Discipline in the Schools?
Does it cause teacher burnout?
Teachers had their noses broken. Some, more than once.They have been spat upon. Threatened. Tires slashed. Software stolen. Lockers broken into. Cars keyed. Physically battered.. Verbally threatened. ...get the message?
Ordingary teachers doing extraordinary jobs.
Today's teachers are expected to blow off a lot of abuse from students. Especially special educators. Threats, physical blows, etc. may all be a part of a student's exceptionality. A kid yells at you about having sex with your mother and your disciplinarian tells you it's part of his exceptionality. But, it probably isn't. Is he just too lazy to read the IEP?
When calling a parent becomes too routine, there are: referrals to the administration forms, behavior reports, detentions, lunch detentions and remedial work. But, sometimes the only thing that can bring relief in the classroom is the referral. Troublemakers do not care about after-school detentions. Most of them refuse to go anyway. They don't worry about phone calls to home - they can get a brother or sister to disguise his/her voice. Today, after asking a student to please calm down and get back to work, a teacher relayed that a student yelled back, "You writing me up, huh? Do what you gotta do!"
School administrators are scared that too many referrals may mean that a kid is expelled. Too many expulsions will not look good to system administrators. Or in the eyes of school board members. Thus, they do not want to handle many at all. Most school administrators relay the feeling that if the teacher refers too many students, he/she will suddenly see an administrator visiting his/her classroom. They may tell the teacher that he/she is lacking in classrooom management skills. And, out of the woodwork one of them does show up to see what YOU'RE doing wrong! Nevermind the ill-mannered kid who who has just suggested that you have sexual relations with your mother. Nevermind the kid who has just thrown a music CD at you.
Teachers, fight back!