I went to the chatboard while trying to compose an e-mail so I
wouldn't ruffle a parent's feathers, and instead I get a few
helpful responses and criticism.

A few years ago, I wrote up a kid for ripping up a detention. The
school rules clearly state 1 warning for gum and then a lunch
detention the second time. So no, not for chewing gum, for refusing
to go to detention. I said that right there when I said "when a kid
refuses to go to a lunch detention"

I have not written up a single kid in 10 weeks of school. It isn't
like I do write-ups for no reason. Every year we get a total of all
the write ups we did before. my numbers have always been below the
teacher average, usually single digits. As far as the numbers going
up or down as a school grows, we were a new campus 4 years ago and
had 2 teams per grade level (my class sizes were 12, 20, and 21).
Now we have over 3 teams per grade (class sizes 29, 27, and 30).
our science classrooms are 32-34. A school almost doubling would
probably have more write ups. Do they have to be double the number?
No. But I know why they went down: we were told not to write up
spec ed kids by an AP last year. Teachers started making
photocopies of write-ups because they, legal documents, were
going "missing" after being given to a specific AP. So is it worth
a gripe? i feel so, but i hardly gripe about much when it comes to
the kids or the profession. In fact, the kids this year are
fantastic.

A student CHEATED. She learns nothing when she cheats so how am I
only trying to make children compliant? it was a worksheet in which
all a child had to do was state her personal reactions to certain
parts of a story. She was found cheating in another class as well,
so it isn't like it is a one time thing, but I didn't feel I had to
explain that all in my original post since i was trying to quickly
write it so i could get back to class.

I've been on this chatboard for years. I'm a very positive teacher,
but the only negative interactions i've had with parents have been
when i have to make the call for the write up (two occasions. once
for the kid who ripped it up and 1 for another kid who cheated), so
i'm leery about it, but to act like i'm some sort of negative
nellie based on one post, one complaint on top of all the other
posts I've done which supports the profession and supports teaching
middle school kids...it upsets me.

and yes, I want a parent to support me. Not yell at me on the phone
(for the girl who ripped up the detention slip in front of me). Not
go to the AP insisting that I'm wrong (for the boy who cheated last
year). I want the parent to tell their kid not to do it again.

I just don't feel I should have to explain every little thing on
this board, but for my orignial post I was asked what I wanted to
accomplish as my top prioroty, so I was candid: I wanted to contact
the parent because my Ap would send back the write up if i didn't.
i wanted the AP to meet with her so she knows she needs to stop or
else her skills won't grow and she may end up failing the state
test just like she did in 7th grade, and I want her to be able to
pass it, go on to high school, and be able to do whatever it is she
wants to do in life. That's what I want.

Jointly, I needed to do a write up because she wasn't written up by
the teacher who first caught her cheating and here she was cheating
again. I wanted to be able to document this and the only way for
the AP to look at the write-up is if I contact the parent first.
The APs have told us that they don't want to be the first ones to
contact a parent about a child's misbehavior. Fine. i did it, but I
just wanted to do it well. Hence my post.

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