Going a little further with the idea that the misbehaving kids need recess even more -- maybe walking laps around the playground or something of that sort would be better than simply standing along the wall. I've sent my kids outside to run laps around the house when they seem too wound up to behave indoors. Burning off a little energy does help.
All of our kids go out for recess but, if you are on a "strike 2" you miss 5 minutes recess and stand against the school building (next to the playground). If you are on a "strike 3", you stand for the whole 10 minutes "on the wall" hee hee. Hopefully, standing and watching recess pass you by will cause them to think about their actions next time.
I know what you're talkig about... I heard a friend at another school complaining because HER child had to miss recess because the whole class misbehaved. They are New Orleans evacuees and they normally attend a school in New Orleans so this is temporary but she was very irritated by this practice.
Something brand new at our school this year is that teachers can't make a child miss recess. The reasoning is that some of these high-energy children really really NEED the recess time to burn off that energy so they'll behave better. Now the teachers CANNOT keep them in, even if they want to, and I really think it's a good idea. The problem we were having with some really really strict teachers is that these "busy" little children NEVER got recess. I suppose they have to think of other ways to punish them.
That is some sort of guideline that might have to come down from your principal--it did at our school.
SHC
I agree with ScottMom. Remember, also, that it may come down to the teacher's inability to be inside with the offenders AND outside with the others. I don't know what the solution to that could be, but the good kids could be given some sort of reward inside instead of having them take the punishment, too.
The punish the whole group thing is supposed to be a peer pressure tactic. It probably won't work when you're expecting quiet kids to speak up to quiet down the loud kids.
I do remember being punished as part of the whole when I did not partake in the incident up until 6th grade-when we quit having recess. I don't see many teachers in our school do it this way, but I think if this is happening on a regular basis, I would mention it to my principal. My experience has been that new teachers will punish the whole because they are unable to come up with a better solution to keeping the calm. Maybe if this is brought to her attention, your principal could offer some other stratagies for the new teacher than what she is currently doing.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
My daughter is in 4th grade. She has been doing very well at school and is extremly shy and pretty quiet. (So much that one of her earlier teachers worked hard at getting her to "come out of her shell.") This year she has a very young teacher who I met at open house. The teacher seemed very nice and friendly and commented to me on how well-behaved my daughter was. (My other thought was...you should come to my house and see how "quiet" she is with her siblings! NOT! LOL!!)
Anyways, my daughter has told me of a few instances where the WHOLE class gets punished for talking or acting up. Even the kids that weren't acting up get punished. Today she said the same bunch of kids was being loud and obnoxious so the teacher made them stay in from lunch recess and lay their heads down on the desk. I feel as though that if my daughter participated in this nonsense, she should be disciplined as well. She came home today upset because she wasn't part of this and she really wanted to go outside for recess after lunch because we've been having some "unseasonably" warm weather here in Wisconsin!
At the open house the teacher told me that she "felt bad" because she made the whole class (including my daughter) stay in from recess and write an apology letter (different day/incident) because they were talking and broke the three strikes rule. Well, my daughter was in speech therapy when the incident in question happened. Yet she STILL wrote the apology letter anyways and never questioned the teacher about why she had to be disciplined even though she wasn't even in the classroom when it happened.
I've NEVER meddled in my children's school things like this before BUT do you think I should send a note (objectively) to the teacher questioning why she feels the need to punish the whole class rather than the rule breakers? I don't like to start trouble but as a parent, I feel the need to "get to the bottom" of all of this. What are your thoughts?? (Sorry so long!)
