[devildogwife]

I think that is just terrible and the teacher sounds like a nightmare.

[jules17]

Detention in kindergarten??

What in the ????

My parents combined have 75 years of experience in education. I know for a fact neither of them ever did any of the above being discussed. I also know that they are not pushovers.

I am going to call them right now and ask them about this.

I would never consent to any of this, but I DO expect my children to be well behaved, respect their educators, be kind to others, etc. But I will have spent many years at home teaching and modeling these behaviors before school. So I hope to have "set them up for success" long before they enter the school setting.

Is the problem that other parents don't??

[ProspectiveSingleMom]

I'm a big believer in natural and immediate consequences. If the kid is misbehaving during recess, then having to SIT by the fence for a time-out would make sense. If the kid acted up when he/she was supposed to be lining up for recess, then having to sit in a time-out in the classroom for the first part of recess would make sense. I don't think walking should every be a punishment -- it is a form of exercise, which is something kids should be learning to enjoy because it's good for them, not learning that it is something bad. It's kinda like how teachers used to make kids write sentences for misbehaving -- it just ended up making the kids hate writing.

[Teri33]

I might get my head bitten off here, but I don't see the problem. I don't think its physical punishment at all. If they had to run, yes, but walking no. Maybe her reasons for walking are that since the child is missing out on active playtime, then instead of just sitting around they should at least be getting some exercise in by walking. Recess is energy burning time for kids not sitting around time. I think discipline has gotten way to lax at school and that is why we are having so many problems in our society.

I expect my child to be respectful at all times and if not then she has to deal with the consequences. Example, she does Tae Kwon Do (age 3 1/2) and when anyone in the class is not being respectful by saying sir or ma'am, or just getting out of control, the class does pushups. That is a physical punishment and I accept that because that's the rules of the studio. I would never make kids do push-ups for discipline, but my rules are not the rules of the studio. You have to accept others rules or just don't let your kid be apart of it. Just my thoughts on the subject.

[SKL]

Are you thinking 30 minutes of walking is physically abusive? My 19mo walks an hour or more, continuously, up and down hills, most evenings. Unless a child has a physical disorder, 30 minutes of walking along the fence will not hurt him. And I agree with those who say it is better than having him sit.

I have a question: are you also against any time-out in KG? Because that's a physical discipline, too. If you are against that - then what type of punishments would you be in favor of? Just telling the parents later isn't going to keep the class in order. It would be even less effective than waiting until recess to walk the fence.

[mommytoEli]

I would never consent to any of this, but I DO expect my children to be well behaved, respect their educators, be kind to others, etc. But I will have spent many years at home teaching and modeling these behaviors before school. So I hope to have "set them up for success" long before they enter the school setting. Is the problem that other parents don't??

not necessarily. my kid is squirly. he is respectful and super smart, but he has a REALLY hard time sitting still. he does have adhd....which is why i am sure he will have some issues. but i'd really like his first year of school to not include being a member of the chain gang. lol. so he will need some consequences...i just think she could have been a bit more logical and reasonable with the list.

[avoel]

I personally don't agree with a one size fits all discipline policy, especially in kindergarten. My DD just started K last week. She is one active little girl. I personally would LOVE to see this teacher enforce this with her...she would be running the fence, climbing the fence and basically having a blast over there serving her time! Unless the teacher was going to send someone over there to walk with her (at which point my DD would simply walk and talk their ear off) this "punishment" would not only be totally ineffective but would be something my child would probably work to get!

So no, I wouldn't sign it either...except maybe for a laugh to see her try it.

[crick]

You know I'm no stranger to stupid school issues, but this one is a first for me. Sounds like she watched too many "Lean on Me" movies instead of reading her textbook on appropriate consequences for elementary students.

Walking the fence? Ya, my child will do that just as soon as you pull that stick out of your bum and actually focus on the EDUCATION priorities of your job.

She'll be so busy counting her warnings for each child and tracking the number of fence walkers that she will not have time to teach. When discipline becomes the focus and not actual teaching, that tells me A LOT about a her and teachers in general.

My kids have missed recess for a variety of things and I'm okay with that as a consequence. I do not believe in 2 consequences though. Missing recess is one, making them walk during it is another. And at age 5?

Her attitude from the get go tells me a lot though and I think you are really going to have to be on your A game this year to deal with her. (Which I have no doubt you will B...BRING IT!) ROFL!

[mommytoEli]

Originally Posted by crick

Walking the fence? Ya, my child will do that just as soon as you pull that stick out of your bum and actually focus on the EDUCATION priorities of your job.

yeah...i didn't think about that before...but if you can't control a child in class, you think they are going to walk a straight line along the perimeter of the fence past all their friends playing and not stop, not climb the fence, not sit down when they are tired, or not wander off? good luck.

[jules17]

Brook, I was in no way implying that your son is not well behaved or anything like that. I hope you know that.

It seems to me, that since ADHD has been identified as the source of potential issues, then the solution should incorporate that. I have a friend who teaches and sometimes let the kids with ADHD rotate through some seats, find workable solutions to deal with inattention, etc. Positive solutions that address the ADHD and serve the child without disrupting the rest of the class.

It doesn't have to be punishment to address the issue.

Isn't it part of a teacher's education to be familiar with this??

[mommytoEli]

i wasn't fighting with you. i didn't take it personally.....my point is just that some children misbehave and it is not their parents fault. some kids have issues, some kids just have a hard day. i don't think it has to be a reflection on you as a parent. i taught my kid all those same things...you will just never see him sitting in a chair.

[mamaskoby]

I would livid!!! 5 minutes is maybe ok, depending on the weather but no more than that. Seriously that teacher has to get a clue, sounds like she could physically put your child at risk of getting hurt. I would demand another teacher. If that is not an option, I would take my kid out of that school. What school even allows that policy??? Does her principal know? I am so mad for you!!!

[SKL]

While I hate the teacher's attitude, I do want to stick up for the fact that she has a definite scale of punishments for the 1st, 2nd offense, etc.

They do this in the school district my younger siblings went to, and it's called "assertive discipline." The good thing about it is that the child knows BEFORE he chooses to act what the consequences of his act will be. So in reality, it puts the child more in control and he has less fear of what might happen to him. It's unusual for kids to get past the first two or three levels of "bad."

I use a variant of this with my girls. First offense, "sit" for one minute, second, sit for two, etc. It really works - I never got past 3 or 4 minutes, and nowadays they rarely have to "sit" at all. Theoretically it could get to a "long time," but in practice that doesn't happen.

[ProspectiveSingleMom]

Originally Posted by mommytoEli

not necessarily. my kid is squirly. he is respectful and super smart, but he has a REALLY hard time sitting still. he does have adhd....which is why i am sure he will have some issues. but i'd really like his first year of school to not include being a member of the chain gang. lol. so he will need some consequences...i just think she could have been a bit more logical and reasonable with the list.

I HATE it when kids are expected to just sit quitely for extended periods of time. Yes, they need to not disturb the learning of others, but if the kid is standing up and sitting back down without leaving his desk area(something I've seen a lot of kids with ADHD do), the teacher telling the kid repeatedly to sit down is more of a distraction to the other kids than his behavior.

[mommytoEli]

Originally Posted by SKL

While I hate the teacher's attitude, I do want to stick up for the fact that she has a definite scale of punishments for the 1st, 2nd offense, etc.

walk
more walking
lost more walking

not very creative.