Leading From The Heart

by Tracy Rosen, teaching & consulting since 1996, blogging about it here since 2007. All views are my own and you should take them with a grain of salt, I do.

Category: Classroom

  • Looking back: Parents protest ‘time-out’ cage in classroom

    As part of my ‘looking back’ series, this is an article that keeps showing up in my stats even though it was written over 4 years ago. The question of discipline in schools is timeless and my mind returns to this story often. I wonder about Félix. What was his story? How was it that his behaviour was so unruly he warranted time in a fenced-in area? Were there background issues, like developmental delays, perhaps he was younger than his peers, perhaps the classroom was a frustrating place (perhaps? I should say likely…)? Whatever it was, I wonder if his needs were ever met. And I wonder if his teacher ever received support for her needs.

    Click here to see the original comments associated with Parents protest ‘time-out’ cage in classroom.

    Parents protest ‘time-out’ cage in classroom
    (Last Updated: Friday, February 9, 2007 | 3:09 PM ET CBC News)

    A Shawinigan, Que., teacher who put a nine-year-old student in a lattice cage for misbehaving will not face any disciplinary measures, school board officials said Friday.

    The boy’s parents discovered their son, Félix, had been kept in a makeshift cage at Shawinigan’s École St-Paul, after he complained to them he couldn’t see the blackboard.

    When they visited the school, they discovered he’d been spending several hours a week in the lattice cage….The local school board director, Claude Leclerc, told Radio-Canada the teacher did nothing wrong by using what he called a time-out area for a difficult student.

    I have a few thoughts about this…as I am sure many people do.

    My mind goes to a cartoon I saw on the Internet a few months ago. It is a picture of a boy, standing next to his desk, students sitting around him at their desks, and his teacher at her desk. At the back of the class is a huge cage with a pacing tiger and the caption is, “Well, Timmy. It looks like you’ve just earned yourself 10 minutes in the cage with Mr. Whiskers.”

    Extreme discipline cases like this reaffirm my belief that teachers are overwhelmed with all that they need to do in a day. An act like this seems desperate to me and I think that if we took the time to think about our values as people and educators, a decision such as to put a child in a caged in area – in front of his peers no less! – would not have been made.

    They also reaffirm my belief that we need to build more time into our lives as educators for professional development to help us in dealing with classroom difficulties like this and others. Personally, I think that MELS needs to provide us with time solutions (and the $$ to accompany them) to do so – especially given the present school context of inclusion, integration, and differentiation.

    And so, I don’t think that the teacher needs to receive disciplinary measures. Rather, I think that she needs to receive support that will assist her in making appropriate decisions regarding discipline in her classroom. Perhaps the rest of that particular school community could use some as well.

    But really, despite all that, I have to ask how could a measure like this have been instated by the teacher and school without parent permission?

    I don’t know the whole story, but that is a nagging question for me.

    Any thoughts?

  • A wish for my nephew as he starts school

    I have a nephew with special needs. He is a beautiful, caring 4-year old boy. He is also clumsy, he stutters, has a very limited vocabulary, and is constantly moving in an impulsive sort of way. He doesn’t understand the word no, he likes to dump things (including the contents of coffee mugs. His mother really likes that one. Especially when it happens on carefully cut out, ironed, and organized pieces of fabric for a quilt), and still isn’t potty trained. He has both fine and gross motor control issues, as well as what seems to be a central auditory processing disorder (non-diagnosed). (see this article about a woman living with central auditory processing disorder. It is one of the best descriptions of it I have come across.) None of this means he isn’t a bright boy. He is.

    Have you already forgotten that he is a beautiful, caring boy? My hope for him is that the teachers he meets throughout the school career ahead of him have the patience and clarity of thought to see this bright, beautiful caring boy, to not let him be reduced to the sum of the descriptive elements I sketched above.

    How can we ensure this happens? How can we create this particular hope for the future?

    Research – do your homework and visit schools, meet educators.
    His parents have already started the process by researching the best schools for him and meeting with his teachers before he began in their classroom to talk about his needs. Last year, though only 3 at the time, his needs were assessed and he began full-day schooling with educators who understand his need for structure and patience. They are also able to explicitly develop his fine and gross motor control skills as well as address some of his behavioural issues through a structured, goal oriented IEP (Individualized Education Plan).

    Follow up – keep the lines of communication open
    His parents have met with his teachers on an ongoing basis to have conversations about how he is doing and if he has met certain goals or if goals need to be modified. They keep the lines of communication open so that everyone is on the same page. They also talk about what he does well. They foster the beautiful, caring side of him.

    Be consistent – follow the same plans at home and school
    If educators are working diligently with your child, it is important to follow up what they are doing at home. Since my nephew’s behavioural issues are being addressed at school his parents can help his educators by following the same plans at home. Children with special needs crave consistency, structure, clear outcomes. Without this, they can spiral out of control and unwanted behaviours can increase. When a child ‘acts out’ he really is calling for structure in his life. When I showed this to my sister, for pre-posting approval, she commented with this:

    One thing I would add is that the parents are often at wits end and when discussing the needs of the child in the setting of the classroom – it would be lovely if those needs could be addressed in the home setting as well. We are often asking for help with how to deal with him At Home. It is frustrating to always hear that ‘he doesn’t do that here‘. We are finally reaching outside of the school system and getting psychologists involved.

    The teachers are great – and it helps to put his capabilities into perspective (often saddening) but they don’t come home with us.

    It’s a good thing that they are asking for help from psychologists though I think it would be good to also have one of their teachers come home with them and show them what to do. If ‘he doesn’t do that here’ then show his parents how to create an environment where he doesn’t do that at home as well!

    Be flexible – know when it is time to change
    Flexibility does not mean let him get away with things. Flexibility has to do with understanding that sometimes structures need to change. For example if one of your structures for a child is to correct him when you catch him doing something (like dumping a coffee cup) and you feel that you are constantly correcting him, well, that particular structure isn’t working. Be flexible, change it to work for you and your child. If you aren’t sure how to change it, speak with your child’s educators and even his doctors. They are such an important support for you because they are not your child’s parents and so can keep a certain emotional distance that allows them to see what needs to be done.

    Out of all of this, the most important thing is to talk with your child’s educators on a regular basis to make sure that his needs are being purposefully addressed both in and out of the classroom. As a teacher, I so appreciate those parents who do this – it makes my job not easier (teaching is not easy) but purposeful because I know that my work is making a real difference, that it is helping to create a positive future for the children I work with.

    **Much of this article was included in Sam starts full-day kindergarten this September at Examiner.com

  • Assistive Technology Helps Kids…Fixing a broken link

    This article has been linked to via the Calgary Herald but somehow it leads to a broken link. Thought I’d patch that break here :)

    Assistive Technology Helps Kids with Learning Disabilities – An Interview with Andrea Prupas

  • Integration of students with special needs is not rocket science

    Yesterday I was asked how I would ensure integration of students with special needs into my French classroom. (by the way, wish me luck, it was during an interview. I so need a permanent position for September!) Now that I think about my response, I realize that the way I would do so is not all that different from how I teach in general.

    • Offer a variety of activities that use different modalities of learning
    • Provide scaffolding and support as needed
    • Provide a safe way for students to seek some down time when it is needed
    • Get to know my students’ likes and dislikes, interests and abilities
    • Talk with my students and their parents about their progress on an ongoing basis

    Teaching practices that are explicit and mindful of all of the kids in my classroom will work for all kids, not just kids with special needs.

  • Lessons for the classroom from a newborn

    Hard to believe that 4 weeks have already passed since my little Jack was born.

    My life has definitely changed and I know it’s only going to continue to do so. One thing that I am learning from this little guy is the importance of listening. He tells me what he needs through the cries he makes. He has no other way of letting me know he needs attention, whether it’s to be fed, changed, amused, or held close.

    The children we work with who make a lot of ‘noise’ in our classrooms are telling us that they need attention. That they need us. They’re doing what they need to do, all that’s left is for us to listen and to provide.