Posted on 11/06/2017 8:13:40 PM PST by nickcarraway
Afraid they'll lose their jobs, Tulsa teachers are enduring attacks from kindergartners, pre-K students
Tulsa Public Schools teachers across the district are enduring attacks from prekindergarten and kindergarten students, the head of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association told the school board on Monday.
With about a dozen teachers standing behind her, Patti Ferguson-Palmer, president of TCTA, said that when it comes to what to do about the attacks, teachers and administrators are frozen into inaction for fear of losing their jobs.
Ferguson-Palmer said she has observed classroom attacks and that, in some cases, teachers are afraid to have students use pencils and scissors in activities for fear that they will be used as weapons.
She said teachers are worried about losing their jobs if they block an unruly child from leaving the classroom or if they let a child leave the classroom, meaning theyre stymied whatever they do.
The attacks are often due to a childs reacting to external stresses, which triggers a fight or flight response, Ferguson-Palmer said.
The TCTA wants to work with the district to alleviate the situation and appreciates the efforts the district has made thus far, she said.
Ebony Johnson, executive director of student and family support services for the district, said theres a difference between a kindergarten or prekindergarten student throwing a chair and an older student doing the same thing.
Both behaviors are inappropriate. It is not OK, said Johnson. But a pre-K student struggles with impulsivity. They struggle with managing their emotions.
She said principals undergo training to deal with actions of students who have undergone trauma. The principals then train their teachers, she said.
I know there are teachers who feel as though there needs to be more support, said Johnson. She added that the district is working to gather more information and figure out where to bring in more support.
Karma catches up.
LOL...but not a fastball piece of chalk! Speaking strictly from observing other students getting beaned, of course. ;>)
Indeed it is a war zone. My deceased wife was routinely threatened. The worst was a giant of a kid backed her into a corner as he acted as if the knife he was holding was to be used to slash her.
I believe it was 3 days of suspension for the “child”.
Our teachers are forced to deal with way too much in the classroom. No support. Nothing. But she so loved her profession. It was for her a calling she could not say no to.
Pray for many of our teachers who stand on the front lines and try to fend off the borderline chaos of a fast declining civilization.
Excellent graphs that precisely show the problem.
Children too young to be in school
Good job America Education, you got rid of all Christian influence, bible reading, ten commandments and prayer. You teach evolution as gospel. Good Luck raising this generation of Philistines
Yeah...it didn’t take long to pinpoint the problem areas. The cowardly author and newspaper simply couldn’t tell the unvarnished truth.
**Lawyers have created an environment where teachers cannot function. **
May I respectfully differ.
I blame all the unqualified administrators who were hired as a part of *affirmative action* programs in all the large urban centers across the fruited plain in the 70s and 80s.
Not one of them would stand up to a parent [or child] who needed discipline. Many people blame the unions; that is not entirely true today b/c the teachers unions have lost the clout they used to have.
Principals and VPs are infused with a let’s all get along attitude. They are unwilling to take a stand. On anything. Most want to collect their lovely pension and leave after their 20 years. Most do not leave their office to see what is really going on in the classrooms. Admin is full of incompetents.
In my 33 years in the inner city, I had one VP [who didn’t stay long]. He happened to be a battle hard Marine and *nothing* would get by him. He was as tough on the parents as he was on the kids. Everyone knew where they stood. He would stand behind a teacher and enforce the rules. Great guy to work for.
And if your Mr. Razz ever called your parent, I would venture to guess, you’d have gotten some real discipline, when you got home. And things would straighten out. Boom! :)
Those days are gone. Public schools are holding places for many of these kids’ future prison sentences.
Future useful idiot protesters in training
I nearly got my ear twisted off by a 2nd grade teacher on my first day in her class in the early 60s. I didn’t act up again even once in her class and I still remember her name to this day.
Mrs Vince got my attention from that point forward.
Thuggish behavior way down at the K & Pre-K level is nothing new, at least for NYC. I have friends teaching el-ed and I hear many stories of filthy language, very violent behavior, sexual behavior, hitting the teacher, etc. in pre-K and classes of very early grades. I was once sitting in an orthopedist's office many years ago, to be treated for bursitis. The woman sitting next to me was covered in casts on several limbs.
"Oh dear, what happened? Were you in an auto accident?" I asked.
"No," she replied. "I'm an elementary school teacher and I was attacked by a student."
Wow.
Amazing what you can remember from 1958! :)
These are going to be the same creeps that expect (at least) equal results when the “grow up”.
Unless things have changed, regular K and P-K classroom teachers, at least in GA, have at least one aide. If the class is special ed, there might be 2 aides for perhaps 8 kids. A persistently out of control special ed student might warrant his own “keeper” in addition to the aides. Another odd thing about the article is that out of control classrooms aren’t the norm in OK imo, as Obama didn’t win a single OK county in either election iirc. Parents with enough sense to reject Obama have enough sense to avoid raising hellions.
There are an endless number of things wrong with schools.
But a strong contributing factor to some of this stuff is the fact that many parents simply do not raise their children. No discipline. No rules. No expectations. Hey, the teachers will do all that work, right?
Well, if the teachers do any of that stuff, they are likely to be fired. And also attacked by the parents.
Its a hopeless situation.
You are 100% correct. Some parents do not raise their children to have respect for others and property..
Might I suggest applying the board of education to the seat of knowledge?
My teacher in th 4th grade called the board of education “BIG BERTHA”
What happened to the bench outside the principals office for disruptive students?
That is not what they need> They need a Padded Cell!
Yep.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.