Stolen Goods!

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Upper Elementary Teachers Chatboard

Stolen Goods!

by Kid@heart

Mar 6, 2009

Anyone else have known thieves in their classroom? I've had two girls (that I know of) steal from me. One stole a cheap flashlight from our science kit, and the other raided my prize box. I suspect she stole four items, but only found two of the stolen goods in her desk. One wrote an apology letter, the other just got P.O. at me, and tried to lie to my face. I'm just fuming! What would be a natural consequence for this type of behavior? Do I penalize the entire class for the actions of a few? I could eliminate the prize box altogether. Would you contact parents even if these parents would some how blame the teacher for "allowing" it to happen in the first place? Too bad I can't call the cops and have them arrested. I'm just soo irritated I can't even sleep!

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ny/5 A few years ago, I had a girl who robbed me blind -- anything she could take, she would -- scissors, markers, post it notes, rulers -- you name it. I had no idea where all the stuff was disappearing to until her mother came in, returned it, and told me what was going on (mom didn't seem to like her daughter very much - she was very young and it was...See MoreA few years ago, I had a girl who robbed me blind -- anything she could take, she would -- scissors, markers, post it notes, rulers -- you name it. I had no idea where all the stuff was disappearing to until her mother came in, returned it, and told me what was going on (mom didn't seem to like her daughter very much - she was very young and it was like she was almost enjoying ratting her out). I had a long heart to heart with the student and it turned out that she was stealing the things because she "wanted them and didn't have the money to buy them". We talked about trust and how she'd have to earn my trust back and for a while we had daily locker, desk and back pack checks. I also referred her to the school counselor. Some time passed and she hadn't stolen anything for a while. One day I went to the dollar store and spent about $10 on pens, markers, colored pencils, etc. -- all things that the other kids had, but she didn't. I put it in a gift bag and gave it to her and explained to her why I was giving it to her. It was life changing -- for both of us. I know how frustrating these situations can be, but try to realize that for every problem you encounter, there is a root cause.

On 3/06/09, Kid@heart wrote: > Anyone else have known thieves in their classroom? I've had > two girls (that I know of) steal from me. One stole a cheap > flashlight from our science kit, and the other raided my > prize box. I suspect she stole four items, but only found > two of the stolen goods in her desk. One wrote an apology > letter, the other just got P.O. at me, and tried to lie to > my face. I'm just fuming! What would be a natural > consequence for this type of behavior? Do I penalize the > entire class for the actions of a few? I could eliminate > the prize box altogether. Would you contact parents even if > these parents would some how blame the teacher > for "allowing" it to happen in the first place? Too bad I > can't call the cops and have them arrested. I'm just soo > irritated I can't even sleep!

Mar 10, 2009

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Why can't you report it to the police? Call the non-emergency number for your local PD and explain the situation. Maybe Officer Friendly would be willing to come out to the school and give your class an intimidating lecture about what happens to thieves.

He can't speak to Laverne and Shirley alone, of course, without their parents being there, but there's nothing stopping him f...See More

Mar 10, 2009

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East End Long Islander NEVER punish the entire class for something like a student stealing. That's not a Group Crime (like being too noisy when you turn your back)......

YES, make the student apologize, IN WRITING, explaining what he/she did and why it is wrong. Don't do this in front of the class. It is a private issue between you and the child who did the deed...See More

Mar 11, 2009

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Leah There is usually a reason why children lie. The following short article lists reasons

Mar 12, 2009

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Leah Sorry, I posted a related article on my last post, but this is the one I was thinking of that lists reasons