* New Post *
~ 22 Pittsburgh schools to use discipline aimed more at understanding than punishment
I held my breath as I read the schools listed and am glad to see my child's school not listed. Sad to see that RAND Corp will receive a chunk of the $3 million grant (!) to evaluate whether Restorative Practices works... I would have been glad to inform PPS as to the effectiveness of "reducing punishment" for disruptive students and "hearing from the person who is harmed".
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2015/08/31/22-Pittsburgh-schools-to-use-discipline-aimed-more-at-understanding-than-punishment/stories/201508280271
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Thinking back to teachers that maintained the best discipline + involvement in their classrooms- sorry but it's hard to imagine them saying "I feel frustrated that you are out of your seat."
Did anyone think of looking at what works for the strongest teachers? Hopefully those very strong teachers will be left to the methods that work best for them, and these will just be something else for teachers who are struggling to try.
The "I feel frustrated..." has me very concerned as many may very powerful when they can cause frustration.
Also when students hear various teachers spouting the same lines it won't seem authentic- because it's not. Kind of like when you call customer service reps and it's clear they are reading from a script.
Thinking back at what worked...
Teaching Practice #1
Always 'face' your students. If something is needed to be written on the blackboard write it before class begins. Students need to know and feel that your eyes are on them.
Back in the day a teacher could take Johnny by his ear and lead him back to his desk. No words were needed and the message was understood and if Johnny was lucky he benefited from the many acupuncture points found on the ear.
Does it make any parent in PPS comfortable to know that when their child gets pushed, spit on, slapped, tripped, swore at, hair pulled, etc that their teacher will mediate a conversation between your victimized child and the offender so that the offender can be "restored back into the school community"?
Does anyone else feel that restorative practices will empower the sociopathic / emotional disturbed (yes, these kids exist just like they do as adults in our society) when they learn that they will be faced with a "talk" and be "restored into the school community"?
Additionally, this makes me feel as if the "victims" (and by extension those students who have to deal with offenders) will be made more afraid of offenders and school in general when punishment is not doled out appropriately?
I am thankful that I do not have to pull my child out of her school, since these "restorative practices" will not be implemented in her school. I'm going to have to start saving for private school since her feeder school is Sterrett 6-8.
I just read the code of student conduct and now must wonder why some policies are so non-specific, such as dress code on the last page. There apparently are more rules published elsewhere, the "see school's specific dress code" message would seem to indicate school specific rules. Parents should ask for printed details at back to school events.
Look, here's the bottom line. If suspensions go down, PPS principals will get bonuses. And the administrators at Bellefield will get something else to put on their resumes.
All of this will lead to more chaos in the schools, of course. But the principals won't care, because they can hide in their offices. And the central adminstrators won't care, because, heck, they don't even see a single student in the course of their work day.
The classroom teachers will have to deal with the chaos. And the students who want to learn will have to deal with the chaos. But neither of those two groups will have any say in the matter. They will just have to deal with the consequences.
And the stories come out, and people embrace charter schools as the place where those who want to learn go. The reputation of the schools is based on the tales students bring home, the " what happened when" and all the grant $ cant fix public opinion.
How are the "circle" schools doing a month in to it? Our school was supposed to get special training, never really got it other than a pep talk and we've had fights everyday. teachers don't have the time, training or patience and now there's a massive void in structure and discipline.
Is it having a positive impact anywhere? Is anything being "restored"?
Post a Comment