St. Lucie teacher has students vote on whether 5-year-old ca

OK, let's flip the coin and whatch got to say.

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A teachers union has filed a grievance on behalf of a kindergarten teacher who was suspended after a student's parents produced a recording they say shows she verbally abused their son.

The recording was made when 5-year-old Gabe Ross carried a digital recorder in his pocket to S. Ellen Jones Elementary School in New Albany so his parents could hear how the teachers he complained about were treating him.

In the recording, which was provided to The Tribune of New Albany, two women can be heard. One of the women tells the boy he is being "pathetic."

When another student comes to find out what's wrong, she tells the class about Ross' behavior problems. "If you want to act like him, then go ahead and be his friend," a voice on the recording says.

Ross' stepfather, J.R. Edwards, said he was concerned about the "psychological impact" on the boy.

"If he's not OK, I want her held accountable for it," Edwards said.

The Indiana Teachers Association, which has represented Kristen Woodward, filed the grievance last week to argue that she was unfairly disciplined by administrators in the district just north of Louisville, Ky.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359341,00.html

Aaron wrote:

When they are, I'm quite sure there are ways to get those kids out of the class and into a special education class other then voting them out.

This pathetic woman has spent too many nights watching Survivor and should be fired.

All right Aaron, lets flip the coin on the autistic brat case.

Lets suppose there is a Classroom with one (1) normal, healthy, well mannered 5 year old who is wanting to learn ....... and 16 autistic brats that are ranting n' raving, ....... and berating and beating up on the one (1) normal, healthy kid so much he cries and refuses to go to school.

Aaron, will the same senario play out ....... with national news coverage and all of you demanding the Teacher be fired and those 16 kids be reprimanded for their actions?

I ...... DON'T ......... THINK ........ SO.

.

I’m sorry Sam but your scenario makes no sense. If other kids are beating up on a student then they have to be removed from the classroom, period.

I'm not arguing the teacher was wrong for wanting the kid out of her class. If he was being disputative, then she has the right to remove him from her class. What she should have done each time he was disputative was got him to the office and out of her class room. It's a very simple procedure.

If it's an ongoing occurrence of the boy being sent to the office, then the administration has to take some type of action. They start by monitoring her class room. Probably the best way to do it would be without her knowledge via a hidden camera. If she is acting responsible, then remove the kid and put him in an environment that is fitting for his needs. If the teacher is wrong, then get rid of her.

But what can not happen is the teacher makes a dictatorial decision because she didn't like the outcome of the meetings or she doesn't want the child in her class or whatever the case may be and then have the other students vote the kid out of the class. Had she handled this is a sane, logical manner and sent the kid to the office when he misbehaved AND documented the outburst (personally, if it happened more then once, I'd record it) then all of this could have been avoided and the onus put back on the administration and the parents.

She didn't do that. She acted in a manner that warrants her removal from the classroom as she's not fit to be a kindergarten teacher. That's how I logically see it Sam.

SamCogar wrote:OK, let's flip the coin and whatch got to say.

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A teachers union has filed a grievance on behalf of a kindergarten teacher who was suspended after a student's parents produced a recording they say shows she verbally abused their son.

The recording was made when 5-year-old Gabe Ross carried a digital recorder in his pocket to S. Ellen Jones Elementary School in New Albany so his parents could hear how the teachers he complained about were treating him.

In the recording, which was provided to The Tribune of New Albany, two women can be heard. One of the women tells the boy he is being "pathetic."

When another student comes to find out what's wrong, she tells the class about Ross' behavior problems. "If you want to act like him, then go ahead and be his friend," a voice on the recording says.

Ross' stepfather, J.R. Edwards, said he was concerned about the "psychological impact" on the boy.

"If he's not OK, I want her held accountable for it," Edwards said.

The Indiana Teachers Association, which has represented Kristen Woodward, filed the grievance last week to argue that she was unfairly disciplined by administrators in the district just north of Louisville, Ky.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,359341,00.html

The rest of that piece:

Carol Mooney, a spokeswoman for the association, said administrators violated a part of the contract that requires teachers to be treated "with respect and human dignity" by imposing a suspension. I'm wondering why the association doesn't believe 5 y/o children aren't required to be treated with human dignity?



"It's very unfortunate that all of this has come out so one sided that this public employee doesn't feel she can talk pending the outcome of her employment status," Mooney said.



Woodward could not be located for comment as there is no telephone listing in her name in the New Albany area.

I think any teacher that calls a child in her care pathetic should be suspended, at the least.

SamCogar wrote:

Aaron wrote:

When they are, I'm quite sure there are ways to get those kids out of the class and into a special education class other then voting them out.

This pathetic woman has spent too many nights watching Survivor and should be fired.

All right Aaron, lets flip the coin on the autistic brat case.

Lets suppose there is a Classroom with one (1) normal, healthy, well mannered 5 year old who is wanting to learn ....... and 16 autistic brats that are ranting n' raving, ....... and berating and beating up on the one (1) normal, healthy kid so much he cries and refuses to go to school.

Aaron, will the same senario play out ....... with national news coverage and all of you demanding the Teacher be fired and those 16 kids be reprimanded for their actions?

I ...... DON'T ......... THINK ........ SO.

.

Sam,

Do you have information I don't? I have read nothing to indicate Alex was "ranting n' raving" much less "berating and beating up" other students. He was a discipline problem. Perhaps he wouldn't stay seated, or maybe he spoke out of turn, or maybe he refused to perform tasks.

Nobody, to my knowledge, is suggesting the other students in that classroom should be reprimanded. I would hope their parents and the school district would speak to them about empathy, but at that age I'm not sure they "get" empathy all that well.

I think students with Asberger's (sp?) are done a disservice when their "advocates" insist that they go to class with everyone else. Some can, and some should, and still others should not. Mainstreaming, however, is not good for it's own sake. Needless segregation is bad, but sometimes it can be necessary. Anyone who thinks otherwise has never been bit by a student with Autism.

That having been said, this teacher should be sent off to charm school and then Iraq. Having your class judge one particular student? Eh? What's the thinking there? Maybe she herself has a mental illness that needs to be looked into. What she was doing teaching in the first place, while other brilliant people without the certification can't teach, is more proof to me that public education and the process of hiring teachers is laugh out loud funny and cry out loud sad.