Today Ki was again telling me that some kids in her class have sticker charts. I have seen the charts taped on a few desks. I believe they have been there a majority of the year.
I posed the question to her.
"Why do some kids have sticker charts?"
"Well, they are the bad students. They are supposed to be working so they can be good students and not be bad students anymore."
I further queried, "Who has a sticker chart?"
She reeled off the names of the 4 or 5 "bad kids".
I've been around some of these kids. I've heard teachers say, "She knows the rules but she just didn't follow them today."
My educated guess is that the majority of these kids will earn little acronyms at some point in time. You know, ADD, ADHD, LD, ASD etc.
They are not "bad kids".
No kid starts their day out and thinks to themselves, "Today I am going to do everything I can think of to disrupt the class, be rude, not complete my work and bother my classmates. Because when I do those things I end up with consequences that make me feel really good about myself and make others like me. I do not want to have a day at school where the teacher, my parents or myself think, "What a great day!'"
Of course, I have no idea what conversations have taken place between teachers and parents. I hope parents are gently being educated that their child may need some extra help.
But in the mean time they are being socially stigmatized by the educators. Now I know the kids figure out who has "issues" anyway. I know of one teacher who gave all the kids a chart on their desk. While this could also potentially be a public display-it is not nearly so blatant to the other kids.
This bugs me. And my kid is a "typical", solid and very well mannered student. I believe I am sensitive to this because of Aj.
So, thoughts anyone? Send an email to the teacher? Have a private conversation after school? Let it go?
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I'd say talk with the teacher - either in person or email - and share what you've shared here. You are very good at sharing information in a non-judgemental, non-attacking, no-need-to-get-defensive kind of way. And as a SNK mom, but without a SNK in this teachers' class, you have a unique perspective to offer. Plus, it's almost the end of the year and even if she is a little bit resentful, you probably won't have to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI am for letting it go.
ReplyDeleteYou don't know the contest, perhaps Ki misread something, or draw conclusions based on a quick observation. She is only 7, and at 7 the world is pretty much black and white.
if it really bugs you, I would talk to her more to find out why she thinks that. my 2¢