transitions that occur during a school day and they often can't deal with it. You can't just send them to the office. Sometimes they elope from the classroom and you have to text an admin to go get them. Other times, they start yelling and screaming and overturn furniture, throw school supplies, etc.

I have noticed the escalation too. In my observation technology plays a huge part. Many kids get violent when their preferred activity is not available or has ended (iPad) these are often the same kids who obsess over video games, talk about them all day.

Yes, we don't use technology in my classroom anymore until mid-year (not in FCPS). Last year, they pushed all of the learning apps on us and documented use. Trying to use iPads as a center during small group time often turned into WW3. Kids wouldn't stop using them to move to their next center. They would whine and scream and tantrum when it was time to switch. I had 2-4 students who would escalate these behaviors when I took them away so I stopped using them as a center. Mid-year, I slowly brought them back and told students that they would only be able to use them if they showed me they were able to switch when the timer went off. Three of them couldn't use them at all for the rest of the year. They couldn't handle it.

Parents would tell me "Larlo screams and cries when I take his tablet away so I just let him have it until he falls asleep." I'm so glad this technology was absent from my own child's childhood. It is really changing children in a negative way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted about evacuating the class to the closet. These are not run of the mill behaviors that cause this. I've seen more serious behaviors over the last 10 years. A lot of kids have never heard the word "no" in their homes. Their homes are often chaotic and they don't have stable families. These kids have very reactive personalities. They explode about little things. There are many transitions that occur during a school day and they often can't deal with it. You can't just send them to the office. Sometimes they elope from the classroom and you have to text an admin to go get them. Other times, they start yelling and screaming and overturn furniture, throw school supplies, etc.

I have noticed the escalation too. In my observation technology plays a huge part. Many kids get violent when their preferred activity is not available or has ended (iPad) these are often the same kids who obsess over video games, talk about them all day.

x100000

FCPS does nothing about the problem kids - their parents are at the ready from day one with retorts about "not my sweet boy!!" and willing to do anything it takes for their reactive terror kid to not get kicked out of school. I have seen one reactive terror kid, from a family of boys, drag a kid down the hall by their neck. That kid should have been expelled. Then, he did it again - still not expelled. Guess what? Their mom is in PR. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted about evacuating the class to the closet. These are not run of the mill behaviors that cause this. I've seen more serious behaviors over the last 10 years. A lot of kids have never heard the word "no" in their homes. Their homes are often chaotic and they don't have stable families. These kids have very reactive personalities. They explode about little things. There are many transitions that occur during a school day and they often can't deal with it. You can't just send them to the office. Sometimes they elope from the classroom and you have to text an admin to go get them. Other times, they start yelling and screaming and overturn furniture, throw school supplies, etc.

I have noticed the escalation too. In my observation technology plays a huge part. Many kids get violent when their preferred activity is not available or has ended (iPad) these are often the same kids who obsess over video games, talk about them all day.

I think it plays a part but not the biggest. There are many kids who like to play video games but parents need to have boundaries and set limits and say no. This is what I'm seeing this year-is lack of respect fro adults. We are not in charge. It's "no" and "why?" all day. I have seen kids literally talk loudly over the adults in charge because they did not get their way....I think it's because it's allowed at home. Behaviors are ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SpEd law has ruined public schools, which must bow at the alter of IDEA and special education lawyers. If you’ve worked in a school, you know that it’s nearly impossible to get rid of students who destroy (many times literally) the learning environment for other students. When I was growing up, these students received an education in resource rooms, received lots of individual attention, and did not disrupt the academic and behavioral rigor of the general education classrooms. Mainstreaming/inclusion has so tarnished public education and it’s a damned shame.

This is also 100% accurate. We had to fight for my DS (who does not have an IEP) to not be in the inclusion room. Not because we don’t believe that all students deserve a chance, but because learning wasn’t happening.

The inclusion rooms of the past worked beautifully most of the time. Two of my kids were in one for a few different grade levels even though they do not require Special Education services. I had no problem with this. The other students needed accommodations such as note taking, visual schedules, a PHA to help with medical needs for a student with a physical disability, that sort of thing. There was plenty of support in the form of a Special Education teacher who was doing push in or pull out hours, or an IA who was assisting the children who needed help with writing or monitoring them when they needed extra time on tests. However, the shortage of Special Ed staff and the reluctance of schools to escalate behavior referrals lately has led to these classrooms becoming de facto behavior classrooms. This is terribly unfair to the students with disabilities who can succeed in a general education classroom with appropriate supports because the special ed teachers and assistants are constantly dealing with the behavior problems. I am not surprised when reports come out that detail how far behind students with disabilities are on some of the tests. There is no way the kids who are well behaved are getting the services they're entitled to under IDEA when their teachers are spread so thin and spending multiple hours per week gathering behavior data and attending emergency IEP meetings.

Agree
signed a SPED Teacher

[Anonymous]

Least restrictive environment. The key SPED words.

[Anonymous]

Parents have to fight to get their children into pullouts or into self-contained.

It’s awful for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents have to fight to get their children into pullouts or into self-contained.

It’s awful for everyone.

In my experience parents fight being self contained or specialized programs. I see it every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents have to fight to get their children into pullouts or into self-contained.

It’s awful for everyone.

In my experience parents fight being self contained or specialized programs. I see it every year.

+1 more parents fight to stay out of it than ask to be there by a huge margin

[Anonymous]

Last year, my DC had behavioral issues at school. Not aggression or violent, but disruptive, having trouble getting along with classmates, talking out of turn, ignoring the teacher, getting up and going to the bathroom without asking for permission, shutting down and refusing to do work when stressed out, etc. I got calls from the school counselor and assistant principal, emails from the teacher. DC has an IEP for specific learning disability and OHI (anxiety, ADHD). DC is also impulsive. I asked for an IEP meeting, We were concerned about what was happening, the behavior was very problematic.

At the IEP meeting, the school team minimized the problem. I told the school team if the behavior wasn't such a problem, how come we were getting calls and emails on a weekly basis, sometimes couple of times per week. I asked for a consultation with a behavioral intervention specialist. She did two short observations and said DC's behavior was appropriate. The school did not think the behavioral issue warranted a functional behavioral assessment. They added a few stupid goals in the IEP which didn't help. I continued to get calls and emails. We had rewards and consequences at home for school behavior. We were at a loss and can't figure out why the school refused to do a functional behavioral assessment even though there was documentation that the behavior adversely affected DC's education. After the IEP meeting, all of a sudden, no calls and emails regarding poor behavior but when I would proactively ask, they would list out a bunch of issues.

Fortunately, things are going well this year. however, we were desperate for help and couldn't get the school to do an assessment or behavioral plan. Why would the school identify a behavioral issue and then be so resistant to do a functional behavioral assessment or behavioral plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SpEd law has ruined public schools, which must bow at the alter of IDEA and special education lawyers. If you’ve worked in a school, you know that it’s nearly impossible to get rid of students who destroy (many times literally) the learning environment for other students. When I was growing up, these students received an education in resource rooms, received lots of individual attention, and did not disrupt the academic and behavioral rigor of the general education classrooms. Mainstreaming/inclusion has so tarnished public education and it’s a damned shame.

This is also 100% accurate. We had to fight for my DS (who does not have an IEP) to not be in the inclusion room. Not because we don’t believe that all students deserve a chance, but because learning wasn’t happening.

We had this too, and it became common for the schools to “unofficially” fill the classes with kids with behavioral problems with the most academically advanced, well-behaved kids, I guess as an offset for level of perceived “needs” for the teacher to deal with? No thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents have to fight to get their children into pullouts or into self-contained.

It’s awful for everyone.

In my experience parents fight being self contained or specialized programs. I see it every year.

+1 more parents fight to stay out of it than ask to be there by a huge margin

+1000

[Anonymous]

Is this an issue more in ES and MS?