Bad Kids in Class [Palm Beach teachers: 'We leave teaching because of kids' bad behavior.']

Bad kids in class

By Shannon Colavecchio and Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

During an unruly school assembly at Forest Hill High, a student hit veteran English teacher Tadziu Trotsky upside the head as he tried to maintain order. The strike left his temple swollen.

Trotsky has watched students tear down blinds in his classroom and walked in to find their obscene messages written on the walls.

He has been cursed at countless times and called unprintable names by students who didn't feel like doing his assignments or following his orders.

"After a while, you don't want to say anything to the kids because you're afraid of what they'll do," he said.

Little by little during his 35-year teaching career, Trotsky's excitement for teaching great literary works waned in the face of these increasingly defiant students, who are too busy calling him names and destroying the classroom to care much about Othello and Robert Frost.

By the time he left the school in 1996, even the honors students were coming in with bad attitudes.

"It was awful, gut-wrenching really," said Trotsky, who now teaches at the Sabal Palm alternative school in West Palm Beach. Sabal Palm is one of 29 district alternative education programs, established especially for students with repeated, serious discipline problems.

Ironically, Trotsky finds the teaching is more tolerable at Sabal Palm because the school is strict enough and students' time managed tight enough that it cuts down on discipline problems.

During interviews with dozens of Palm Beach County teachers and school district officials, The Palm Beach Post heard account after account of chaotic classrooms where smart-aleck students make a habit of disobedience -- stealing teachers' attention and disrupting learning for the rest of the children.

Teachers interviewed said student discipline problems are the worst they've ever been, and district records show the number of student disciplinary infractions reported has risen sharply among middle schoolers. Teachers describe schools where administrators brush aside behavior problems for fear of a negative image or they're overwhelmed with other duties, and where parents provide little support to educators. Consider: At Roosevelt Middle School, a student spit in a teacher's coffee, and at West Riviera Elementary, two girls got into a fight so nasty that one smashed a coffee pot to use the sharp edges as a weapon. Students have thrown desks at teachers and threatened to have them beaten up.

Teachers -- often only in private teacher lounges or on the condition they not be identified -- complain that student behavior is their No. 1 problem, and it's getting worse.

Marjorie Haughton, a teacher at Belvedere Elementary in West Palm Beach, hasn't been hit or threatened or called bad names.

But she is leaving her profession this summer after 20 years because she is tired of constantly reprimanding her students and seeing her classroom control tactics fizzle amid students who are "deceitful."

She used to put marbles in jars, and the team of students who got the most marbles for good behavior would win a prize. Then students started putting their own marbles in the jars behind her back. If she wrote points on the blackboard for the teams to rack up, some student would brush by them "on accident" and erase the points.

"I'm tired of playing those games," she said. "It's a doggy biscuit training thing. If they don't see you holding the biscuit, they won't do the right thing just because it's the right thing to do."

School records for the past two school years -- 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 -- show unruly student behavior rose districtwide, up to 211,082 incidents last year from 205,605 incidents the year before.

It's difficult for teachers to teach and students to learn amid the misbehavior of a comparatively small number of children wreaking large amounts of havoc on the classroom.

Those unruly few cost the district $18.3 million each year in alternative education programs for them.

School officials attribute the deepening problem to a variety of factors: district administrators afraid they'll be sued for disciplining too harshly; principals, afraid of the "bad school" label, who downplay teachers' concerns; a societal shift that has left educators, in the eyes of both parents and students, at the bottom of the totem pole of respect; and broken families run by dysfunctional parents or relatives who don't know how to raise children.

Some have problems at home

Consider from a student's perspective:

A child at Okeeheelee Middle School started acting out. When administrators investigated, the student was found to be living by himself in a trailer home after his mother left him. A little girl at Barton Elementary has dreams about killing people. A grandmother is raising eight children, one of whom is falling asleep in class because she has to help take care of her siblings.

"In the old days, when I was in school, teachers got classrooms where students were ready and willing to learn," said Alison Adler, director of the district's Safe Schools Center. "Now you get students with barriers like being behind academically, coming from unstable homes. They get frustrated and they act out."

Adler conceded it's mostly discipline problems -- and not low salaries or the school violence concerns that have garnered so much attention -- that beat down teachers and prompt many of them to flee the profession.

"The bulk of the problems in our classrooms are the three D's: disruptive behavior, disorderly conduct, disrespectful language," Adler said.

Discipline is especially problematic in middle schools, according to a Palm Beach Post analysis of school district figures, based on incidents reported by school administrators.

Students in the district's middle schools last year committed 108,630 incidents, from stealing and pulling a false fire alarm to cheating and battery. That averages to three incidents for every middle school student.

Most significantly, just over two-thirds of those incidents -- 75,970 -- were discipline problems affecting the classroom: disruptive behavior, disobedience and insubordination, rules violations and disrespectful language.

Last year's incidents in those categories marked a 13 percent increase from the 1999-2000 year, when administrators reported 89,959 incidents, or 2.6 incidents for every middle school student. Of that year's total, 66,012 incidents reported were for disruptive behavior, disobedience and insubordination, rules violations and disrespectful language.

The numbers are not as high in elementary and high schools, where reported incidents actually decreased from 1999-2000 to 2000-2001. But students in grades K-5 and 9-12 have the same tendency toward the "three D's" as middle schoolers, according to The Post analysis.

For example, high school administrators last year reported 74,793 incidents, or nearly two incidents per student. Of the incidents, 49,264 were cases of disobedience, disruptive behavior, rules violations and disrespectful language.

In elementary schools, 19,483 of the 27,659 incidents reported last year were in those categories.

Dave Benson of the district's Safe Schools Center, which keeps track of student discipline reports, cautioned that the statistics might not accurately reflect what's going on from one school to the next.

One principal might be vigilant about documenting every student who comes into the principal's office; another might handle incidents like back-talking and cursing without paperwork.

And changes in reporting requirements from year to year have left many administrators confused about how to document incidents, Benson said. Just this year, district officials unveiled a new, more uniform reporting form for administrators that has a host of new categories, including "repetitive disobedience" and "disruptive play."

Teachers counter that some administrators aren't confused; they just don't report everything because they don't want to paint a less-than-rosy picture of their schools.

Action taken immediately

Egret Lake Elementary Principal Amy Sansbury said she tries to handle discipline problems immediately and has even hired a special teacher whose only job is to work with misbehaving students.

"We need to be able to provide teachers with the means to be able to teach the whole time they are in the classroom," Sansbury said.

But principals also admit that support is inconsistent.

Ellyn Smith, president-elect of the Florida Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals, said problems with contacting parents sometimes can make it appear that the administration is dragging its heels on discipline issues.

Most principals address problems based on the severity of the incident, Smith said. This could leave teachers with minor misbehavior issues waiting while bigger problems are addressed.

"The teacher may feel that it should be dealt with immediately, but there could be extenuating circumstances that delay the issue," Smith said.

Middle school special education teacher Jay Back said he spends 30 percent of his time dealing with student behavior. That's 16 minutes in each class period, leaving just 34 minutes for actual instruction.

During a year's time, maintaining student discipline eats up 48 hours from each of Back's classes.

Students who repeatedly misbehave in class also carry a hefty price tag for taxpayers.

If the students are placed in one of the district's 29 alternative education programs, the annual individual cost to educate them could climb from about $5,150 to $8,051.

Nearly 2,300 Palm Beach County students are now in alternative education programs, whose annual budgets total $18.3 million. Much of that money goes to keeping class sizes at 17 students.

The majority of alternative education schools, some of which are run by the Department of Juvenile Justice or contracted out to private companies, are for students with discipline problems.

And there's no shortage of applicants. Nearly 800 students were reviewed for alternative education seats before the beginning of this semester, recommended for placement by frustrated administrators or parents.

"Alternative education is expensive, and if you want to help kids, you need funding," said Shelley Vana, president of Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association. "We don't want teachers worrying that if they put a student out of their classroom, another teacher in the school will have to handle it. We want the student put in a school where they'll get help."

Superintendent Art Johnson says maintaining discipline requires a constant vigil.

"Curriculum is the lifeblood of the school, and discipline is the backbone, the spine that holds things up," Johnson said. "If you don't have that discipline, that structure, learning doesn't happen."

A no-nonsense system can be implemented districtwide, but "it takes a considerable amount of time when you're talking about 150 schools," led by administrators with different styles and levels of experience, he said.

Teachers must set the tone

Education experts say teachers must set the tone of the classroom from the first day. Yet in most colleges and universities, courses in classroom management aren't required for a teaching certificate. Moreover, teachers say student behavior shouldn't be all their responsibility.

Where are the parents, they ask.

"You simply can't put this all on teachers," said University of Virginia professor Robert Pianta, who specializes in classroom management and student behavior.

Sometimes, the problem lies in the parents, who can be as ill behaved as the students, Pianta said.

"I think every principal has had the experience when a child gets in trouble, we call the parents and they just come in and scream at us," said Terry Costa, principal of Christa McAuliffe Middle in suburban Boynton Beach. "I can't imagine my parents ever doing that. Years ago, I think there was a respect that entire families, our society, instilled for teachers."

But the problems vary from school to school and classroom to classroom.

Harry Winkler, a teacher at Forest Hill High since 1972, says his students are increasingly apathetic and disinterested in learning, but they generally don't misbehave.

Scott McNichols, a 26-year-old teacher at Westward Elementary School in West Palm Beach, said his fifth-grade students are so well behaved he rarely has to raise his voice.

He said he sets a serious tone in his classroom from day one and follows through with consequences for each student who breaks a rule.

"Every year, of course, it's something new," McNichols said. "Behavior management is one of those things where you just have to try different things and see what works for you."

Staff writer Mary Ellen Flannery and database editor Christine Stapleton contributed to this report.

OK, and here's another component: if kids have the option of taking a 1-2 year leave of absence after 8th grade, because they fail the tests for high school entrance or they are too much of a discpline problem, then, they have to turn in 52 weeks (if they decide to return to school after a year) or 104 weeks (if they take 2 years off) worth of paystubs from a job to qualify for their driving license. That would motivate a lot of kids to stay on a job.

And, if, after their leave they really don't want to return to school, or, they really don't want their job, then, they also have the option of entering a military boot camp (instead of these alternative schools that are often a waste of time), so they can prepare for a GED and join the military. I had 8th graders who actually wanted very much to serve in the military, but they hated school because of their low reading levels. Kids like that might choose a boot camp -- and benefit from it.

I am just trying to think out of the box here. What we have now is often not working...as you know!

After 8th grade, if a kid can't pass the tests or is a discipline problem, let the kid take a leave of absence -- and go out and work 40 hours per week in a low paying service job.

Agreed. Speaking as a product of FL government schools, I like this idea. Also, I'd like it if they institute a real "zero-tolerance" policy: any physical assault that's not made in self-defense on or off school grounds against another student will result in permanent expulsion and trial as an adult for battery, at the junior high and high school levels. If they see the value of an education while guests of the state, they can work on a GED. Something along these lines would get quite a few troublemakers out of the classroom for good. Now if they turn to criminal activity, they better not try my house while I'm at home, if they value their life. :-)

The "entrance exam" idea for high school is a good idea too, especially if at the college level they chuck Gen-Ed over the side. That's two less years wasted on stuff you should've acquired in high school, and two more years actually learning stuff for a degree.

Ironically, Trotsky finds the teaching is more tolerable at Sabal Palm because the school is strict enough and students' time managed tight enough that it cuts down on discipline problems.

He and all these other disillusioned teachers ought to think about hiring themselves out as tutors for homeschooled high schoolers! They'll have a group of kids who are EAGER to learn, and they would probably be a great source of comfort for parents who would love for their kids to be homeschooled for high school, but don't have as much confidence in their abilities as they did with the elementary work. The teachers may not make as much money, but it would be way less stressful, and they would not have to worry about being threatened with bodily harm!

Thank you so much for your post, adx. I'm very grateful for your support of my post there.

BTW, if I had any interest in politics in terms of running for office -- well, I am not kidding: I would propose this idea. I know it is too radical for some, but I think for many people, it makes sense.

I do feel education should be available for those who want it, but for others -- including those students described in this article, who believe school is just a another word for zoo -- let them out already. I really think it would help on so many levels: by working fulltime at jobs, some of those kids might mature and become motivated; the schools would immediately be less crowded; more teachers would remain in teaching; the learning environment of schools would improve, etc.

Wish I had it in me to run for office. I'll bet FL voters would seriously consider this.

Why are the politicians NOT talking more about these kind of issues in this FL election year?

Hopefully, as we get closer to the elections, we will hear more about this issue from the candidates. You are doing a fine job of educating us here on FR and elsewhere about the progress that Jeb has made here in Florida. He should hire you to advise his campaign!

Having said that, I really believe that many of the needed changes can and must be made on the local level. School superintendents, school boards, and administrators need to listen to what teachers and parents are saying, and change policies based on those recommendations. Politicians and teachers unions have their own agendas that often are at odds with what is best for the students. The best thing lawmakers can do is to pass laws that allow local school districts set policies that are in the best interests of students, and not try to micro-manage school policy.

LOL...thanks for your kind words, Truth Addict!

BTW, Gov. Bush has passed a law giving local school districts more flexibility in their spending.

And, I agree with you -- in theory -- that change should come from the local level, but I must tell you: in a non-partisian Public Agenda survey, a full 70% of teachers said they believe are not heard at the local level.

I have seen decisions made in school districts that go against what the teachers, parents and students want. School boards and administrators often do what only they want.

For example, it's very frustrating to watch an entire community protest a decision to spend $14 million to build more administrative office buildings, instead of spending that money on students and teachers -- and see 5 people on the Board of Ed say to a community: Too bad, tough luck, we are spending that money on new offices anyway.

I don't know how this changes -- I guess we wait until the next election.

I have seen decisions made in school districts that go against what the teachers, parents and students want. School boards and administrators often do what only they want.

That is because, like most politicians and bureaucrats, they become entrenched in their own little fiefdoms, and lose sight of their purpose, which is to create and maintain an excellent educational environment, and instead only act in a way that enhances their own power base.

If we approach this using a business model, the school board corresponds to a board of directors, school administrators to executives, teachers to those who produce the product, and parents as the consumers, we can see how to prioritize things. Teachers know more about how to improve the product because they are the ones producing it, and see the results immediately, so they should have more say in what changes need to be made. Administrators should see to it that the business is run efficiently and productively, and keep out of issues that are beyond their expertise. The board should be attentive to the voice of the consumer (the parents) who have the most at stake in the quality of the product, which is the education of their children.

This is not a perfect analogy by any means, but I think it gives us an idea about who should have a greater voice in making educational decisions. Teachers have the most knowledge about what works and what doesn't, and parents have the most at stake in the results.

You're right and wrong. I see by your profile page that you are rather young, and I'd guess that you don't have children yet.

That is correct ma'am, but it doesn't mean that my opinion is any less valid (not to imply that that's what you meant). I was pretty badly beaten as a child for the same reasons as set forth on this thread and for what? I never drank, I never smoked, I never took the car out, I always ate my peas (take that Homeschool Mama), I never did anything. And on top of that, I was a pretty sickly kid. I had heart problems and such. But as a first child in a household where my parents (God Bless them) were young and inexperienced, they didn't know how to handle the most benign of "infractions," if one could even call them that. It wasn't me that was out of control, as my parents would readily admit today, having had more children since - It was THEM. I was just a guinea pig. And while I'd like to think that I turned out okay, I know some issues I may have are a direct result of the "physical discipline" and I know I would be a heck of a lot happier if it never happened. Now granted, we're not just talking about a swat on the backside. We're talking about some more severe stuff. But as I say in almost all of my posts, beware of the slippery slope. Also beware that just because you think you're not hitting your child hard doesn't mean you aren't. The psychological effects are more damaging than the physical ones. For me, it got to the point where if my mom or dad raised their hand to run it through their hair, I would flinch all the way across the room. I was terrified. The only thing this form of discipline taught me was fear and anger. And it only ended when I fought back and believe you me, it was brutal.

I'd agree that some corporal punishment can be abusive, but there is also a place for it. For older children, a discussion and/or taking away privileges is often more effective. My teenager would rather be spanked, because it would be over quickly - doing without the telephone for a few days is much more painful!

Agreed, but I think taking away of privileges could be equally effective for a younger child. Its just like the death penalty argument. As a Catholic, I'm pro-life and no matter how much it may pain me to be anti-death penalty, I am. And the solice I find in this position is the fact that a lifetime in solitary confinement is twenty thousand times worse than death. A week without TV/video games for a young child is an eternity. The child would learn his/her lesson and thankfully, he/she won't flinch the next time you raise your hand to scratch your head.

On the other hand, you'd be amazed at the value a quick swat or two can have for a younger child!

Maybe. You could also be amazed by the amount of harm you could do as well. Its a crapshoot - do you want to risk it?

I think part of the value of spankings at school was the "humiliation factor" - but then, I think a lot of what is wrong with children now is that we're too worried about their "self-esteem" and not worried enough about giving them a sense of responsibility and a sense of shame when they've done wrong.

Well, I can't speak to the "humiliation" factor thing, as I've never been spanked in school. Like I said before, I wouldn't trust that kind of responsibility with a teacher. But think of it this way, if humiliation is a good way to teach your child a lesson, why not make him/her stand naked in the middle of the street with a big sign reading "I've been a bad boy?" That would be pretty humiliating, but is that the best way to handle the situation? Look at the very word "humiliation" and determine whether you would actually want to do that to your child in his/her formative years. I know I wouldn't.

"he's only 12 but huge for his age"

i'm no vegetarian, but have you ever seen what "minority" kids eat? no wonder they're huge. heaping portions of meat, junk food including chips and ice cream, rice, whole milk, tahitian treat, sprite, gallons of koolaid, very few vegetables. meat (with the help of the foodstamp program) is served at every meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) it is generally fried in shortening, bacon drippings or lard.

i'm not surprised these kids are giant and starting puberty much earlier than, say even 20 years ago. they're also having severe health problems due to diet and of course, medicaid is paying for it (not to mention all the gunshot and stabbing wounds, premies and drug/alcohol abuse programs)

bringing back paddling and uniforms is a start, but these kids already have no fear or respect for anyone.

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