Does School Culture (and school lawyer culture) contribute to bullying in schools?

Sept 6 2001 San Diego Union Tribune article Grossmont School District failed its students is the lead in to the Santana High (Orange County, CA) tragedy says attorney Kenneth Hoyt." Shooter, Andy Williams exhibited signs and symptoms of a very troubled person... When you have a student who is missing excessive days and whose grades have dropped remarkably, these are red flags and there needs to be some intervention (I.E. A SCHOOL COUNSELOR. to take action) We believe that the school should have had procedures in place (Like the recommended number of ASCA MODEL TRAINED SCHOOL COUNSELORS, 5-6 FOR SANTA ANA HS)" "Based on the district's own review last year and information from the District Attorney's Office.

When parents of the two students shot to death at Santana High School in 

2001 offered to drop their lawsuit against the district in exchange for the district's holding a conference on school violence, the district refused! The district would rather continue spending mind numbing amounts of the taxpayers money on litigation rather than accept the parents offer to settle for no money, said attorney Kenneth Hoyt. (Associated Press report on September 9, 2005) Theses conferences should have been held anyway. Daniel Shinoff called the shooting "unforeseeable" and said the district WAS NOT CULPABLE.  (School attorneys encourage districts to follow a policy of "no investigation, no paper trail." Shinoff would rather show felonious and life threatening disregard for the safety of his student via non-action. Better to pretend that the problem doesn't exist than risk associated culpability for the single tragic incident.  Nothing is forseeable when you keep your eyes closed and turn away from the obvious problem all around you.) 

What reason could there be for harming and shooting Others?" said Grossmont High School District's Superintendent William Shinoff in a glazed-over idiotic looking stupor. (this was, as has happened so many times in Moreno Valley USD that few people on the inside know about all the skeletons and coverups,)  Shinoff's was a preplanned statement to divert from answering incriminating questions and a poorly vailed lead into complete denial) Denying the grieving parents closure or even the common respect of knowing measures would be discussed and implemented as the highest priority so this  won't happen again to another child.


"There is no excuse for that," added. Of course not you idiot. Nor is there any excuse for tolerance of bullies and covering up the multiple wrongdoings.  This moron thought that disassociation would gain the district some advantage with the legal system. He could not have been more wrong. His reoccurring ethic of Money before humanity would cost the Taxpayers  millions of dollars a year on lawyers who specialize in helping to cover or excuse administrators like Shinoff and hundreds of others who seek to avoid responsibility, not to solve problems. And they are the system that you leave your children with not understanding the actual risk.  The money would be better spent if administrators showed their caring by completely dealing with bullying and student safety before curriculum or asinine mandates like "W's" No Child Left Behind (in reality a thinly valed ongoing attempt at systematically destroying the hard fought importance of all children receiving an education equal and free.) but more than not our schools are run by bureaucratics who gave up on teaching but had too much money and education invested so they became petty, fear driven and cravenlly pervayors of disception and coverup - that is to say maintain business as usual. 


These types of administrators are driven by a Board of Education who collectively have little education, almost no experience within education and absolutely no other requirements. Felons - OK, Child Molesters - No ask, No tell and ability to care about kids - not hardly. The board is a stepping stone for small time politicians. Yes, they choose and reign over superintendents like Shinoff.

San Diego Education Report

STOP THE PRESS! SADLY, OUR WORST SUSPICIONS AND ALLEGATIONS ARE ONCE AGAIN PROVING TRUE! THIS TIME IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. IT SEEMS THOUGH THAT THE EMERGING PATTERN OF ADMINISTRATIVE CORRUPTION IS MUCH LARGER AND POSSIBLY THE EARLY SIGNS OF A SOCIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON  ENDEMIC AND MAY BE DESTINED TO DESTROY THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM FROM WITHIN. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE IN EDUCATION. NO MATTER YOUR  BELIEFS. NO MATTER YOUR TENURE. ONCE AGAIN. THE SECOND YOU BECOME A VISIBLE nuisance OR THREAT, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF BEING PUBLICLY MALIGNED, OFTEN BROUGHT UP ON CHARGES THAT ARE UTTER AND COMPLETE FALSEHOODS. THE MERIT OF WHICH ARE ENTIRELY WITHOUT A RATIONAL PREMISE. THE WHOLE SCENARIO REEKING OF ARROGANCE AND RETALIATION. ONLY, AT THE LOWEST COURT LEVELS, (ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS) WE ARE SEEING A SPIKE IN DECISIONS AGAINST THE HARD WORKING EDUCATOR. OFTEN DECIDED BY ATTORNEYS ASSIGNED AS ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGES AS POLITICAL FAVORS, WHO MAY NOT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN LABOR OR EDUCATION LAW.


AS WITH MY CASE, CTA WILL QUITE PROBABLY SAY THAT  (1.)  WITH YOUR SITUATION BECAUSE THE MATTER IS BEING INVESTIGATED AS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE BY HR AND BOARD (TO SKIRT DISTRICT RESPOSIBILITIES TO TIMELINES AND THE EXPENSE OF MASTER TEACHERS AND RETRAINING,) YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO CTA LEGAL HELP (2.) UPON CLOSER INVESTIGATION MOST OF THESE PERSONAL ASSUALTS ON EDUCATORS ARE NOT TRUE. TWO THINGS I FOUND BUT ONLY AFTER I HAD BROUGHT ON A VERY GOOD PRIVATE CRIMINAL ATTORNEY:


(1.) THEY CAN'T HELP IF A POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR CRIMINAL CHARGES, FILED IN CRIMINAL COURT. THAT IS A COMMON MIS-CONCEPTION. IN TRUTH ACCORDING TO MY CTA DEFENSE ATTORNEY; EACH MEMBER CAN BE REPRESENTED BY a CTA ATTORNEY INCLUDING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION UP TO A $5,OOO FEE LIMIT. 


(2.) BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, THE BEST THING FOR THE DISTRICT IS JUST HAVE YOU GO AWAY, AS HAPPENS SO OFTEN WITH ADMINISTRATORS THAT BECOME VICTIMS. SOMETIMES EVEN THE LOCAL DOESN'T WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY EITHER. EITHER OR BOTH, SCARING  THE VICTIM WITH  HALF-ASSED STATEMENTS ALWAYS ACCUSING THE VICTIM OF A FELONY (NO MATER HOW FAR FETCHED) AND AN ETHICS VIOLATION SO AS TO SEEM LIKE THEY HAVE GROUNDS TO FIRE YOU AND RUIN YOUR CAREER! NEXT, IF THEY'RE CALLED ON THEIR BLUFF, THEY MAY LIE OR EXAGGERATE TO POLICE HOPING TO GET THEM TO INVESTIGATE IN A FURTHER ATTEMPT TO ILLEGALLY COERCE  THE VICTIM INTO LEAVING BY FEAR.


THIS IS A SYSTEMATIC PROCESS THAT COMES FROM THEIR INSURANCE COMPANIES ACTUARY MODELS TO SAVE MONEY FOR BOTH! THEY ARE GAMBLING 100'S OF THOUSANDS OF TAXPAYERS' DOLLARS ON THE ESTABLISHED PATTERN THAT MOST VICTIMS WILL GIVE UP AND LEAVE.


THEY WILL CUT OFF YOUR PAY WITHOUT DUE PROCESS AND NEVER TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO PURCHASE A BOND (PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT) INSURING YOUR WILLINGNESS TO REPAY THE DISTRICT, IF CONVICTED. YOU WOULD THEREBY CONTINUE TO GET A PAYCHECK AND BENEFITS REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG THE THE DISTRICT CAN DRAG OUT THE PROCESS. OFTEN THE UNION LOCALS ARE UNAWARE OF THIS AND HR JUST WONT TELL YOU. ** AN IMPORTANT CAVEAT: I'VE BEEN SINCE TOLD THAT FINDING AN INSURER TO WRITE THE BOND IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. HOWEVER IT IS IN CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE! I WILL TRY FOR MYSELF AND REPORT BACK ON THE RESULTS. 


NEITHER WILL ANYONE TELL THE VICTIM THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO PETITION THE COURT FOR A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST THE H.R. MANAGER AS TO PREVENT FURTHER HARASSMENT.


WHY AM I GOING ON ABOUT THIS? IF THIS UNFOLDING TREND OF FIRING POLITICALLY ACTIVE EDUCATORS SO AS TO SILENCE THEM, USING LIES AND FEAR TO ACCOMPLISH PERSONAL VINDETTAS, RETAILIATION ESPECIALLY FOR WHISTLEBLOWING AND THE GENERAL IGNORANCE OF THE AVERAGE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER; CONTINUES, THERES A GOOD CHANCE YOU COULD FALL VICTIM AS WELL.


(More on this subject later. please click here for insight on the San Diego situation...)

Just My Opinion but...

Originally Podcast
07/20/2011
by I, Praetorian

I got up this morning, or rather this afternoon as it turns out, thinking about my experiences with district level management or administration is they prefer. It does take a unique personality to want to take on a job like that especially in these lean and education unfriendly times.


So I started to think about the personalities of the district level administrators that I have had any kind of lengthy involvement with. And some of them I've known personally some only in a professional setting, but all seem to have a uniquely similar facet to their personalities. And unfortunately in my experience although that facet varies from person to person there is a completely discernible link. This link becomes more pronounced at the higher levels of middle management. Simply put each of those personalities in my experience have a qualitative dysfunction. For many they lack a sense of humor in any commonly held sense of the term. Some of that is dictated by the wear and tear of the job itself. But in easy-going easy laughing kind of person would not probably last long. Here's why I think that:


First off, in this the year 2011 on the downhill side of public support for public education in general. With the exception of the great philosophical battles that incurred at public education's inception, there has never been a time when educating all children was of less importance. That is less importance to the voter and the talking heads that feed the common voter back the lowest common elements of his or her own dysfunctions in society and as a person. I believe there is no coincidental correlation between the collective rise of our sense of entitlement,  narcissism, and individual greed; and the rise in our unwillingness to fund the very institution that brought us and taught us how to use our democratic rights. For those of you who would argue that last statement, either comment or shut up. (I am so weary and sick and extraordinarily angry with those people who have a half-baked, ill thought out philosophy on anything if they are willing to stand up for what they believe no matter how informed or not informed they are on the subject.)


Okay. This is where I get off on another tangent in the very smallest percentage in
of the ranks of educators, there exist one or two individuals per say everyone thousand employed educators that are willing to stand and fight philosophically, emotionally, and mostly at risk of their own jobs, to fight for educators who taught the great talk but cower in the presence of district level and sometimes even site level administration. Although those of us in education know that there is no truth to the old tiredness that you can't fire a teacher, it is amazing how quickly our resolve dissipates at even the slightest hint of having to stand up like human beings and adults. I personally am going through the greatest most unjust most unfair fight of my 15 years in education. And it all started because I chose to stand up not just for my rights but for the rights of a handful of other teachers who for reasons of their own could not or would not stand up for themselves.


Further, I chose to get involved in the fight against what is now the mostly corrupt Board of Trustees (sorry CJ, you are not one of those) and a wholly corrupt and self-serving fear driven Department of human resources. At the directive of the strongest and probably the most narcissistic of the trustees personalities, I have been targeted by a series of extremely poorly evidenced lies. These liars were perpetrated and further resuscitated by the head of our human resources department. The following is simply my opinion: but this man ranks among the most cowardly and self-important men I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. He has all the potential of being a great director but instead he like so many others has chosen to cower and acquiesce to the assumed power of "life or death" of our very very dysfunctional Board of Trustees, School Board. For the last 20 years maybe more, the various board members have served as the quintessential bully boys at this low level of political power. They have interfered with, dictated to, and coerced many good administrators including two very good superintendents who were forced out by the insanity. And this insanity driven by local politics has continued and is still present today. Even though the board members no longer have fistfights and drunken rages as they had in the past. Yep that's right folks, in past years our board members have come to meetings drunk and getting into physical altercations amongst themselves in public session. That's the kind of quality that small to medium-sized districts often attract. Lastly, I am fighting this campaign not just to retain my avocation, but to show everyone in the district that you don't have to cower before those personalities of the lowest common denominator. Especially a retired yes-man from our otherwise esteemed Sheriff's Department. Mine I had's own deputies stormed their union hall in protest of the union backing him for a higher position. It was so outrageous and so blatant that his own street officers are deputies wouldn't stand for him in a position of power they made the newspaper and forced this trustee to withdraw his candidacy. And now I understand exactly why and probably more than I should. Corrupt and cowardly often go hand-in-hand.


Perhaps I will stop here for today I'm fed up just thinking about those trustees that I thought I knew and trusted. And those that I know had criminal pasts.


Until the next time, I wish you brazen foolishness, intelligent insight and the courage to laugh at it all....
I, Praetorian

We should all strive to be even 1/10 the True Spirit that she is!

Alice's Bucket List

"I'm 15 and I have terminal cancer. I've created a bucket list because there are
so many things I still want to do in my life ... some are possible, some will remain
a dream. My blog is to document this precious time with my family and friends,
doing the things I want to do. You only have one life ... live it!"

This little lady has the strength of character that is rare even for most adults.
Her stories will forever strength my resolve to fight my good fight and I will
never forget the kindness that radiates from this 15-year-old who seldom
knows a day without pain.

We should all strive to be even 1/10 the True Spirit that she is!

Alice's Bucket List

"I'm 15 and I have terminal cancer. I've created a bucket list because there are
so many things I still want to do in my life ... some are possible, some will remain
a dream. My blog is to document this precious time with my family and friends,
doing the things I want to do. You only have one life ... live it!"

This little lady has the strength of character that is rare even for most adults.
Her stories will forever strength my resolve to fight my good fight and I will
never forget the kindness that radiates from this 15-year-old who seldom
knows a day without pain.

This isn't "No Tolerance." It's More Like " Mo Ignorance!"

Half of Texas' Students Suspended, Study Finds

By Nirvi Shah

 Edited by I, Praetorian; MA, PPS, PVC, ATM

Using discipline records of nearly 1 million Texas middle and high school students that cover much of the last decade, researchers found that more than half of them were suspended or expelled at least once between 7th and 12th grades, that the punishments were applied unevenly among students of different races, abilities, and schools, and that students disciplined with these methods were more likely to repeat a grade or drop out of school than students who were not punished in the same way.

The study, unveiled Tuesday by the Council of State Governments Justice Center in Bethesda, Md., and the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University, involved the discipline and criminal records of all Texas students who were 7th graders in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and tracked all of them through one year past the date when they would have graduated with their original class.

In the study, “Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement,” researchers found that of the half a million times students were suspended or expelled, only 3 percent of those suspensions or expulsions were for behavior Texas law requires be punished that way. The rest were at the discretion of school officials.

A newly released report casts doubt on whether increased suspensions and expulsions are getting the right results in Texas public schools.

Although the study involved just one state, the authors argue that it has implications for the rest of the country because Texas has the second-largest public school system in the country and one where almost two-thirds of students are nonwhite.

The goal of the study was to prompt policymakers everywhere to look closely at school discipline.

“We hope other states will follow Texas’ lead and put their systems under similar scrutiny,” said Michael D. Thompson, director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Justice Center. He raised a key question he said state education leaders should ask themselves: “Is our state’s school discipline system getting the desired results?”

The study found that the average number of days on which students missed at least some class time due to a disciplinary incident was two days for out-of-school suspension, 27 days for a placement at an alternative school, and 73 days if they were placed in a juvenile justice program.

While the numbers gleaned from analyzing student discipline in Texas may be shocking, the state’s rate of expulsions and out-of-school suspensions, at 6.9 percent, is lower than that of some other states, including California, at about 13 percent, and Florida, at about 9 percent.

Repeat Offenders

One statistic uncovered by the analysis of Texas discipline and juvenile justice records was that 15 percent of students were punished by suspension or expulsion 11 or more times. Those repeat actions make the effectiveness of those types of punishments questionable, Mr. Thompson said.

“Seeing how common it is for students to be suspended or expelled ... we probably can do better,” Mr. Thompson said. Also, the study raises concerns about how nearly half the students disciplined 11 or more times also were in contact with the Texas juvenile justice system, raising the specter of the so-called “school-to-prison” pipeline.

In addition, at schools within Texas with similar demographics, the use of the punishments varied widely, “indicating, I think, that it’s possible by relying less on suspensions and expulsions to reduce juvenile justice involvement and improve academic performance,” he said.

The Texas Education Agency, which helped the researchers match students’ school discipline and juvenile justice records, said the report highlighted some important weaknesses in Texas schools.

“It can be painful to look at numbers that aren’t flattering,” said Suzanne Marchman, a spokeswoman for the agency. But whether the report triggers individual schools to look at their discipline systems or drive policy at the legislative level is an open question. “No one wants a drop out,” Ms. Marchman said. “It brings up that dialogue: How can we address this issue at hand?”

In particular, if students’ punishment entails being sent to an alternative setting or juvenile justice setting, school districts need to be sure the teaching at those schools is high quality, she said.

“School districts need to take a closer look at the level of instruction that’s taking place at these alternative settings when [students are] punished so when [students] are released back to districts they’re not behind academically and they’re not frustrated,” she said, triggering a cycle of misbehavior that sends a student back to one of those alternate settings.

However, the agency also wanted to offer one cautionary note about interpreting the study.

“It gives the impression that 60 percent of the students in Texas are criminals or badly behaved,” Ms. Marchman said. But because of discrepancies in how punishment is administered between schools and districts, some students might be suspended for an infraction such as wearing flip flops or tank tops on the first offense while another school might give students several chances first.

In recent years, Texas has taken steps to address the way students are disciplined, and the report’s authors said lawmakers and Gov. Rick Perry were supportive of their work. The Texas Legislative Budget Board recently examined six school districts’ disciplinary practices, and the Texas legislature has changed some state laws pertaining to punishing students. For example, “persistent misbehavior” is no longer a reason for expulsion; school districts are now required to consider mitigating factors such as self-defense and a student’s disability before making a disciplinary decision; and the state education department had to create minimum standards for the disciplinary alternative education programs students are required to attend.

At the same time, other behavior violations have been added to the list of things for which school districts must or can punish students, including sexting and bullying.

Also recently, the state has begun offering training to districts interested in learning about positive discipline methods, and a pilot program this year is using statewide data to document student achievement and measure the effectiveness of specific professional development programs and activities.

Discipline Disparities Some groups of students were more vulnerable to suspension or expulsion than others, the study found. For example, 75 percent of African-American students were expelled or suspended, compared to 50 percent of white students. Also, 75 percent of students with disabilities were suspended or expelled, compared with 55 percent of students without a disability. Students classified as having an emotional disturbance were more likely to be suspended or expelled, while students with autism or mental retardation were less likely than students without disabilities to be punished the same way.

The report didn’t make specific policy recommendations, but noted the gradual toughening of school discipline policies nationwide, triggered in part by a spate of school shootings in the 1990s. The 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act requires schools that accept federal money to expel students for one year if they bring a weapon to school. A few years later, many school districts started adopting zero-tolerance discipline policies toward drugs, alcohol, and violent behavior. Some 79 percent of schools had these policies in place by 1997. While expulsion for some students means attending an alternative school, as it does in Texas, in some states, students are simply out of school altogether as they serve their punishment term.

An American Psychological Association study in 2006 found that zero-tolerance policies may negatively affect academic outcomes and increase the chances of a student dropping out. While Mr. Thompson said the Texas study isn’t strictly focused on the zero-tolerance discipline, that practice is part of a larger discussion about student discipline policy. “We look forward to launching a national project to identify policy strategies ... to get better outcomes for these kids,” he said.

Vol. 30, Issue 37

Since elections are only about 3 and one-half months away...

Failed Developer, Property Manager, and Consultant to the Rich and Infamous, the wallet behind the 2008 Moreno Valley Syndicate (AKA the M.V.T.A.)

Did Lies and Defamation succeed in unseating two city councilmen? Was the Moreno Valley City Election, supplanted via fraud, diversion and convicted felons? Who needs Carl Rove when we have Former Isreali Intelligence Officer: Iddo Benzeevi !

An ugly stroll down the memory lane of the Fall of 2008. What chicanery should we expect this year?

The following is an Excerpt from The Press-Enterprise,
Monday, October 27, 2008




By DAN LEE

The Press-Enterprise
Highland Fairview Properties, the developer behind the proposal to build a shoe company distribution center in Moreno Valley, (Iddo Benzeevi) has contributed another $100,000 to the campaign committee that is seeking to oust two Moreno Valley city councilmen in the Nov. 4 election.
Highland Fairview donated $50,000 to the Moreno Valley Taxpayers Association and loaned another $50,000 to the committee, according to the association's campaign finance report for the period of Oct. 1-18. The development company has contributed a total of $263,000 this year to the association.
In addition to the Skechers proposal, which is being reviewed by the city, the company has discussed building several additional centers in the same area.
The taxpayers association has raised $383,524 this year, according to the report. The other major donor to the association is local real estate agent Jerry Stephens, who has contributed $100,000.
The association has spent $354,150 of its funds to date, which is believed to be the most spent on a City Council election in Moreno Valley's history.
The committee paid $20,180 for print ads against Councilman Frank West this month. The committee also has spent $11,798 this month on print ads against Councilman Charles White.
The association reported spending $22,932 for print ads and phone banks in support of Robin Hastings, who is running against West for the 3rd Council District seat in eastern Moreno Valley.
The committee paid $10,962 for ads and phone banks for Jesse Molina, one of White's opponents in the 1st Council District race in central Moreno Valley.
The taxpayers association had previously spent $3,200 to support Hastings and Molina in slate mailers recommending the two candidates to prospective voters.
At a candidates forum earlier this month, Hastings denied receiving any contributions from warehousing supporters, only to be surprised when an opponent, Mike Rios, displayed the taxpayers association's campaign finance report, listing the expenditures on her behalf.
Hastings said the taxpayers association made the contribution without her knowledge and consent.
Experts said campaign committees like the taxpayers association can make such expenditures independently and without consulting the candidate.
Molina also reported receiving $3,500 from Stephens' firm, Diversified Real Estate Services, earlier this month, according to his campaign finance report. In addition, the Moreno Valley Taxpayers Association and its campaign consulting firm, Floyd & Luckso, contributed nearly $4,300 of in-kind services to Molina's campaign.
Local attorney and city Planning Commissioner Michael Geller, who heads the taxpayers association, claims that West and White have failed to deal with growing crime and traffic in Moreno Valley.
But West said the association is targeting him because of concerns he has expressed about Highland Fairview's plans to build distribution centers in eastern Moreno Valley. White has said he is being attacked because he opposed the council's decision to allow eastern Moreno Valley to be called "Rancho Belago" -- a plan that Highland Fairview had backed.
West and White have called their opponents "puppets" of Highland Fairview developer Iddo Benzeevi, Geller and Stephens. But Hastings and Molina disputed that notion, saying they would act independently. (Almost Tree Years later and we're still waiting... )

CAMPAIGN SPENDING
Here's a look at some of what the Moreno Valley Taxpayers Association has spent money on in the past month:
$20,180 in print ads against Councilman Frank West
$11,798 in print ads against Councilman Charles White
$8,808 in print ads for Jesse Molina
$2,154 to pay for phone banks for Jesse Molina
$21,278 in print ads for Robin Hastings
$1,654 to pay for phone banks for Robin Hastings
Source: Moreno Valley City Clerk's Office

This episode of the Colbert Report is both funny and ironic... "Sardonic."

CALIFORNIA STATE HOME OF "MEAGAN'S LAW."

Megan's Law Home

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Three Levels of Effective Classroom Management

By  Nicholas Provenzano

7/8/11

Nick Provenzano

Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher on Twitter) teaches high school English at Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe, MI.

---

To Send or Not to Send (To The Office)

Over the past 5 years, I have sent about 2- to 3-students to office during class for discipline issues. I would like to tell you it is because my students are perfect angels or that every student respects me the moment they walk in (ha!). The truth is, I have students that cause trouble and goof around like 99 percent of all classrooms. But save for the most egregious behaviors, I refuse to send them to the principal, and this has created a better classroom environment.

Dealing with discipline in the classroom is no small task. The easy solution is to send the student to administration and let them punish the student. But what does that really accomplish? It shows the student that you do not want to deal with them and it tends to validate their behavior which is usually about getting attention. If you deal with the student yourself, you can not only avoid rewarding bad behavior, but it can help prevent long-term problems in the classroom as well.

Level One: Let Them Know You're Paying Attention

If a student is causing problems, small re-directs can be helpful during the class. Stand by the desk and tap on the shoulder to let them know you know what is going on. Sometimes eye contact can go a long way in managing a disruptive student. The main objective is to the let the student know that you are aware that they are acting up and that you have your eye on them. Sometimes, of course, this is not enough for certain students.

Level Two: Discipline in Private

If a student is undaunted, you may need to use some kind of discipline.

One thing I learned early as a teacher is to never engage in discipline in front of the class. It is a losing battle for everyone involved. The student cannot back down in front of his peers, and the teacher cannot back down in front of other students.

Instead of issuing punishment or calling more attention to a disruptive student, address them quietly. Tell the student you need to talk to them after class. It should be short and discreet while class is going on. Never make a big deal out of the behavior with the student, as that would give them exactly what they wanted.

Level Three: Time to Call in the Administrators

There are some student behaviors that absolutely warrant a trip to the principal's office. One is disrupting the learning environment for all students in class after multiple attempts by the teacher for re-direction. Any aggressive or violent behavior is also grounds for removal from a classroom. Students that choose to act this way in class need to be removed for their safety and the safety of others.

That said, simply removing the student from your classroom will not solve the problem.

If you have to send a student to the administrators, make sure to follow up with him or her before see each other in class. Reach out and try to find out why they were acting out. Sometimes communication breaks down between counselors, administrators and teachers on what is going on with students, so teachers need to engage students directly to find out what is at the root of their behavior. When you reach out with genuine concern, the student will be more likely to share important details about their life that can help explain their behavior. Like most things, communication can solve many problems.

In the next post, I'll show how clear classroom rules can be established to make the school year run smoothly.

If you like this, you might also like...

• How to Develop Positive Classroom Management by Evantheia Schibsted
• Middle School Edutopia Discussion Group
• Classroom Management Edutopia Discussion Group
• Classroom Management Strategies for Elementary Teachers by Gaetan Pappalardo
• What's the Secret to Effective Classroom Management? by Maurice Elias
• Classroom-Management Tips for Teachers

Should Parents Drug-test Their Teens?

By RICHARD ZWOLINSKI, LMHC, CASAC

Edited by  I, Praetorian, MA, PPS, WTF

Most drug use begins with experimentation and recreational use during the teen years sometimes as early as 11 or 12 years-old; from there it often graduates into habituation, abuse, and dependence, that is, addiction. Not to mention all the negative and life impacting  social problems that accompany. Each day, thousands of people enter addiction treatment programs and many of them are teens (most with compounding emotional problems).For the author and most addiction professionals (and many mental health professionals), the answer is unequivocally yes. The information gleaned from testing individuals of all ages for drug abuse is essential.

Obviously, prevention–before any substance use begins–is all important. But, since drug use is a part of our culture (not a good part) and it isn’t all that hard for teens to get a hold of drugs, sometimes prevention isn’t a realistic option. Public Schools do their best but often lack the trained staff (counselors) and suffer from dwindling funds to try and accomplish lofty but imperative task with. Now here's the caveat where parents come in. Ideally parents should create a supportive family/home culture where pre-teens and teens are comfortable talking with them about their lives. But society is complicated and today many parents face many issues that previous generations really didn’t have to face. Many simply don’t know their kids are doing drugs (or drinking) until there is already a problem. (Some parents are also abusing drugs or alcohol and can’t themselves model healthy behaviors). However, parents should not use testing to demean or show control over a child that shows no symptoms or signs of usage. Sometimes a functioning addict will feel so hypocritical about their own using that they won't try and intervene with their child even when things become obvious.

Parents should be educated on the signs of drug and alcohol abuse, and there are many parenting resources available. They should know that once they think they might have identified a problem, confrontation (especially when done incorrectly), doesn’t always work—teens might be embarrassed or too scared to tell their parents what they’ve been up to or they simply don’t want to stop abusing substances and prefer to rebel against their parents.

Therefore, home drug testing for children and teens, has become more and more popular. In fact, I see parents and their pre-teen and teenage children who’ve been abusing substances,  in the course of my work and many times the parents have found out because of home drug tests.

The Pattern was established long before I was born. But For kids today,  experimenting with alcohol and marijuana starts at a young age.    That’s the “trap.”  Starting perhaps with hanging out with older kids that were part of the wrong crowd.  Their use went much broader than alcohol and marijuana.  Eventually drug usage broadens, ultimately becoming a daily habit.  Young addicts may repeatedly deny drug use to family, blowing off accusations such as changed behavior as growing pains.   

But with all classes of street drugs there is a common pattern with the adolescents and young adults. The earlier children get help, the more successful the treatment rate. Most parents share with me that they wish they could have recognized the signs earlier, or a way to test their children.

How have parents responded to your products? How have teens responded?

While some parents approach home drug testing with skepticism, most show overwhelming support. Once they over come the fear and stigma.

What are the ethical issues involved in parents testing their children?

Asking your child to take a home drug test may be uncomfortable, but there’s nothing unethical about it.  Parents are exercising good ethical, moral, and family Judgement by making sure their children are drug-free. Parents are reinforcing that they care about their child’s development and transition to adulthood.

Parents also need to know that they are allowed by law to test their children.

Right. Legally, there are no issues involved with drug testing your under-age child.

Are addiction treatment professionals supportive of the idea?

Yes. In my experience, most agree that early detection and treatment can keep a child out of treatment facilities for the rest of their life.  Substance abuse is a potentially life-threatening problem so prevention and early detection are extremely important. On the other side of that coin, the younger a child is when they first begin to use mind altering substances; without treatment, the more less likely they are to seek and be successful in treatment as adults .Of course they are also more likely to be imprisoned and often involved in violent crime as well.

Signs of an Overdose! What if No One Called for Help? Would You?

Signs of overdose

• Snoring deeply

  This is often and understandably mistaken for sleeping

• Turning blue

• Not breathing

• No initial signs at all

   the effects can kick-in hours after the initial hit

What not to do

Things you should never do if you think someone has overdosed. 

        * Never put people under a cold shower or in a cold bath .

        * Never pick someone up to walk them around.

        * Never smack, hit or hurt to try and bring them round.

        * Never inject someone with salt water

The only affects any of these things might have, is to cause more damage, increase the likelihood of the person dying and/or delay the time it takes to call an ambulance.

What to do

Call 911
If you are searching to find out if someone you are with is Overdosing you should call 911 right now because you are worried that they are overdosing and you are looking for information on signs of overdosing and what to do. It is simple. Don't take a chance with that person's life.                                                                   
 Call 911 

YOU MAY SAVE A LIFE BY SHOWING THE COURAGE YOUR FRIENDS DON'T

Signs of an Overdose! What if No One Called for Help? Would You?

Signs of overdose

• Snoring deeply

  This is often and understandably mistaken for sleeping

• Turning blue

• Not breathing

• No initial signs at all

   the effects can kick-in hours after the initial hit

What not to do

Things you should never do if you think someone has overdosed. 

        * Never put people under a cold shower or in a cold bath .

        * Never pick someone up to walk them around.

        * Never smack, hit or hurt to try and bring them round.

        * Never inject someone with salt water

The only affects any of these things might have, is to cause more damage, increase the likelihood of the person dying and/or delay the time it takes to call an ambulance.

What to do

Call 911
If you are searching to find out if someone you are with is Overdosing you should call 911 right now because you are worried that they are overdosing and you are looking for information on signs of overdosing and what to do. It is simple. Don't take a chance with that person's life.                                                                   
 Call 911 

YOU MAY SAVE A LIFE BY SHOWING THE COURAGE YOUR FRIENDS DON'T