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Which is really pretty remarkable when you think about it.
Over the weekend I sent all concerned a copy of my board attorney friend's explanation of group punishment, an exegesis so clear, and so obviously composed by a real live attorney, that it would certainly strike fear in my heart if I were a principal planning a three-grade group punishment in a town filled to overflowing with attorneys.
But, no.
The group punishment proceeded as planned.
Why?
Because it wasn't a group punishment.
It was a group reflection. So many of the students had been "inappropriate" that the principal felt they needed to reflect on their actions.
At the time that this characterization arrived (I figured that's what it would be, group punishment masked as character ed), I just so happened to be visiting with a friend who is a clinical psychologist.
This is what she had to say:
Whether or not Mr. W. defines a “group reflection” as punishment, most people would recognize that keeping children from any portion of their recess is experienced as a punishment by the child. The technical term for this is time out from reinforcement. The fact that Mr. W. does not recognize his action as a punishment calls into question his judgment. If he does recognize his action as a punishment, but has chosen to call it a “reflection,” this calls into question his honesty.
Furthermore, the decision to pair a behavior the school wants to increase, i.e. writing, with a negative consequence will only serve to make the first behavior less frequent.
Finally, transparency in disciplinary matters is as important to managing children as it is to managing a school district. Trust fails when authority figures say one thing and mean another.
So: group punishment, bad.
Group reflection, also bad.
At this point, the character ed situation around here is fast becoming an emergency. It has to go.
Scenes from the group reflection:
- One student, handed the Problem Solving sheet by a teacher, said politely, "No thank you" and continued walking. Teacher didn't follow.
- Another student filled in the various sections of the Problem Solving sheet with random terms. Egg was one, as I recall. Also global warming.
- One of my favorite kids in the school wrote, under the section where the kids were supposed to come up with ways to prevent inappropriate behavior at an assembly from happening again, "Stop having guest speakers."
- C.'s picks: "Set up torture chambers" and "Have disruptive students fight each other to the death."
- My favorite of the lot: "Extend the poetry section in ELA."
When that last kid showed his answer to the math teacher, the math teacher laughed.
I love Irvington kids (I love some of the teachers, too). If I had to run a school full of Irvington kids - or any middle school kids anywhere on Earth - they'd chew me up and spit me out. But I love them.
Back when we all did our middle school survey (was that just a month ago??) I had to fill in a section tell some things I liked about the school.
I wrote, "the peers."
black and Hispanic students in a Natl School of Excellence
news from nowhere, redux
meanwhile, somewhere in a parallel universe
things my child learned about gay women in school this week
also playing in a parallel universe
email to the principal, part 2
further
ktm-2 readers make up a word problem for IMS
profiles in courage
new talent at the forum
my tax dollars at work
character education emergency
invitation to the dance
healthfair
30 comments:
I am so glad that you used the word "exegesis" and here's why. I know what it means because I had to look it up the other day!!
Several years ago, George Will wrote what I considered to be a brilliant column about John Marshall (THE Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), and his remarkable effect on Constitutional law.
I handed out the article in class and asked the students to read it and answer several questions. Well, these are smart kids, and I knew I had better know the exact meaning of every word in that column, just in case somebody asked. (Nobody did.) I also made sure I knew how to pronounce it, again, just in case.
(For the record, it means a critical analysis or interpretation of a text.)
My apologies for being slightly off-topic, but I got so excited when I saw my word of the week used in a sentence!!
In all seriousness, since I have been reading KTM, I find that I am much more likely to look up words that are unfamiliar to me, rather than just guess at their meaning from the context. (Of course, it drives my family crazy when I say, "let's pull out the dictionary and look up the exact meaning.")
The good news about this is that the kids will all end up with stories to tell later in life. (I think I might have mentioned the time that I got a one-day suspended suspension for returning library books early.)
The bad news is that the school just took a major hit to its credibility with the students. The punishment was a joke and was seen by the students to be a joke. This will dramatically reduce the ability of the school to make credible threats or implied threats, both of which are critical to discipline.
Nothing destroys discipline like badly managed punishment, especially when the punishment is seen by its targets as unjust.
"(Of course, it drives my family crazy when I say, "let's pull out the dictionary and look up the exact meaning.")"
Ah, but we're of the search engine generation. We google the answers. :p
(Am I the only person who also has the urge to etymonline words, on top of search for definitions?)
Also you Americans are pretty lucky when it comes to guest speakers. In the schools in Singapore, we frequently get "VIP speakers" on various days of national significance (Total Defence Day, National DAy, etc.) who proceed to bombard the student audience with government propaganda (the importance of political stability -- e.g. supporting the ruling party).
The general attitude generally would be, "You should be reverent to his words, because he's the MINISTER OF DEFENCE!" (or Education, 'Information, Communication and the Arts', Health, or whatever ... )
Then of course, sooner or later students realise there are 84 members of Parliament and each minister is really unexceptional.
So during the self-criticism session the comrades did not reaffirm their belief in the party line?
Long live Principal Mao!
I understand the many reasons why the school's response was ineffective. What would be an appropriate response to the situation? Do they just let it go?
I read this post first, and it sounded pretty bland (pointless group exercises in response to poor student behavior)
Then I read the health fair fiasco stuff, and I decided the principal was an idiot. _He_ should be doing detention for having incited a small riot (yes, I know he didn't read the brochures in advance, but he should have). I'd also be pretty nervous about lawsuit potential if I were he. I shall be watching for updates.
"What would be an appropriate response to the situation? Do they just let it go?"
I think this is an excellent question. I would want to know if this were an isolated incident, perhaps exacerbated by the festive and irreverent air that preceded it, or if this is an ongoing problem. This, in itself, would require reflection on the part of the administrators and teachers.
If it were the former, then I would hope that those in charge would take some responsibility for possibly setting the kids up. (Even with students at the college level, you learn quickly that if you let them get rowdy, it 's harder to bring them back under control. I would guess that's the case with adults as well (present company included).
However, I would still think it appropriate for the teachers to have talked individually with their classes about appropriate behavior to be displayed when a speaker is present. Perhaps a gentle reminder of how that's just good manners, even when we might not agree with the speaker or are bored, our behavior should still be respectful.
If it's the latter, then the scope of the problem is larger. Do the kids need some direct instruction on proper behavior and etiquette in general? (My guess is that they don't, but that a general reminder would have been a good idea.)
Also, do the teachers sit amongst the students, and ward off problems before they are magnified? That's what teachers at our elementary and middle school do, if I recall. The teachers are right there and are dealing with problems before they get out of hand.
I think that ties in with telling the students ahead of time--if you are disrespectful (however that's defined), then here is the consequence. So, be forewarned. And, if you get caught, even if others are also misbehaving, you knew and took that risk, so to speak. Perhaps the teachers could even take discipline slips with them to assemblies and hand them out as a warning at the first sign of problems. Or, take paper and write down the names of the students.
It seems to me that an ounce of prevention would go a long way. If the kids know what the rules are, and understand in advance what the consequences are, that's probably pretty effective to deter all but the most hard core among them.
I think I might have mentioned the time that I got a one-day suspended suspension for returning library books early.
I had forgotten that story!
You must re-tell!
As to the appropriate response, shouldn't you stop the assembly mid-stream and tell everyone to settle down?
My neighbor was giving me the language.
It's ludicrous to have an entire auditorium full of kids going nuts during an assembly speaker.
Also, they should have been pulling kids out of the room.
The core issue here, though, is that things shouldn't have gotten to that point.
The principal has lost the respect of the kids. Period.
C's tennis teacher, last summer, told us that once that happens with middle schoolers, it is death. He said you never butt heads with middle school boys (I think it was boys).
Once you challenge them, they'll take the challenge and keep coming.
That's what's happened here.
The guy has treated them with disrespect and even contempt, and at least some of them are in a state of not-so-quiet revolt.
I would hope that those in charge would take some responsibility for possibly setting the kids up
This is profoundly what has not happened.
The kids were given material on dental dams & hand-anal touching at a "Health Fair" and went from there directly to the auditorium where they were supposed to sit quietly as a female guest speaker told them that if they didn't eat right, they'd get fat.
Which a number of them already are.
The principal has not responded to emails asking him what happened that day; he has not taken any form of responsibility; he has not apologized.
He has not explained.
He has, instead, blamed the scene inside the Health Fair on the Director of P.E. who organized the Health Fair but was not present in the gym when these events occurred.
This is his only public statement.
"Artie McCormmack is the person most likely to have the materials presented at the Health Fair."
That's it.
The only consequence meted out as a result of the events at the Health Fair was a group punishment of all 500 children in the school.
He should resign or be asked to resign.
If he won't resign, he should be fired.
I want to stress the fact that, at the fair, at least one child brought the brochures to him and told him, directly, that the material inside was inappropriate (I don't know what word the student used).
The principal rebuffed him, telling him it was appropriate. He may have told the child it was appropriate because it was "same gender sex." That's the impression some of the kids came away with.
In any case, when a student told him the stuff was something the kids shouldn't see, the principal treated him the same way he treats every parent in the school.
He dismissed him.
So during the self-criticism session the comrades did not reaffirm their belief in the party line?
That's the other thing.
Teachers were letting kids just walk away without doing their reflection.
It's fricking unbelievable.
Teachers were LAUGHING at the stupid responses.
Then he sent home a backpack letter about the dance.
I'm gonna have to post it.
"What would be an appropriate response to the situation? Do they just let it go?"
Once you buy a ticket on the express train to stupid, it's really hard to get off without a train wreck. That said, I'll tell you what I think should have happened at each step:
First, the school administration should have examined the material that they were planning to hand out. By Catherine's description, a cursory examination should have been sufficient to keep any sentient principal from distributing the material provided. Failing to take this action indicates a failure of supervision.
Failing that, the staff should have examined the material at the first complaint from teachers or students. It sounds as though there were contemporaneous complaints that could have and should have been investigated on the day. At that point, the material should have been withdrawn immediately. Failing to take this action indicates a severe failure of supervision.
Failing that, the staff should have immediately identified and disciplined the students who were acting out during the health fair. Failing to take this action indicates a severe failure of supervision.
The staff should have acted immediately to segregate and discipline the students who were acting out during the subsequent assembly. Failing to take this action indicates a severe failure of supervision.
After the whole debacle, the administration should have made a public statement to parents and students something like this:
"During the Health Fair last week, the school distributed materials that are not appropriate for middle-school students. We apologize for the disruption that this caused. The subject matter is important, though, and we recommend that every student speak with his or her parents and every parent speak with his or her children to address these matters. We have taken measure to ensure that this sort of failure on our part will never happen again.
"That said, the actions of some students during the Health Fair and during the subsequent assembly were unacceptable. I am personally disappointed that IMS students would choose to act out in those ways. Future all-school events will be more closely supervised and similar misbehavior will result in immediate punishment."
By the time you get to where you need an apology, the best you can do is mitigate the damage. Admit your fault, identify your failings, indicate the correct course of action, and prevent repetition.
Kids aren't stupid. They understand both that the school screwed up and that some of their own went too far. By addressing only one of those things and punishing even the kids that disapproved of the actions of their peers, the school forfeited what respect remained.
The actions of the school subsequent to the disruption were inefficient, unjust, and dishonest. It's hard to recover from that combination.
"So during the self-criticism session the comrades did not reaffirm their belief in the party line?"
Let a hundred dental dams bloom?
Once you buy a ticket on the express train to stupid, it's really hard to get off without a train wreck.
We're pretty much in the train wreck, I would say.
And: I think this is true, given what we've been living through.
I've started to have a perception (don't know if it's accurate) that institutions are like sharks - swim or die.
That's not it, exactly; it's more that bad situations are dynamic, as opposed to stable.
We really are on a train, not in an ongoing "stuck-in-bad" situation.
We lurch from one crisis to another; things get worse; nothing gets better.
The principal simply cannot adapt to the situation; he is a classic example of a person who is in a hole and needs to stop digging.
Example: sending home a cold, clinical, enforcer letter about the dance on the very DAY of the dental dam catastrophe.
It really is exactly what Doug says: the only thing that will stop us is a train wreck.
Meanwhile, I'm growing intensely...resistant to the point of feeling bitter. I don't want this man in a position of power over children.
blooming dental dams
yup
that's us
First, the school administration should have examined the material that they were planning to hand out. By Catherine's description, a cursory examination should have been sufficient to keep any sentient principal from distributing the material provided. Failing to take this action indicates a failure of supervision.
absolutely
the brochures were plainly labeled "If you're a man" and "Woman to Woman" -- plus the community has had one meltdown over material on homosexuality being given to high school students, and these are middle school students.
The Director of P.E. is majorly at fault there; this is another instance of IUFSD personnel displaying indifference to the community.
The P.E. director, btw, had just popped up on my radar because he has banned two parent-athletes, both of whom played college ball, from helping the football team.
The football coach asked these two guys to help, and they did. The team improved right away.
Then the Director told them not to come back.
They argued, and learned that there's some kind of form you can fill out so the district knows you're involved with a class or sport.
The athelete-parents said, Great, we'll fill out the form.
The P.E. Director said, "Don't bother. I'm not going to OK you anyway."
This is the Director of P.E. telling two athletes they can't help out the football team, which has a losing record (I believe).
The players are upset; their parents are upset; the players say they played a lot better at the Homecoming game than they would have.... etc.
This is life here in Irvington.
Parents Stay Out.
We have a lot of work to do.
Failing that, the staff should have immediately identified and disciplined the students who were acting out during the health fair. Failing to take this action indicates a severe failure of supervision.
This is simply outrageous.
Once you had kids careening around the gym screeching about dental dams and the like, ALL MATERIAL NEEDED TO BE CONFISCATED IMMEDIATELY.
The teachers should have fanned out and TAKEN EVERYTHING AWAY.
They understand both that the school screwed up and that some of their own went too far.
I suspect this isn't true.
I think we have something akin to a revolt here. We're at the point where nothing seems "too far."
I told the Journal News today that the principal should resign.
That's going pretty far.
I'm glad I did it, and I'll do it again if I get a chance.
This principal has treated the kids and their parents with contempt.
"Contempt" isn't quite the word, actually.
He's treated us with a kind of indifference. We are simply the object of the rules, and he is the enforcer of the rules.
Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation.
I really want to stress this.
NOTHING that a child says, nothing that a parent says, is meaningful in any way, shape, or form.
NOTHING that a child says, nothing that a parent says, will result in the slightest alteration in the principal's thinking, perceptions, or policy.
Because he's under pressure from the administration to shape up (I gather) he's thinking about "parent involvement."
He's thinking about it entirely because the administration wants him to.
He has no interest in anything any parent might have to say about parent involvement.
This has been a unique experience.
Let's put it that way.
One more thing: the mom who called me on Friday to tell me about the brochure said, "I want to get Catherine on this, Catherine the pit bull."
That was a compliment.
All of us are more or less in the category of animals to the principal. We are a lower order. He liked us when he first got here; we were a fancy lower order, like a purebred dog.
Now he doesn't like us, because we snarl and bite.
I've managed to distinguish myself from the pack by being a pit bull, not a person.
why don't I stop ranting now
final word:
remember Doug's motto?
"Middle School: Frequently better than prison"
That's our life.
Me: They understand both that the school screwed up and that some of their own went too far.
Catherine: "I suspect this isn't true.
"I think we have something akin to a revolt here."
It wouldn't be a revolt if they thought what they were doing was normal and acceptable. I'm pretty sure they think the revolt is justified, but if they were treated more like adults, I strongly suspect that they would be willing to abashedly admit that they had gone too far. Since the response of the school was over-the-top, their over-the-top provocation will have been seen as appropriate as well.
By your description, the students were objectively out of hand, and I strongly suspect that the students know and knew that. My hypothetical response was predicated on the school acting reasonably.
That is, I think that response is close to what a reasonable school administrator should have used in a situation where both the school and the students had made mistakes. It treats both sets of actions as serious and worthy of addressing. Since the school patently did not act as though it had any culpability, such a response wouldn't have been (wasn't) offered.
By your description, the students were objectively out of hand, and I strongly suspect that the students know and knew that. My hypothetical response was predicated on the school acting reasonably.
They were objectively out of hand, but, and this is the point I'm trying to get at, they are also, objectively, oppressed.
That's really the way it is.
I'm seeing in these kids, and in my own emotions, the process Christian has described happening at his own schools, where disadvantaged black kids were essentially prisoners and white administrators were wardens.
This guy came to us from a disadvantaged school where the students, the parents, and the community were, in his own words, "not high quality."
That's the way he sees students.
If they're black, they're low quality.
If they're white, they're high quality.
Either way, they're not people.
Well, it's obvious I'm going to be posting an account of the principal's NCLB skit, which was one of the more racist things I've seen in quite some time.
There's a reason why we have 0 of our black and Hispanic kids passing the 8th grade state test.
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