lack of admin support for behavior plan

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

Classroom Discipline

MEMBERS

16 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Classroom Discipline Chatboard

lack of admin support for behavior plan

by NMS

Sep 25, 2010

I teach 6th grade and I need to develop a behavior plan with/for one of my students who is diagnosed with ADHD but unmedicated. Much more troubling than the ADHD is that the student is oppositional and defiant, with a long history of disrupting classes, suspensions, etc. The parent has chosen not to medicate the child. She has grudgingly given, partial support for behavior plans in the past, and I've been told she considers them "stupid".

I have tenure, but am new to this K-8 school this year, as is the principal. I've been told that the past admin was reluctant to hold this child to the same standards that other students are expected to meet. I don't know the new admin well enough to predict whether the pattern is going to continue, but I am concerned. I've already had several occasions where I needed to have the student removed from the room because they were out of control, but when I called for assistance I was told there was no one available to come get them. A couple ti...See MoreI teach 6th grade and I need to develop a behavior plan with/for one of my students who is diagnosed with ADHD but unmedicated. Much more troubling than the ADHD is that the student is oppositional and defiant, with a long history of disrupting classes, suspensions, etc. The parent has chosen not to medicate the child. She has grudgingly given, partial support for behavior plans in the past, and I've been told she considers them "stupid".

I have tenure, but am new to this K-8 school this year, as is the principal. I've been told that the past admin was reluctant to hold this child to the same standards that other students are expected to meet. I don't know the new admin well enough to predict whether the pattern is going to continue, but I am concerned. I've already had several occasions where I needed to have the student removed from the room because they were out of control, but when I called for assistance I was told there was no one available to come get them. A couple times the student walked out, once the teacher next door came in and took them out, and another time I just had to put up with it by giving everyone a reading assignment - teaching was impossible.

How can I develop and implement a behavior plan if the support to follow through with it isn't there? I'm reluctant to even try because I feel as though I'm being set up for failure - but at the same time the current situation is clearly not working. Should I attempt to go ahead, follow my admin's wishes, and write a plan with the student knowing that some of the consequences my admin has specified are not going to happen? Or should I tell my admin that I can't include removing the child from the class (whether proactively to help provide them a place to "cool down," or as a last resort when they are out of control) before I even try to make the plan? There are 30+ kids in this class, so there is no space in the room to provide a quiet area - the fact is that without more support I don't see how anything I do is going to work.

Comment

(7)

report post

view previous comments

Judith This one is a tough one! I agree with both prior posts. Your administrator needs to provide viable options, and commit to enforcing them with you, and you should not be writing the plan. A 504 is certainly an option which should be explored.

Check your site or district discipline plan as well. I don't know where you are teaching, but in N...See More

Sep 26, 2010

report post

NMS OP here. If you can believe it, this student already has an IEP, but there is no set behavior plan. I'll have to read the IEP again, but as I recall it is pretty general regarding behavior and consequences. When I met with the admin and resource teacher to discuss developing a plan, the IEP was never even referenced and I didn't think to bring it u...See More

Sep 26, 2010

report post

irieteacher I like the idea of having the student go to the back and stretch. How about having the student help you along with others do class duties?? Since the parent thinks all the plans are "stupid", and it seems like everything is left up to you, check with those male teachers and get feedback. The counselor as I can see needs to be counseling this studen...See More

Sep 26, 2010

report post

Jo Look at the structure of the other classes math/science. Pick the brain of the teacher to find out how he teaches and if there is anything different he does compared to what you do. My own friends child is struggling more for one teacher than another, but they work differently with the boy and have different expectations. The one he does well with ...See MoreLook at the structure of the other classes math/science. Pick the brain of the teacher to find out how he teaches and if there is anything different he does compared to what you do. My own friends child is struggling more for one teacher than another, but they work differently with the boy and have different expectations. The one he does well with breaks things down into very simple steps the other teacher just puts it all out there. On 9/26/10, NMS wrote: > OP here. If you can believe it, this student already has an IEP, > but there is no set behavior plan. I'll have to read the IEP > again, but as I recall it is pretty general regarding behavior > and consequences. When I met with the admin and resource teacher > to discuss developing a plan, the IEP was never even referenced > and I didn't think to bring it up (and right now I feel much > regret that I didn't think of something so obvious). > > In any case, I, the classroom teacher, am expected to do this > apparently because I am the one who is having the trouble with > them. I teach L.A. and S.S. The math/science teacher doesn't have > as many problems with the student - for several reasons that I > can see: 1) He taught the student in 3rd grade so has history > with them. 2) He is male, I am female, the student responds more > to males. 3) There is usually another male aide in at least one > of the two classes when the student is in his room. > > I do think you've got a good point that I need to talk to the > union about this, and I'm definitely going to look into the IEP. > > > On 9/26/10, Judith wrote: >> This one is a tough one! I agree with both prior posts. Your >> administrator needs to provide viable options, and commit to >> enforcing them with you, and you should not be writing the >> plan. A 504 is certainly an option which should be explored. >> >> Check your site or district discipline plan as well. I don't >> know where you are teaching, but in Nevada there is a section >> of the state statutes which deals with discipline and school >> safety, and which allows a teacher to have a child removed >> (permanently) from his/her class if, in the teacher's judgment, >> the child is preventing the teacher from teaching and the other >> students from learning. >> >> If you really feel that you are being set up for failure, you >> might think about getting your union involved. >> >> I wish you luck! >> Judi

Sep 26, 2010

report post

Sara On 9/26/10, NMS wrote:

It's a fact that some kids are certainly better behaved for men than women but how come the math/science teacher has an aide - and you don't? That can help and a lot. The more adults in the room the better.

The bad news is though - if this kid can behave better in the male teacher's room and/or when there's...See MoreOn 9/26/10, NMS wrote:

It's a fact that some kids are certainly better behaved for men than women but how come the math/science teacher has an aide - and you don't? That can help and a lot. The more adults in the room the better.

The bad news is though - if this kid can behave better in the male teacher's room and/or when there's an aide present, a behavior plan isn't going to do much. How often have you seen them work? I've seen them be work but we can draw a line in the sand and often but that doesn't mean anyone's going to toe it.

His mom might think behavior plans are stupid because the kid's been on one before to no avail - when they don't work, behavior plans are stupid because they take time to get written down and then in a few days everybody forgets about them because they're not working.

Can't you get the math/science teacher to share some wisdom with you or to speak to the student? Are there any personal idiosyncracies that either of you have that cause you to butt heads a bit? As in "I just can't stand that Ms. Jones always looks my way when she hears a binder drop." And "I'm very frustrated by John - he's often dropping his binder and I think it's deliberate."

If your union can do anything, get it to get you an aide - a male one. Good luck.

> OP here. If you can believe it, this student already has an IEP, > but there is no set behavior plan. I'll have to read the IEP > again, but as I recall it is pretty general regarding behavior > and consequences. When I met with the admin and resource teacher > to discuss developing a plan, the IEP was never even referenced > and I didn't think to bring it up (and right now I feel much > regret that I didn't think of something so obvious). > > In any case, I, the classroom teacher, am expected to do this > apparently because I am the one who is having the trouble with > them. I teach L.A. and S.S. The math/science teacher doesn't have > as many problems with the student - for several reasons that I > can see: 1) He taught the student in 3rd grade so has history > with them. 2) He is male, I am female, the student responds more > to males. 3) There is usually another male aide in at least one > of the two classes when the student is in his room. > > I do think you've got a good point that I need to talk to the > union about this, and I'm definitely going to look into the IEP. > > > On 9/26/10, Judith wrote: >> This one is a tough one! I agree with both prior posts. Your >> administrator needs to provide viable options, and commit to >> enforcing them with you, and you should not be writing the >> plan. A 504 is certainly an option which should be explored. >> >> Check your site or district discipline plan as well. I don't >> know where you are teaching, but in Nevada there is a section >> of the state statutes which deals with discipline and school >> safety, and which allows a teacher to have a child removed >> (permanently) from his/her class if, in the teacher's judgment, >> the child is preventing the teacher from teaching and the other >> students from learning. >> >> If you really feel that you are being set up for failure, you >> might think about getting your union involved. >> >> I wish you luck! >> Judi

Sep 29, 2010

report post