Anonymous
Post 12/17/2016 18:18     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten teachers have a really difficult task. They literally train the children in what is expected of them in a school setting, in terms of behavior, focus, rules, having self-control and respecting others. Its not just about the ABCs and the 123s and having some fun.

You need to respect the fact that your son is not behaving as he should. You need to speak to him about it, make it absolutely clear what the expectations are at school and if he can't hack it, take him out of the classroom and try again next year. This happens ALL the time.


Not in my experience. Once you're in, you're in.


Actually, it was the struggle with K which i meant happens all the time.
Anonymous
Post 12/17/2016 16:22     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:Kindergarten teachers have a really difficult task. They literally train the children in what is expected of them in a school setting, in terms of behavior, focus, rules, having self-control and respecting others. Its not just about the ABCs and the 123s and having some fun.

You need to respect the fact that your son is not behaving as he should. You need to speak to him about it, make it absolutely clear what the expectations are at school and if he can't hack it, take him out of the classroom and try again next year. This happens ALL the time.


Not in my experience. Once you're in, you're in.
Anonymous
Post 12/17/2016 15:51     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:OP here, I do have respect for teachers and early childhood educators as I am a preschool teacher myself and have been for the past 10 years. I also volunteer at my sons school and am the room parent for his class. So I do stay connected with my sons teacher, and we do discuss his behavior at home as well. I don't believe in these special snowflakes and every child should get a trophy, or being a helicopter parent. I agree that my child or any other child for that matter should not be able to disrupt the class. What I don't ageee with was the shaming and sending him to a younger classroom. I feel there was no positive lesson learned from being sent to the younger classroom, besides shaming him, and disrupting another class. I would have no problem if he was asked to sit someone else, or even in the office where he could have had positive redirection. I use positive redirection in my classroom and at home. Instead of just saying we don't hit, we say hands are for using good deeds and we give examples so they know what hands ARE used for.


I am with you OP, especially if the teacher said he was not ready for K, versus he was acting like he was not.

5 year olds need to learn how to act appropriately, but an adult shaming them is not appropriate. I would ask to speak to the teacher and irk out a plan for what you can do to help the behavior, and in that same conversation, tell her that you felt the shaming is inappropriate. If she needs to send him to the office, that is fine. But she is setting your child up to be teased.
Anonymous
Post 12/17/2016 13:56     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Kindergarten teachers have a really difficult task. They literally train the children in what is expected of them in a school setting, in terms of behavior, focus, rules, having self-control and respecting others. Its not just about the ABCs and the 123s and having some fun.

You need to respect the fact that your son is not behaving as he should. You need to speak to him about it, make it absolutely clear what the expectations are at school and if he can't hack it, take him out of the classroom and try again next year. This happens ALL the time.
Anonymous
Post 12/17/2016 09:05     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
This teacher is ridiculous.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 20:36     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Isn't a behavior chart a form of public shaming? You publically call out a kid for misbehaving and then make him or her change their 'status' in front of their peers.

I personally have no problem with teachers sending kids to a younger class. That's how some kids learn.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 20:14     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think the teacher should have sent him into the hallway to race up and down it twice, and then to do 20 jumping jacks, then two sun salutations/down dogs and see if that got some of his energy out and re-focused him. THAT would address the problem.

Right. He should be special and allowed to run in the hallway making noise and disturbing people (yet again!) because he can't sit like the rest. And who's out there watching him when he's doing all this running?


Who said making noise? And why does a 5 yr old need to be watched while they run? Surely the teacher knows roughly how long it should take - if he's out a lot longer, she can go check.

You've got to be kidding me, right? You're telling me a kid running back and forth down the hall isn't making NOISE? This is the most insane thing I've read all day!
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 20:11     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think the teacher should have sent him into the hallway to race up and down it twice, and then to do 20 jumping jacks, then two sun salutations/down dogs and see if that got some of his energy out and re-focused him. THAT would address the problem.

Right. He should be special and allowed to run in the hallway making noise and disturbing people (yet again!) because he can't sit like the rest. And who's out there watching him when he's doing all this running?


Who said making noise? And why does a 5 yr old need to be watched while they run? Surely the teacher knows roughly how long it should take - if he's out a lot longer, she can go check.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 20:07     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Your kid has trouble behaving because you are more focused on how the teacher handled it than his actions.

Are you giving him any consequences at home? Or are you just going to harp on the teacher?

I would address his behavior and make him apologize to the teacher. Teach your kid to be respectful not to deflect blame.


When my DC misbehaved in kindergarten, we took it seriously, we gave him consequences, talked about what he was supposed to do instead of what he was doing, etc. He was only 5 and just couldn't do it. As the year went on, I realized that many (a large majority) of the kids couldn't do it, on any given day. The teacher wasn't extremely bothered by misbehavior, either. That's what kindergarten is, learning how to do it. That's what teachers teach, how to be students.

I'm a teacher, and I posted above about letting a lot of it go. I can tell you that if your kid acts up and it interferes with my teaching, I will take MY time to email you about it. I don't spend time after school to email parents about the generic kindergarten misbehavior you are speaking of.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 20:04     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:Your kid has trouble behaving because you are more focused on how the teacher handled it than his actions.

Are you giving him any consequences at home? Or are you just going to harp on the teacher?

I would address his behavior and make him apologize to the teacher. Teach your kid to be respectful not to deflect blame.

This +1000

You kid was acting up and the teacher handled it. She has other kids to teach. That is HER focus. Your son was a disturbance. Focus on your son and getting him under control (like all of the other kids who didn't get sent back to preschool and an email sent home).
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 20:01     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:Your kid has trouble behaving because you are more focused on how the teacher handled it than his actions.

Are you giving him any consequences at home? Or are you just going to harp on the teacher?

I would address his behavior and make him apologize to the teacher. Teach your kid to be respectful not to deflect blame.


When my DC misbehaved in kindergarten, we took it seriously, we gave him consequences, talked about what he was supposed to do instead of what he was doing, etc. He was only 5 and just couldn't do it. As the year went on, I realized that many (a large majority) of the kids couldn't do it, on any given day. The teacher wasn't extremely bothered by misbehavior, either. That's what kindergarten is, learning how to do it. That's what teachers teach, how to be students.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 19:58     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Your kid has trouble behaving because you are more focused on how the teacher handled it than his actions.

Are you giving him any consequences at home? Or are you just going to harp on the teacher?

I would address his behavior and make him apologize to the teacher. Teach your kid to be respectful not to deflect blame.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 19:33     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Except to the principal's office, it makes no sense to send a kid to another classroom. The teacher needs to change what she is doing to make it work for that child or that child needs an IEP and services/support or a classroom that can handle the needs.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2016 19:22     Subject: Kindergarten teacher's discipline
Anonymous wrote:Shame should not be a disciplinary tactic. He's 5 - he barely has any self-control at this point, he didn't get to exercise at recess, and now he's being asked to sit quietly. This is an unfair ask of the child. I would contact the teacher.


Agree that shaming should not be a disciplinary tactic. My child's K teacher tells the kids that "they're being babies who aren't ready for K." It seems out f place, given the nonstop discussions about bullying and how they have zero tolerance for any kind of name calling.

our K sends kids to other K classrooms when they have been asked to curb X behavior 3 times in a day.