Case Study #1 "One of your 4th grade female students is very well developed
physically and looks as if she is 15 instead of 9 years of age.
Today you heard a group of 5th grade boys commenting on her
body in a lewd and humiliating manner. Two other teachers also
heard these comments but blew them off as "boys will be boys,"
and "she needs to get used to it.""
Considering teacher ethics and responsibilities, describe how
you might respond to and handle this situation.
I feel very strongly about raising awareness and minimizing bullying in schools. In general, as a teacher, it is my responsibility to make sure my students feel safe and comfortable in their learning environment and within the classroom community. I can prevent such behavior by not allowing my students to physically or verbally abuse one another. I can provide appropriate supervision and be alert when students seem to be acting unusual to their normal behavior. In this particular situation I would immediately confront the boys and clearly explain that such comments and behavior are disrespectful, inappropriate, and will by no circumstances be tolerated. I would document the incidence and report it to the 5th graders teacher as well as the principal. The students must be aware that if such behavior is repeated that more severe consequences will be taken. It is also important for the 5th grade boys to understand empathy by asking them questions like "How would you feel if a group of girls was making fun of you?" and they need to understand that making fun of someone for something they can not control is cruel and not socially acceptable. By exposing children to a diverse school setting, hopefully, they will be more culturally aware of differences between themselves and others.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteBullying is a current trend that people are trying to raise awareness for, and rightfully so. I agree that we should raise awareness about minimizing bullying in school--and what better position to do this from than a teaching position where you are dealing with students daily!? I agree one of the best ways to prevent bullying is by not letting kids act like bullies. This can be done through setting up strict and reasonable classroom rules and being alert. I really like that you thought to incorporate empathy for explaining to the boys why their actions were inappropriate. I think you have provided some great ways to handle the situation provided in the case study.
--Ciera Rinck
Morgan, reading the case study, bullying did not really cross my mind but after reading your post I think this is a form of bullying. I agree that best way to prevent bulling is simply not allowing it to happen in your classroom. I like the way you handled the situation by immediately shutting them down and making it very clear that these behaviors will not be tolerated. I think integrating empathy could really help the boys see that words really do hurt people.
ReplyDelete