your kids in the classroom. There are are more "macro" problems facing
RISD (budget shorfalls, etc) but those things do not occur in the
classroom.
It is common to say that kids are less polite, more informal, more
easily distracted, and less academically engaged. That may be the case
to one degree or another, but those are challenges and not crises. I am
talking about behavior that has a devastating effect on the academic
environment. This, in turn, affects how your kid performs in school and
how s/he feels about school. This behavior is poisonous, corrupting,
immensely counterproductive.
I am talking here about self-described "thugs", "gangstas". Their
words, not mine. Thugs come from many backgrounds although patterns do
reveal themselves in places.
I will try to accurately describe the behavior of the thug from the
classroom teacher's point of view. If you think I'm exaggerating print
this off and give the description below to your RISD [student] to see how much of
this sounds familiar. AP kids might not see this stuff as much (see
below) but the rest sure do FAR more often than a taxpaying RISD parent
would like.
PASS PERIOD
Our student spends the pass period sprinting and ducking in the
hallways, hollering at great volume. Extra points for hitting,
slapping, or shoving other students.
START OF CLASS
Our student is not present at the start of class.
He makes a grand entrance after class has begun, disrupting the
teacher's explanation of the day's lesson. This entrance could include
dancing into/across the room, hollering at some other student tardy in
the hallway, or hollering at a student in the same classroom.
After the initial stage of the entrance is complete the extended
wandering period begins. Wandering includes exaggerated, slow swagger
up and down the aisles delaying taking a seat as long as possible.
Bonus points for slapping people on the head, kicking desks, or knocking
items off other students' desks while traversing the aisle.
SuperBonus points for responding to teacher's "please sit down" request
with "I'm about to sit down" or the Kafkaesque "I AM sitting down".
This would be a good time to relate the list of school-related materials
the student brought with him: Nothing. No paper, no notebook, no
pencil. Maybe no ID. Definitely not whatever might have been due that day.
CLASS TIME
The class gets to work on the assignment, except our student who insists
he doesn't understand the assignment. I believe him because:
1. he missed part of the explanation because of his tardiness
2. he actually hasn't looked at the assignment. It is likely
face-down, upside down, or on the floor.
Another version goes like this:
Teacher: here is your copy of the assignment.
Student: (looks at paper for a moment) This too easy! We already done
this one!
Classroom: No, we haven't.
[a few minutes pass]
Student: This too hard! We don't know nothin' about this!
Classroom: Yes we do, we've been working on [whatever skill] the last 3
days.
Students: [groans / curses / refuses to do the work]
Student continually disrupts working peers with horseplay, physical
aggression and wildly inappropriate comments. Frequently the comments
are so loud and so offensive they must be addressed immediately.
Saying these things in a workplace would likely result in "hostile
workplace" litigation.
Teacher: Focus on your assignment, and stop the conversation, please.
Student: [continues obscene yammering]
Teacher: [using proximity and more direct language] Use appropriate
language in school, and hold your voice down. It's time to work on your
assignment. You are distracting other students.
Student: (turning to teacher) I ain't talkin' to you, ni__ah! Don't be
listenin' to our private conversation!
The mind boggles. I maintain that one is unlikely to reform a student
with this response to guidance from authority.
The student has many tales about why he must leave the room: bathroom,
water, counselor, coach, clinic, "gotta do something", etc.
Or consider this testing scenario:
Teacher: we are having a test [provides normal test guidelines,
including having only a pencil on the desk, everything else under the
desk, no talking, etc.]
[students make progress on test. Some finish, turn in their test, and
ask for a bathroom or water fountain break. Teacher grants it.]
Student: I gotta get a drink of water.
Teacher: have you turned in your test?
Student: No.
Teacher: You can go after you turn in your test.
Student: Why?
Teacher: You cannot leave the room /while/ you're taking a test.
Student: [some other student] went [wherever].
Teacher: s/he already turned in the test.
Student: so can I go get a drink of water?
Teacher: after you turn in your test.
Student: You racis'. ("you are a racist" or "you are racist")
Boggle. What can you say to change the behavior of a student who
believes enforcing the rules equally for everyone is racist? Worse, how
do you change the behavior of a student who /pretends/ to believe that?
I think the latter is even worse. It's more manipulative. I
There is more. Tons more. But you get the idea and I don't to wallow
through the mire. Tired of writing this kind of negative stuff.
END OF CLASS
Student, having made little or no progress (not even writing his name on
the paper), folds up the work and pockets it several minutes before the
end of class. When encouraged to continue, he says "There is only [x]
minutes left; I couldn't do anything in [x] minutes. Student begins
finding excuses to get near the door: putting a book up, sharpening a
pencil (your loaner pencil he just broke in half so he could sharpen
it), etc. Hangs around the door. Starts /leaning/ out of the door,
signalling friends, hollering to anyone else doing the End Of Class
Early Escape Plan. If the teacher does not catch this move the student
may just leave.
-= how teachers feel about this =-
I can't tell you how many times I've heard teachers say: "My class did
so well today. We covered /everything/. [thug student] was absent and
the class just sailed through the material. I feel guilty for saying
that but it's true. "
Think about that.
-= why RISD will ignore this problem =-
1. parents don't know what is happening
2. kids are so used to it that many don't realize a classroom does not
/have/ to be chaotic and intimidating.
3. MONEY. There are financial incentives that lead the ISD to want to
keep the kid enrolled, and enrolled in the district instead of placed in
JJP or other extreme remedies.
4. COR, RPD, and RISD have a unified desire to keep unpleasant things
hushed up. Makes us look great to all those young professionals Amir is
so obsessed with courting.
5. Fear.
-= What parents can do =-
Let your kid know that exposure to aggressive, inappropriate behavior
and language is not mandatory.
If your kid can/will do it, encourage them to take AP or other
academically challenging classes like physics and calculus. Thugs won't
go there.
Visit your kid's school. Get a badge and see what happens in the
hallways and the classrooms. If I'm making this stuff up, call me a
crank and sleep well. If I'm /not/ making this stuff up then the change
will need to come from you. I put in my two years and did the best I
could. If they'd hired me I'd still be in there fighting to get EVERY
kid the best education they would take. Thugs included. My own kid is in
college now so I have no direct stake in the game anymore. But I felt it
was my duty to share some of the concerns I have after spending time in
RISD classrooms. That chapter of my life is now closed.
I have a couple more posts then no more.
emailed in
2 comments:
I see a need for a taser. Would that get their attention? You have more patience than I would.
And we pay over $2000 a year in RISD taxes for what? To allow thugs to spoil the environment for children willing to learn?
Ultimately it is up to the school administration to do the right thing. That is what they are paid to do. Seeing a story like this means there is a fundamental breakdown in the leadership of the school. If this is indeed happening, the administrators, principals, and anyone else who tolerates this type of environment should be replaced.
Incredible..........
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