physical aggression towards teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At what age does it stop being within the spectrum of normal for a 5.5 year old student to hit, kick, push teachers when angry?
What is normal for a one time "rare" incident?
What is within normal for incidents that happen several times per week?

Assume that the teachers and staff are responsive, using developmentally appropriate methods of instruction and class routines, lots of recess, lots of SEL lessons, lots of firm kindness.

I don’t think it is within the spectrum of normal at all at 5.5. 2.5, sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you notice the hitting at certain times of the day? Is there a specials class or teacher that might be a trigger?

lol, blame the victim

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP. I teach kindergarten and am not talking about my own child. I've been hit, kicked and pushed on at least a dozen occasions by a child in the last 8 weeks. My direct supervisor keeps telling me this is in the spectrum of normal. As for the before and after, one time the student kicked me because when he asked for help with his backpack I was helping a student and needed him to wait a minute. He literally walked over and started screaming at me and kicked me.

I’d make a recommendation to the IEP team that an FBA be completed.

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry. I am a former teacher who has been in a similar situation. I have questions that I mean more as suggestions that might be helpful. I hope you are documenting everything to the best of your abilities. Do you have a paraprofessional in the room with you? Can that person help document?

I’d make sure you’ve communicated (calmly) in writing to your supervisor. You’ve recounted the facts here in a remarkably calm way, I think. If you have a written response that says this is normal, hold onto it.

Do you have a mentor teacher or special Ed coordinator in your building? That person might also be a helpful resource.

Can you request a sped referral immediately? I don’t know how long that will take, but it sounds like this kid needs help. I’m sure there will be a reason it can’t move forward just yet.

Good luck, OP, and I am truly appreciative of the work that you do on a daily basis.

[Anonymous]

This is not normal behavior and the sooner you treat it as such the better off you--and everyone else including the kid--are. Self-advocate in formal ways even if it's not the culture within your school. Email your school leader describing the situation, say you find the child's physical aggression towards you unacceptable and ask what they are going to do about it. If they come by to talk to you about it and you agree with their suggestions, write them an email that says, "Thanks for coming by and letting me know that x, y and z are going to be done to address my concerns. Let me know if I am missing anything in the plan." Basically create a paper trail for every conversation. This lets them know you are not their doormat. If x, y and z don't happen or don't work, write a reminder asking for the timeline or alternate plan. The school leader may be a jerk who puts everything on the teachers or they may be a good person who has learned to put in a stalling process on which problems truly need their involvement. Either way, you don't want them to think you'll just somehow manage it on your own or deal with it etc. The sooner you do this, the less you'll be put upon year after year. If you model it for your peers it will change the culture. If this then makes the job untenable at the school leader level, they will push the issues further up. Teachers have more power than ever to make change because every single one is needed. This isn't selfish--this is what will make schools more functional for learning.

[Anonymous]

This child needs an IEP for emotional disturbance.

I don't understand why teachers accept violence at work. It's not the military, football, or boxing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This child needs an IEP for emotional disturbance.

I don't understand why teachers accept violence at work. It's not the military, football, or boxing.

That process can take 2 years at the K level unless parents are fully on-board. A lot of parents are in denial and blame the school and resist the process--and if they do, the school has to follow very carefully the legal steps of documentation, trying in-class interventions etc. and they take time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This child needs an IEP for emotional disturbance.

I don't understand why teachers accept violence at work. It's not the military, football, or boxing.

We don’t accept it but we have to follow the numerous steps required in order for the student to be tested. Lots a ton of documentation that takes many, many months. At the end of it all, if a parent won’t sign the IEP, it won’t be implemented. Lots of parents are in total denial. “He doesn’t act like that at home!”