discipline

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Home : 2004 : August : 20

discipline
By deel.

One thing you need to know is that when you find bruises you, as a teacher, are obligated, whether we like it or not, to notify the authorities. Social services is the way our public schools go...private schools may have
a loophole or two there...BUT, when a child is defiant it is not always intentional...I work with other health impaired children and kids come in every year who are 2nd grade or 3rd grade age that are defiant/oppositional/compulsive/etc...the professional health people (psychologists) very rarely classify a child as bi polar or schitzophrenic until teenage years, but I have witnessed the

symptoms once too many times to be able to tell you the kids I work with, down the road become labled as bi polar, etc...it is really important to work with the medicine avenue since this is what can and eventually WILL regulate the child...however, if the parents take their child off dose during the weekends, it defeats the purpose...when the kids come without meds, (not the best days of my life!) well, you have to do the best you can...I like to tickle the kids into doing things...and do reverse psychology such as...don't even think about doing (enter a good behavior) because then YOU get the blow pop, not me...I WANT THE BLOW POP! Only once or twice do you get to embellish on that blow pop...visual speaks louder than words! Work with the child's parents...one child I have had now for 2 years is severely defiant with temper tantrums when he is unregulated, getting sick, or forgot to take the medicine that morning...he is now doing concerta, and the doctor finally increased the dosage...what a different child! Well, he tells me LEAVE ME ALONE during those times...and if I butt heads with him, I'm doomed to run the course...so I just tell him to go sit by the door and see if there are any cardinals flying around (our back door looks into our courtyard)...that diverts his attention...I have used headphones with a cd favorite (not a nasty sounding one, a soothing one)...although he stomps over there, he is able to pull himself out of it...words like, I can see you don't want to do this, I didn't want to either when I was your age...you don't happen to like blow pops, do you? That usually gets a response..."Now, don't you giggle...no, don't even try to giggle because then I will have to let you have a blow pop"...I can wiggle my nose, so if nothing else, when I look them in the eye and tell them not to giggle, they see my nose wiggle and can't help themselves...the thing you don't want to do is to let them have their way..."this isn't negotiable...that is not a choice...statements like that are sometimes workable, sometimes not...it all depends on the child's mood, the reinforcers available, and the patience of a saint on the part of the teacher...check with any connection you may have to a teacher of behaviorally-emotionally disturbed students, through another teacher, perhaps...they can point you into the right direction...just remember, it's not the will of the child that is causing the havoc, it is the chemical imbalance that is the major cause...I know this is wordy...hope this can shed some light...Deel.