Children with behavior issues

[zombieghoast]

My office is right next to the front office and I hear all of the bad kids who come in to see the principal since they gotten into trouble. I will tell you what I feel so bad for some of these kids. A lot of them are repeat offenders and I feel like my school tries so hard to fix whatever issue it is while the 5th and 6th grade school has zero tolerance. Kid with ADHD? Refer them to the right doctor. I just feel like a lot of these parents are setting up their children for failure. There is a boy who is in 1st grade (got held back in kindergarten so he should be in 2nd) and he has been suspended 5 times because of his behavior. He will run out of class, hit teachers and students, and he won't listen because he doesn't want to do work. I literally heard him say he just wants to play. From what I heard he has ADHD and hasn't been on meds. I do not recall him getting into a lot of trouble last year but I have a feeling something is going with the mom. She is supposed to be taking him to the doctor but no one knows why he hasn't been prescribed meds. He also has severe asthma and will have an asthma attack when he takes off running. I haven't received anything from her! The social worker also witnessed him hitting his mom in the face when she came to get him. It is just scary because he is a strong kid and god only knows what will happen when he gets older.

[kidzcare]

I was just recently having a discussion about similar topics with my sister (she is an educator, currently pursuing a doctorate). I brought it up because of a "problem kid" this year at my school who is the most disrespectful child I have ever heard/seen. I am flabbergasted every time because I just can't fathom how a child can come to think that way to speak is OK.

Anyway, what we talked about was the role of the school. The purpose of public education is to have a properly educated society since having an educated populace benefits us all. So while discipline is necessary in school, it is an obligation to our mission to try to fix the root cause of this kid's defiance. He has come to school with preconceived notions of what school is (he was brand new to us this year) and the staff at the school have a preconceived notion of how a student should behave. So, what has led this child to think this is an OK way to act? What can we do, as educators, as role models, to prepare this kid to be a decent member of society?

Hard questions. Interesting topic.

[cynmrn]

I experience this frustration almost daily. What has really been getting to me recently has been the defeatist attitude I am seeing in many staff members regarding unmedicated students with ADHD. I definitely agree that it is disheartening to see a child who thrived last year on meds be pulled off of them and spiral out of control because a parent thinks he is "going to have a heart attack" because of his meds. But, at the end of the day, the choice to medicate is not ours to make. I can educate and I can advocate, but I can't force a parent make (what I believe) is the right decision. So, where do we go from there? If you talked to some educators/other professionals, the answer would just be to throw up our hands and lament that we can't do anything and everything is useless.

Or maybe, instead of just complaining, we could do the best we can to create a 504 plan/behavior plan that might maximize their potential. I am not saying that this will magically make a kid behave/do well academically--after all, we need the support/discipline at home and a lot of the parents just aren't able/won't do it. We can't work miracles and I'm not an educator. I can't pretend that I know intimately the struggle that one has with 25+ kids in a classroom and those few that are driving you out of your mind. But, we sure could give it a go instead of just giving up. /rant

[OldDude]

Same here and it's only getting worse. There are so many heads on this dragon you don't even know where to start.