Increase in bad student behavior.

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2019

Yeah, it's happening more and more. Many times it's not dealt with appropriately because it's pathologized with a diagnosis.

Sometimes I think kids are just mirroring adult behaviors increasingly seen in public venues...

OyWithThePoodles, RN · Oct 23, 2019

Definitely. We have kinders hauling off and punching random kids in their class. Then get to stay at school and come back the next day.

When my daughter was in kinder there was a biter in her class, not a special needs kiddo, just a jerk kid. Would bite the crap out of other kids and of course, I saw the extent of his damage being the nurse. I went straight to admin and the mental health coordinator and told them they better hope my kid never gets bit because I know that they let the biter stay, and return each day, and that nothing is being done about it. She never got bit, but several other sweet littles did.

Our schools need more mental health professionals for sure, school counselors are pulled in a million different directions and none of them are in the direction of helping kids. We also need harsher consequences. I know a lot of these kids have rough home lives, incarcerated or deceased parents, grand or great grandparents raising them. But for crying out loud, it's such a disservice to that child as well as the others who are afraid to go to school because daily the "bad" student is destroying their classroom or physically assaulting someone. The only time I see true consequences is when a kid threatens to kill someone. They are suspended for a day.

We currently have two students that have met the requirements to go to the peds psych hospital nearby. THERE IS A FOUR MONTH WAITING LIST. Let that sink in. Not only do we have so many precious babies in that hospital that there is a FOUR MONTH waiting list. But think of how many kids need to be there immediately and can't, think of what could happen in the meantime.

This is one of my soapbox issues. I'll step off it now, but I could go on forever. I just read an article about the mental health of teachers as well, how we as a society expect them to be physically, verbally, and mentally abused on a daily, sometimes hourly basis and then expect them to just let it all go and come in tomorrow like nothing happened. UGH.

*Steps off soapbox for real this time*

Flare, ASN, BSN · Oct 23, 2019

yes - so many more kids now than when i started his gig in 2003. Parents have changed. They are more accommodating and more coddling now. They would rather give in to the whims of their children to defuse the situation at home and demands are not placed on these kids, so when they are put into a structured environment where they are not the center of focus, they don't know how to react other than to act out to get immediate attention.

I often think about this when i am called to assist a flailing child down the hallway to a quiet room.

AdobeRN · Oct 23, 2019

Then on the other side there are a few that have a medical/mental issue that have not been diagnosed yet - and when you really don't have support from the parents it seems to take the district forever to get a diagnosis - I have noticed it can take a good 2 years at the district level to get a kid diagnosed & proper treatment with something, even longer the younger the kid is. 2 years of dealing with the student being a terror in the classroom, to the teacher and other kids - just awful.

OldDude · Oct 23, 2019

You guys have already recognized the genesis of these behavior issues, with a very few exceptions, is with parenting style or lack of parenting during the formative/toddler/preschool years. Then these poor kids are turned loose in public school and their problems can be blamed on others and left for the school and other students to deal with. Since it's too late for the parents the only option is intervention at school...therein lies the problem. There are many options available but most school administrators won't go there. I'm afraid it's going to get no better or, most likely, worse. May the "force" be with you one and all.

"nursy", RN · Oct 23, 2019

Sometimes I wonder if it's all about the "no child left behind" and the schools mainstreaming everybody. It used to be you could actually get expelled from school. Now they try to accommodate all students. Which I think is wonderful until it's not. In theory, making sure every single child attends school is a noble concept, leading to an educated productive society. But when you go to an IEP where the 12 year old is reading on a kindergarden level, has missed half the school days, but her goal is to go to college and be a "CSI" investigator, and everyone in the room pretends that this is really a thing, well somewhere, we're missing the boat.

Guests · Oct 23, 2019

I am seeing a LOT more anger, impatience, hostility and generally just many more unhappy ADULTS these days. I see it with drivers, customers waiting in lines, at restaurants, etc. The world just feels like a more unhappy place these days. And I think a lot of these kids see their parents misbehaving. Obviously there are a lot of other factors resulting in poor student behavior but I definitely have noticed the adults as well.

OyWithThePoodles, RN · Oct 23, 2019

1 hour ago, MHDNURSE said:
I am seeing a LOT more anger, impatience, hostility and generally just many more unhappy ADULTS these days. I see it with drivers, customers waiting in lines, at restaurants, etc. The world just feels like a more unhappy place these days. And I think a lot of these kids see their parents misbehaving. Obviously there are a lot of other factors resulting in poor student behavior but I definitely have noticed the adults as well.

I think it's the instant gratification that we think we're entitled to. Technology has made it so we don't have to wait for much of anything anymore. So the slightest wait we encounter becomes, in our minds, a huge inconvenience, and of course our kiddos see that firsthand.

I miss the days of no cell phones, hand-written notes from your mom that say "went the grocery, this house better be clean when I get back". That being said... I feel lost without my cellphone. Sadly.

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2019

1 hour ago, MHDNURSE said:
I am seeing a LOT more anger, impatience, hostility and generally just many more unhappy ADULTS these days. I see it with drivers, customers waiting in lines, at restaurants, etc. The world just feels like a more unhappy place these days. And I think a lot of these kids see their parents misbehaving. Obviously there are a lot of other factors resulting in poor student behavior but I definitely have noticed the adults as well.

...not to mention the nightly political "discourse" we're all exposed to, with leaders saying or tweeting things regularly that are more reminiscent of Jerry Springer audience behavior.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Oct 23, 2019

the instant gratification kills me! especially the constant sense of immediacy in my office. It blows my mind how the students will come in and announce that they need help for their (mostly) minor issues. It doesn't matter to them if i'm on a phone call, have EMS in there, am giving a med, or whatnot. They expect to be addressed and tended to immediately upon entering. Then when it's an ailment that I can't really do anything about, you can see the look of befuddlement. If they think it's bad to have to wait 3 minutes for me to finish tending to the student before them, they'll never make it trying to wait in a pediatrician office.

There are times that I purposely have them wait for a moment while i finish charting. Learning how to wait is a teachable skill ?

AdobeRN · Oct 23, 2019

8 minutes ago, Flare said:
There are times that I purposely have them wait for a moment while i finish charting. Learning how to wait is a teachable skill ?

LOL...glad I am not the only one that does this.