Or a Grandma will do.
Posted on 05/29/2008 6:02:52 AM PDT by yankeedame
Parents Sent 5-Year-Old to School With Tape Recorder
By JONANN BRADY
May 27, 2008
Ignorant. Pathetic. Self-absorbed.
Those are some of the harsh names an Indiana kindergarten teacher called one of her students, and the boy's parents captured it all on tape.
Five-year-old Gabriel Ross complained over the school year that his teacher, Kristen Woodward, was being mean to him, said his mother Tabitha McMahan and stepfather J.R. Edwards. Gabriel told them other kids didn't like him because he was "bad and stupid."
When he began acting out at home, they decided to take action and try to find out what was going on in the classroom. So in mid-April, McMahan and Edwards sent Gabriel to school with a tape recorder in the pocket of his cargo pants.
What they heard over four hours of tape shocked them. Woodward can be heard telling Gabriel that he had "tortured and tormented" her and other teachers all year.
"I've been more than nice to you all year long and you've been ignorant, selfish, self-absorbed, the whole thing! I'm done!" Woodward says to Gabriel on the tape.
She continues: "Something needs to be done because you are pathetic! If me saying these words to you hurt, I hope it does because you're hurting everyone else around you."
Gabriel can be heard crying on the tape.
"You think it's bad when you see it on paper, but when you are hearing the way she says it to him. I can't even talk about it," McMahan told ABC affiliate WHAS, breaking into tears.
Edwards said that the worst part of the tape was when Woodward singled Gabriel out in front of the whole class.
"So you guys think, is that somebody you want to be with?" Woodward asks the class.
In unison, the other students reply, "Noooo." "See, your friend doesn't want to be with you. I don't know what else to tell you. So you're not going to have friends because of your actions."
Teacher Suspended
After 13 years of teaching, Woodward has been suspended indefinitely, according to the Indiana State Teachers Association.
The teachers' association is defending Woodward, saying that she "lost her cool" that day and hasn't had a chance to tell her side of the story.
Carol Mooney, a spokeswoman with the Indiana State Teachers Association, told the New Albany News and Tribune newspaper that Woodward is well liked by co-workers, parents and students and that she had trouble with Gabriel all year.
"What do you say to a kid who's rolling around, punching, biting, kicking? What can a teacher do?" Mooney said to the newspaper.
Woodward did not respond to phone messages from ABC News.
The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. issued a statement saying, "Privacy issues and policy prohibit school officials from discussing ongoing investigations of employee misconduct."
Parents Worry About Long-Term Effect
Gabriel's stepfather, J.R. Edwards, told ABCNEWS.com that all the children in the class are given weekly progress reports and have frequent meetings with the teacher. He said Gabriel's reports had both "smiley faces" for good behavior and "frown faces," which indicates the student needs help in a certain area.
Gabriel's reports said he was sometimes "disruptive" and didn't keep his hands to himself.
Two weeks into the school year, Edwards said Woodward talked about setting up a "behavioral plan" for Gabriel, but when he approached Woodward to discuss the plan, she allegedly said, "I don't have time for this."
Edwards also said that Gabriel's behavior at home didn't make them think he was acting up at school.
"He's not perfect, but he's not out of control," Edwards said.
After hearing the tape, Edwards and McMahan pulled Gabriel out of school and are trying to figure out which school to send him to next year.
They are also exploring the possibility of pursuing a civil or criminal action against Woodward and the school district.
But Edwards said they are most concerned about the psychological impact the entire situation has had on Gabriel.
"I hope this doesn't affect him long-term, in his feelings about school or teachers," Edwards said. "We're going to seek some kind of help for him."
Well the kid had been written up numerous times so I think the parents have things to answer for in this situation. Too darn many parents send their kids off to school with the idea that the teachers are supposed to teach them the things the parents should be teaching them at home. If the kid has been written up as indicated on this mornings news they he should be suspended.
My dad had a rule - if I got spanked at school I got spanked at home and I was guilty without trial. Both he and the school understood the quickest way to reach my head was to heat up my behind and I don’t think it has affected me in any shape, form or fashion.
She lost her cool no doubt and teaching is a low-paying, stressful job.
And no I am not a teacher before someone gets that idea.
...or perhaps FOOTball.
Yes. Thank you.
If anything, THAT teacher is even sicker than this one.
Once upon a time, school systems used to have special education classes for special needs children. Nowadays, not only does a teacher have to put up with kids that can't understand English, but have to put up parents and administrations that turn their backs when they try to point out that a child has (real) problems.
“. Teachers can do nothing to discipline kids and get little or no help from administration. We live in a PC world with no consequences for kids actions and parents who can’t believe little Johnny could be so bad. “
We have a winner.
I also noticed the parents had been told repeatedly...via written notices...about the unacceptable behavior displayed by the child in the classroom.
Funny how that stuff never seems to make an impact on the story. I’d like to know how the parents responded to those notices.
Frankly, the whole system is screwed up, imo. Maybe little Johnny should’ve had some corporal punishment applied to his arse.
But then the parents would’ve been up in arms over that.
Have you noticed that almost all of these **daily** reports of school outrages occur in schools that would be considered “good” schools? What is rarely reported is the abuse ( sexual, physical, and emotional) that students inflict on each other. ( Probably because it is so common it is not news.)
Yet,...There are posters on this board who **insist** that their child's school never has any of these problems. Hey! Some have even stated that their child's school allows religious Christmas carol or two. (Wow! Talk about denial!)
stepfather J.R. Edwards. Significant?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Absolutely!
Contact the parents?
good idea.
Yes. We treat our imprisoned criminals FAR better than we treat public school students.
(NO sarcasm)
There are several probelms evident here:
1) Parents expect teachers to deal with their children and make them into respectable adults.
2) Teachers expect parents to deal with their children and make them into respectable adults.
3) Teachers are severly limited on what forms of discipline can be used.
4) Parents do not discipline their children.
5) Kindergartners tend to be ignorant and self-absorbed, which to many adults is pathetic, and always somebody else’s problem to deal with.
“”What do you say to a kid who’s rolling around, punching, biting, kicking? What can a teacher do?” Mooney said to the newspaper.
Contact the parents?”
From the article:
“Gabriel’s reports said he was sometimes “disruptive” and didn’t keep his hands to himself. “
Sounds like that had been done several times beforehand.
This child is likely still too immature for a Prussian model, factory-like school setting. My advice to the parents would be to wait a few years.
It's no surprise that the child on the receiving end of the teacher's scorn was a boy. Modern (especially female) teachers seem to have a difficult time comprehending that little boys are not little girls. Fidgetyness and inattentiveness are characteristics that young women teachers are ill-prepared to deal with. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this teacher was documenting her difficulties in an effort to elicit a request for testing for the famous "little boys' diseases" called ADHD. It's sad that the boy had to endure the teacher's anti-social behavior for so long. Perhaps she too could do with some testing and perhaps some "medication" for her apparent illness. The result of this episode will not be to repair the damage done, it will be to forbid taping devices in schools so teachers will never again be so easily ensnared and held accountable for their bad behavior.
The apple does not from the tree far falleth.
What are you, a frustrated writer or something? Why not just say the apple does not fall far from the tree? What is this falleth crap?
The public education system - not just in the United States but in general - if not a collosal failure than it is close. I remember reading a Thomas Sowell column a few years back where he stated that the average SAT scores of high school seniors in Pennslyvania were higher than the average SAT scores of their teachers. I believe it!
Because we moved around a lot when I was growing up, I went to nine different public schools. These are the teachers I remember - Mrs Fisher - first grade - pulled kids by the ears and rapped knuckles.
Mrs Freeze - second grade - only because of the name.
Mrs Polly - ninth grade English - encouraged me to read and was supportive of my abilities.
Coach Talbott - had him 3 years for gym. No nonesense good guy.
Mrs East - senior year English teacher - like Polly above.
Mr Bane - he smacked a female student in front of the class.
I remember other teachers - not by name - but because of their actions. One teacher threw chalk. Another would pinch students. Others made fun of students.
So don't tell me how bad teachers have it. If you don't like the job, get the hell out!
When my, now 21, daughter was in K, her class had a “problem” child, a boy, that disrupted class and was a fighter, biter, and kicker. My wife was a volunteer mom that worked with the teacher to try and keep things running smoothly in the class. It was apparent that this boy needed “help” that was way beyond the teacher’s pay grade. They could not just “drop” the kid out of class or “transfer” him to a “special ed” class for many legal reasons. What they had to do was literally document every instance of this kid’s bad behavior on paper in a “log” with times and dates and the description of the incident. It took half the school year and many pages of “documentation” to eventually present to the principal and school bureaucracy to get this kid removed from the class, and of course the parent (single guy) had a fit...............
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