Re: Help! Chronically tardy 3rd grader

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On 11/21/09, Bosley Sock wrote:
> I am a new teacher who needs some help. I have a new
> student this year who has been late 39 out of
> her 40 days in my classroom. She is late anywhere from 15
> minutes to 2 hours. Our entire school is aware of this and
> our social worker and vice principal have talked to the
> mother on numerous occasions. However, I feel as though
> nothing is being done. Should I call the police? What
> authorities need to be involved? DCFS is already in this
> families home. I don't know what to do!

What do you imagine the police will do? Sadly and
inconveniently, this is not going to be resolved. Why is DCFS
already involved? Because something is wrong in the home.

Family dynamics change slowly if they can be helped to change
at all. Does the mother drink? Possibly but there's likely
nothing that's going to change. Be glad this child is coming
to school at all and try to provide some sense of haven from
her - welcome her warmly when she gets there cause she likely
doesn't encounter much warmth at home.
You have a GREAT opportunity here if you can rise to the
challenge of it. Here's a kid with nothing. You can spend the
rest of the year remonstrating about how inconvenient this
is, how detrimental is it to the child, or you can do the
little you can do and be something positive in the child's
day even if her day gets off to a late start every day.

Worse things are happening to this kid than she's late for
school - keep that in mind and it may help you to smile and
make the best of it for the child's sake.
 

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