There are a couple of problem kids in my son's pre-K class this year. It is a private Christian preschool. They have been a problem all year, but things have really been escalating. One of the kids in the class is being bullied really badly. He was hit in the head earlier this week. My son has been bullied a little (but he is really confident and it doesn't really bother him too much). The one kid was crying in the parking lot and wouldn't go into school even though my son tried to convince him (my son is one of his best friends). When I was dropping off today, I saw one of the bad kids take a toy from my son (violently grabbed the toy). The teacher was watching and didn't do anything. I told the kid to give it back to him and he did. I would have expected a teacher to deal with that. I guess this same kid kicked his blocks over yesterday and the teacher just told him to build his castle again. A little girl in the class yesterday had a kid put a finger to her head and said, "I am going to shoot you in the head. Bang. Now you're dead." I mean...these are 4 and 5 year olds!!!! My son has picked up some REALLY bad behaviours from this class. Honestly, I think that the teachers have just given up on this class due to the bad apples. This week, during art class they have just been playing with toys, during singing they have been watching a movie. I mean, what in the heck am I paying for here? A part of me just wants to yank my son out of there. There are only about 2 months left and the best stuff is coming up (graduation, the spring concert, etc). My daughter also goes there and I was planning on sending her next year because I absolutely love the teacher she will have next year. Sorry to have such a long post. I am just so frustrated right now. This is making me so happy about my decision to homeschool. If they can't even control bullying in a private preschool, how could they possibly handle it in public school? I just don't know why they don't kick these kids out of school.
I'm sorry, it's VERY WRONG for the school not to deal with this! a plan needs to be made and stuck to, and if the kids don't shape up, they need to be OUT of there!!! Are there other parents that are concerned, too? I'd get a group and make an apointment with the principal.
This is JMO....is graduation worth the issues your son is dealing with in the class? Or the bad habits he will likely keep after graduation? Have you gone in to talk with the owner/director? I don't mean 'nice' talk. I mean "in your face I am royally pissed off" talk. A co-meeting with the owner/director and the teacher is in order. Bad mouthing among parents over a bad situation is not good for any school. They cannot over look parents who keep coming to them upset. But if no one says anything, the lack way of dealing with the issue will continue. I agree in that the teacher might be at the end of her rope. I don't know the situation but if she is not getting any support for problem kids in the class, then her hands are tied and she might be doing what she needs to get through a day. A poor support system for teachers and a director looking more at money than problems, is a bomb waiting to explode. From my experience, she should be going to the weekly/monthly teachers meeting (assuming they have them there) and talking about her situation among her peers and trying to come up with solutations. And the final result would be a meeting with the 'bad' kids parents with a threat of letting them go if the problems continue. But if she has done this and there is no support for her with an attitude of 'just deal with it' then she is left with no where to turn. TV and toys instead of instruction is her babysitter now. BUT....if she is a poor teacher that doesn't know how to handle problem kids, then having this meeting with the director/owner and teacher will benefit in the end too. You, as the parent, should not be having to deal with an issue on drop off. If the teacher saw was what going on, it is HER job. And if she didn't, it would be ok to point it out to her. These kids are little but if a child is refusing to go into the center because he is scared and upset, there is an issue! And when all else fails..........talk amoung the other parents. Groups make ears listen. If enough complain, they have no choice to do something. This behavior is far from Christian teaching IMO!
That is awful. I would talk with who ever is in charge and discuss what you witnessed. Someone needs to be held accountable for the actions in that class.
they DON'T handle it in public school. this is one of the main reasons we are homeschooling from now on. I just got tired of dealing with incompetent people's offspring. my son has gotten bullied numerous times this year and I've been in the principal's office numerous times this year, only to waste my time. even the teacher told me that "oh, the other student is just going through a hard time at home, the student is a really good kid." :shock: ok so that gives them the right to hit my son!? I'm sorry your son is dealing with and witnessing the bullying. I agree that I would talk to the principal, hopefully you will have more luck than I did since your son attends a private school.
The difference is that the public school is political, and the private school is money. If the private school feels they're going to lose students (and their money) over this issue, they'll do something. The public school is more afraid of bad publicity.
I agree - the schools really DON'T deal with it. I don't know about private schools, I'd think they'd have more incentives. But public schools don't. Around here there is, of course, an anti-bullying policy. Which translates to: if your kid gets tired of the bullying and defends him or herself, YOUR CHILD gets punished. The kid who consistantly picks on other kids probably has parental involvement but they tend to give too many excuses to THAT kid, and if your sweet tempered child acts up, well it's your child who gets the heavy-handed discipline. We had so many problems with our ds in K- and the school sent our kid to the principal's office constantly. Weekly reports from his teacher, countless meetings at school, talking talking to ds and punishments. One day in March he came home with bruises around his throat and we finally figured out what was happening at school- his behavior was a reflection of how unhappy he was there because he was being harassed every day. The school wouldn't listen- dragged him in a room with the perpetrators and expected our ds to be honest (who would.. he was terrified). The next year, those kids were transferred and our son suddenly had zero behavior issues. As someone who dealt with it myself in school, I would first talk to the teachers. Then I'd pull my kid out. It just isn't worth it- and a lot of those scars take a lot of time to heal (the story is still coming out from my dd, and she's been homeschooled since October... and has shed many tears since over the bullying I didn't even know she was enduring).
I feel your pain and agree with all the ladies here. I was bullied my entire childhood from k-12 because i grew up in a small town where my family was poor and didnt own anything. I wish my ma had pulled me out and homeschooled me. It made me tough but i still feel like everyones out to get me. Anywho, my son just turned 3 and i dont want to ever put him in PS but his father doesnt want him homeschooled unless he decides to in 6th grade! grr
