http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/20/alex-kindopp-iowa-mother-_n_1992679.html
This news report is about a teacher who had the class spit on one of the students because he was spitting himself. The class circled around him and “spit away.” She is now on leave as they investigate the situation.
I know we can all understand how kids can be very frustrating at times. There are clearly better ways to handle situations like this. How would you have handled this situation? What is an experience you had in which you were frustrated with a kid and how did you handle it?
I am with Hannah when I first read and watched this story. I cannot believe that someone who acts this way would dare call themselves an educator. As a teacher I believe it is our job to create a safe and respectful learning environment for each student. This teacher went against all that I believe about what it means to be a teacher. There is no excuse for her actions and I would not want her around any of my future children if that is what she sees as a proper way to discipline students.
I personally do not believe that the students actions required a harsh punishment (and certainly in no way did he deserve what he got). I think that if that was his first time you simply remind the student that that is not how we act in our class, tell him to say sorry to the student he did that to, and give him a warning. If he continues that behavior simply do not let him participate in class projects or activities. Then again if they continue have them leave the class. It does not have to be that big of a show in front of the class.
It’s hard to believe that the teacher allowed and encouraged this situation to happen. It reminds me of the quote by Ghandi “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. Just because the student spit, does not justify that the teacher/class reciprocate the behavior. I would like to know the actual root reason(s)/causes of why the student was spitting in the first place. The situation could have been handled in drastically better ways. As Hannah said, using 123 magic, token system, or other behavior/desist strategies could be beneficial.
I am actually so appalled by this. I cannot think of a situation where this would EVER be appropriate. We always talk in class about how kids are squirley, it’s in their nature. They do things, like spit, that maybe aren’t appropriate. But there are a million ways she could have handled this situation that didn’t shame the child. Not only was it completely embarrassing for him, but it was also a huge waste of time that the students could have been using to LEARN. I don’t believe it is ever appropriate to involve an entire class in punishing or disciplining another student. In addition this, if it was the first time that this had been a problem, I’d like to think that there are desist strategies she could have used that would not have disrupted the entire class. If something like “1, 2, 3 Magic” was implemented in the classroom, then spitting, which would be considered disrespectful/unkind, could have simply warranted a “1” (a warning). A system along these lines provides a basic structure with which the teacher can immediately and directly acknowledge a student’s negative behavior and allow the student the opportunity to redirect/change the behavior, without actually punishing the student for something so mild.
If it was a long term problem and this action came from the teacher being fed up, then there are even more ways in which she could have approached it. For instance, as soon as it started becoming a becoming an issue/distractiong/provlem (after a few times with the student not stopping after warnings), the teacher could have taken the student aside, in private, and asked him about his behavior. Why was he spitting? Did he think other people liked it? Was he mad, or was something bothering him that was causing him to do it? What are other more positive/sanitary ways that he could react if something is bothering him? Questions like these could help the teacher gain an understanding of why the behavior was happening, and also allow the student some time to reflect on his own behavior. The teacher and student could then make a goal together for how the behavior would be addressed in the future.
These are just some thoughts, but I’m sure we could discuss even more. Thanks for sharing, Mariah!