Your perspective as a teacher is a nice counterbalance to the discussion. I agree that a teacher needs to maintain control of his/her class, an perhaps the kid's teacher is feeling as though some measure of control is slipping.
Problem is, she doesn't get to control that aspect of her class. So how can she accommodate her requirements under the law, and still have an orderly classroom?
I suggest that she do nothing. As long as people are making their choice quietly, there's no real disruption to wrestle to the ground. It may be that she ends up being the only one standing there and reciting. It may even be to giggles - but if this recitation is that important to her personally, a few giggles should not dissuade her from her patriotic duty. As long as the kids are quiet and otherwise compliant with the teacher's instructions, the "problem" lasts all of 35 seconds, give or take.
She could spend part of a class period discussing the controversy, though in this specific case it'd be a stretch, as the subject being taught is far removed from the Constitution, and you know how those high-stakes tests are...
The part that bothers me the very most is the weeping and wailing in the hallway about not being able to stand having "that kid" in her class now. That's making it a personal issue, not one of overall class management, and I am concerned about his grade. Thankfully it's a class where answers really are "right" or "wrong", but she would still have wiggle room, from not granting partial credit for a partially worked problem (where she might grant it to otehrs) to "accidentally losing" one or more of the kid's assignments.
Evidently there was no drama on Friday, but I remain concerned.
Yes. She's taking this waaaay too personally. If she were less emotional about it, I would say her concern would be "Gee, then the next thing you know, the rest of the class stays seated out of laziness and, sure, this is a silly thing to squabble about, but what requirement of mine are they going to attack next?"
In other words, if she expressed her concerns the way Emily did, calmly discussed it with your boy, knowing that he is NOT a troublemaker, and was willing to work out some sort of compromise for the good of the class, it would be a completely different scenario.
It sounds like somebody needs to go back to teaching school. Funny how a private elementary school teacher with a BA, part of a credential program, and 2 1/2 years of teaching under her belt has a more mature reaction than this teacher. I can only hazard a guess that your boy's teacher has probably had her single-subject credential for a while, along with a hood on her graduation gown, and possibly a few more years in the classroom.
Your perspective as a teacher is a nice counterbalance to the discussion. I agree that a teacher needs to maintain control of his/her class, an perhaps the kid's teacher is feeling as though some measure of control is slipping.
Problem is, she doesn't get to control that aspect of her class. So how can she accommodate her requirements under the law, and still have an orderly classroom?
I suggest that she do nothing. As long as people are making their choice quietly, there's no real disruption to wrestle to the ground. It may be that she ends up being the only one standing there and reciting. It may even be to giggles - but if this recitation is that important to her personally, a few giggles should not dissuade her from her patriotic duty. As long as the kids are quiet and otherwise compliant with the teacher's instructions, the "problem" lasts all of 35 seconds, give or take.
She could spend part of a class period discussing the controversy, though in this specific case it'd be a stretch, as the subject being taught is far removed from the Constitution, and you know how those high-stakes tests are...
The part that bothers me the very most is the weeping and wailing in the hallway about not being able to stand having "that kid" in her class now. That's making it a personal issue, not one of overall class management, and I am concerned about his grade. Thankfully it's a class where answers really are "right" or "wrong", but she would still have wiggle room, from not granting partial credit for a partially worked problem (where she might grant it to otehrs) to "accidentally losing" one or more of the kid's assignments.
Evidently there was no drama on Friday, but I remain concerned.
AND WHERE are my paragraph breaks gone???
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In other words, if she expressed her concerns the way Emily did, calmly discussed it with your boy, knowing that he is NOT a troublemaker, and was willing to work out some sort of compromise for the good of the class, it would be a completely different scenario.
It sounds like somebody needs to go back to teaching school. Funny how a private elementary school teacher with a BA, part of a credential program, and 2 1/2 years of teaching under her belt has a more mature reaction than this teacher. I can only hazard a guess that your boy's teacher has probably had her single-subject credential for a while, along with a hood on her graduation gown, and possibly a few more years in the classroom.
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