Do K-5 schools need police on campus?
Kindergarten cop?
Some choice excepts....
Now of course the article speculates as to the causes. Most news reports have to blame something whether it is true or not. I'm more interested in what the views are on here.
I can tell you my own views on this as a school teacher. My beliefs flow along a couple of lines. First (come on Grove get ready to type) I say where are the men? The overwhelming number of these cases are likely boys. As a male elementary school teacher I am often told by parents and administrators that I am the only or one of a few male figures these boys encounter.
The second issue is day care. I worked in a day care center for a period of time before I started teaching. I would watch parents drop these children off at 6 AM with unbrushed teeth and hair, (still practically asleep) and they would be handing me late charges picking them up at 6:15 PM. No standard of living is worth doing that to a child. I say this because the place I worked was in La Palma, California where the average home is about $500k. In otherwords these kids aren't in day care for 12 hours so they can eat and not live in poverty.
Lastly is just the unwillingness of anyone to do anything physically to these children. I'm not talking about beatings or spankings. I'm talking about just physically restraining the child. I say this because about once every 2 years or so I will have to physically restrain a child. I've memorized the ed code on this area and to summerize it nicely, it basically says that if the child is out of control, I could sit on him or her if necessary. (it is always a him though)
Believe it or not the administrators, and with good reason, still worry about the parents flipping out. The child is totally out of control, ready to cause harm or already has caused harm to others around him and the concern of course is, "Yes but you touched him in order to stop him." All my incidences have involved holding children by the wrists until they get some control over themselves. (instead of throwing fists, desks, chairs, pencils, etc.) Administration is always concerned the parent will throw a fit, and it is well justified because 99 out of 100 times they do.
"How dare you lay hands on my child."
"Mrs. Smith, your child was held by the wrists because he was throwing books at other students. He had already hit two in the head by the time the teacher took action."
(Not even listening) "No one should ever touch my child."
"Mrs. Smith, it would be really nice if your child followed that belief and then we wouldn't be discussing a three day suspension."
(Still not listening) "I'm going to go complain to the district office and have you and him fired"
"Mrs. Smith, here, why don't you also bring them the copy of the police report we had taken against your son for assault."
That conversation is not a hypothetical. I watched it take place involving a fourth grade boy.
When I speak about physically, I also mean hugs and affection. I will hug a student from the side if they have requested it in some fashion, but otherwise, not a chance because who knows who will claim what. These children are out of the care of their parents for more and more hours each day. All the other people they encounter can't tackle them and tickle them, give them hugs or kisses, or for boys especially, demonstrate ways to channel that aggression and impulsiveness that don't involve harming others.
As a teacher, I can replace a parents supervision, but I can never replace their love and affection. The problem appears to be that even if the children are at home, possessions have replaced affection.
What's your two cents?
Nick
Some choice excepts....
Quote:
Says Parker: "We're talking about serious talking back to teachers, profanity, even biting, kicking and hitting adults, and we're seeing it in 5-year-olds." And these are not the kids who have been formally labeled emotionally disturbed, says Nekedria Clark, who works in Parker's department. "We have our E.D. kids, and then we have our b-a-d kids."
Says Parker: "We're talking about serious talking back to teachers, profanity, even biting, kicking and hitting adults, and we're seeing it in 5-year-olds." And these are not the kids who have been formally labeled emotionally disturbed, says Nekedria Clark, who works in Parker's department. "We have our E.D. kids, and then we have our b-a-d kids."
Quote:
Across the country, he says, "violence is getting younger and younger." In the past five years, Stephens says, an increasing number of school districts in the U.S. have instituted special elementary schools for disruptive youngsters. "Initially, it was high schools that created these schools, then middle schools. Now it's elementary. Who would have thought years ago that this would be happening?" he asks.
Across the country, he says, "violence is getting younger and younger." In the past five years, Stephens says, an increasing number of school districts in the U.S. have instituted special elementary schools for disruptive youngsters. "Initially, it was high schools that created these schools, then middle schools. Now it's elementary. Who would have thought years ago that this would be happening?" he asks.
Quote:
"We aggressively report serious incidents regardless of the age of the child," says Paul Vallas, ceo of Philadelphia's schools, which serve 214,000 students. This year the largely poor urban district has already had 19 reports of weapons possession and 42 assaults by kids in kindergarten or first grade. Last year at the McDaniel elementary school alone, there were 21 assaults in the first two months of school, including one by a kindergartner who punched a pregnant teacher in the belly.
"We aggressively report serious incidents regardless of the age of the child," says Paul Vallas, ceo of Philadelphia's schools, which serve 214,000 students. This year the largely poor urban district has already had 19 reports of weapons possession and 42 assaults by kids in kindergarten or first grade. Last year at the McDaniel elementary school alone, there were 21 assaults in the first two months of school, including one by a kindergartner who punched a pregnant teacher in the belly.
Now of course the article speculates as to the causes. Most news reports have to blame something whether it is true or not. I'm more interested in what the views are on here.
I can tell you my own views on this as a school teacher. My beliefs flow along a couple of lines. First (come on Grove get ready to type) I say where are the men? The overwhelming number of these cases are likely boys. As a male elementary school teacher I am often told by parents and administrators that I am the only or one of a few male figures these boys encounter.
The second issue is day care. I worked in a day care center for a period of time before I started teaching. I would watch parents drop these children off at 6 AM with unbrushed teeth and hair, (still practically asleep) and they would be handing me late charges picking them up at 6:15 PM. No standard of living is worth doing that to a child. I say this because the place I worked was in La Palma, California where the average home is about $500k. In otherwords these kids aren't in day care for 12 hours so they can eat and not live in poverty.
Lastly is just the unwillingness of anyone to do anything physically to these children. I'm not talking about beatings or spankings. I'm talking about just physically restraining the child. I say this because about once every 2 years or so I will have to physically restrain a child. I've memorized the ed code on this area and to summerize it nicely, it basically says that if the child is out of control, I could sit on him or her if necessary. (it is always a him though)
Believe it or not the administrators, and with good reason, still worry about the parents flipping out. The child is totally out of control, ready to cause harm or already has caused harm to others around him and the concern of course is, "Yes but you touched him in order to stop him." All my incidences have involved holding children by the wrists until they get some control over themselves. (instead of throwing fists, desks, chairs, pencils, etc.) Administration is always concerned the parent will throw a fit, and it is well justified because 99 out of 100 times they do.
"How dare you lay hands on my child."
"Mrs. Smith, your child was held by the wrists because he was throwing books at other students. He had already hit two in the head by the time the teacher took action."
(Not even listening) "No one should ever touch my child."
"Mrs. Smith, it would be really nice if your child followed that belief and then we wouldn't be discussing a three day suspension."
(Still not listening) "I'm going to go complain to the district office and have you and him fired"
"Mrs. Smith, here, why don't you also bring them the copy of the police report we had taken against your son for assault."
That conversation is not a hypothetical. I watched it take place involving a fourth grade boy.
When I speak about physically, I also mean hugs and affection. I will hug a student from the side if they have requested it in some fashion, but otherwise, not a chance because who knows who will claim what. These children are out of the care of their parents for more and more hours each day. All the other people they encounter can't tackle them and tickle them, give them hugs or kisses, or for boys especially, demonstrate ways to channel that aggression and impulsiveness that don't involve harming others.
As a teacher, I can replace a parents supervision, but I can never replace their love and affection. The problem appears to be that even if the children are at home, possessions have replaced affection.
What's your two cents?
Nick
Comments
I think that what trumptman says is correct. I think it is necessary sometimes for a child to be restrained, but I don't think that it is necessary to have police on a K-5 campus. Any teacher, male or female, should be able to restrain a K-5 age child (there will be exceptions to this however).
This is why people should have to get a license to have children. Make sure they are up to the task first, put them through classes, make sure they are ready, than allow them to have kids. There are too many unqualified parents out there.