Fight
Last night I went for a walk with a fellow teacher. We were walking by the youth center and I had never seen in it before. So we went inside. As I was peaking in I saw on of my students. He's a really nice kid. He's in grade 12 and quite popular. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw him bawling with a really swollen lip. Of course my heart sunk and I pulled him outside.
I asked him what happened. Through his tears and hiccups he told me that another kid and him got into it. He kept saying how the other kid turned all his friends against him and has had it out for him since day one.
I asked the student if he wanted to go for a walk and talk about it. He was still quite shook up. He declined. My big concern here was to make sure he was safe. I asked if he wanted us to walk him home. He said he didn't want to go home yet because he would get in trouble. He said he would go to the restaurant and talk it out with some people there. We watched as he left for the restaurant.
I felt so helpless. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Was I suppose to take him home? Call the cops, what? I remember when I was a student, I was told I could go to a teacher when I got into trouble like that. As a teacher, I don't know what to do! My instincts told me to make sure the student is safe and if he wanted more help, I would support him. My instinct also told me this was not the time to lecture him about not fighting and using his words not his fists.
As a new teacher in a new community, it's so important that I find out what to do in these situations. I've done workshops that tells me what to do when kids are in trouble at home, but I'm not sure the protocol with kids fighting kids outside school time. How do I know this won't escalate to something more severe? Do I let the parents know?
I overheard what really happened here. Supposedly, the other kid had set up my student to say shit about some kids over speaker phone. And there was also some bebo tampering with gay porn. You know, typically boy bullshit. The one thing that really disturbed me about the whole thing is that the fight is on Bebo. Several kids actually video taped it. That is just sick.
I asked him what happened. Through his tears and hiccups he told me that another kid and him got into it. He kept saying how the other kid turned all his friends against him and has had it out for him since day one.
I asked the student if he wanted to go for a walk and talk about it. He was still quite shook up. He declined. My big concern here was to make sure he was safe. I asked if he wanted us to walk him home. He said he didn't want to go home yet because he would get in trouble. He said he would go to the restaurant and talk it out with some people there. We watched as he left for the restaurant.
I felt so helpless. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Was I suppose to take him home? Call the cops, what? I remember when I was a student, I was told I could go to a teacher when I got into trouble like that. As a teacher, I don't know what to do! My instincts told me to make sure the student is safe and if he wanted more help, I would support him. My instinct also told me this was not the time to lecture him about not fighting and using his words not his fists.
As a new teacher in a new community, it's so important that I find out what to do in these situations. I've done workshops that tells me what to do when kids are in trouble at home, but I'm not sure the protocol with kids fighting kids outside school time. How do I know this won't escalate to something more severe? Do I let the parents know?
I overheard what really happened here. Supposedly, the other kid had set up my student to say shit about some kids over speaker phone. And there was also some bebo tampering with gay porn. You know, typically boy bullshit. The one thing that really disturbed me about the whole thing is that the fight is on Bebo. Several kids actually video taped it. That is just sick.
posted by Small Town Teacher @ 3:55 PM
1 Comments:
At October 06, 2006 9:21 AM,
Anonymous said…
Ah, the wonderful world of technology reaches out to bite someone in the ass. Ugh. One thing that occurs to me is that the person(s) who recorded the incident (and may now be in possession of the recording itself) is playing a dangerous game legally with regard to recording someone without their permission. Could that somehow be used as leverage to get rid of the recording? Machiavellian little shitheads!
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