Afraid they'll lose their jobs, Tulsa teachers are enduring attacks from kindergartners, pre-Kers

[TexasTowelie]

Afraid they'll lose their jobs, Tulsa teachers are enduring attacks from kindergartners, pre-K students

Tulsa Public Schools teachers across the district are enduring attacks from prekindergarten and kindergarten students, the head of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association told the school board on Monday.

With about a dozen teachers standing behind her, Patti Ferguson-Palmer, president of TCTA, said that when it comes to what to do about the attacks, teachers and administrators are “frozen into inaction for fear of losing their jobs.”

Ferguson-Palmer said she has observed classroom attacks and that, in some cases, teachers are afraid to have students use pencils and scissors in activities for fear that they will be used as weapons.

She said teachers are worried about losing their jobs if they block an unruly child from leaving the classroom or if they let a child leave the classroom, meaning they’re stymied whatever they do.

Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/education/afraid-they-ll-lose-their-jobs-tulsa-teachers-are-enduring/article_7f0ca49b-ce2c-5b1f-948b-5ea96dc0f2de.html

[HopeAgain]

1. ??!?!!

Kindergartners and pre-k? Sounds like a bunch of teacher who just want to dole out some spankings.

[Frustratedlady]

2. This has been a big problem for several years. I have several teachers in the family,

and not only do they have to help other teachers take the student to the principal's office, but are kicked, bitten and called filthy names along the way. My daughters have been propositioned by 6-7 year old boys. Many of these children are on meds and if the parent runs out of meds and/or forgets to dole them out, the teachers end up paying for it. It is a sad situation for both the teachers and the students.

The ironic thing is that oftentimes, the parent will come in to take the child home and in the process will grab the child and let them know they will get their butts beaten when they get home.

There are a lot of sad situations these kids have to wade through at home and they bring their frustration to school. You would be surprised at the strength of a youngster when they are angry.

One of my teacher family members was nearly attacked when she took a can of pop from a student in the lunchroom because he was shaking it vigorously before he opened it. Of course, the mess would have taken forever to remedy with students getting covered in pop. The next day, his mother came to school and demanded she reimburse her for the pop she'd sent. Another instance was when she took an eraser away from a boy who was using it to bean students in the head. The father showed up and demanded its return. The teacher refused and then explained what he had been doing. The father relented and was slapping the kid in the head as they went out the door. Parents don't check for details, they vent their anger out on the teacher and it can be threatening.

My teachers all have good disciplinary records and generally receive thank yous and praise from the parents during conference time, but there is that small percentage and it only takes one to walk in with a gun or manhandle a teacher.

[enough]

3. A friend is a highly experienced and beloved teacher of first-graders in our public school.

In the past three years she has been experiencing physical attacks by her students. The school administration does not want this to be known, so they provide no support or even acknowledgment that it's happening.

Of course she doesn't blame the kids, knowing that this is the result of very difficult home lives the kids are dealing with. But it brings a new level of challenge into the classroom, to say the least.

[Runningdawg]

4. Being from OK

I believe the teachers are afraid, but not of getting stabbed with a pencil. They are afraid of the kids gun-toting, Trump loving parents who believe all teachers are communists indoctrinating their children into the world of liberalism and homosexuality.