Should Kids be Kicked Out of School for Misbehaving as Punishment?
By sandymay48
@sandymay48 (2030)
Canada
May 25, 2009 12:28pm CST
Continuing on my role of all things in life that annoy me..
Now maybe this doesnt apply to your area either and maybe it does. Either way, opinions are greatly welcomed.
I have seen many instances, again where I live, where children or teens are expelled from school for misbehaving. Now I dont mean violent acts that put other children at risk, because in that case, I think it is right to expel them.
I mean children who disobey rules, dont do homework or skip too many classes. Things of this nature. I reallize that if a child skips too many classes that catching up can be disruptive to the rest of the class who are there to learn.
However, sending kids home, in a society where most parents both work, is not a punishment in my eyes. It is a break from school and just what the kids want. Who is going to stay home and make sure they are punished? Often these kids just enjoy their time off, get further behind and often dont bother to return to school
I say bring back the detentions. Make these children stay at school. A lot of the problem is today that teachers leave when the students do. Union rules. There is no more of the after school punishments. OK, so make a detention room, in school time. Give these kids work to do. If they dont do it, oh well, at least they arent getting their way and running the streets. How about imposing a punishment where the child has to attend school on a saturday? WOuldnt that just ruin their weekend. Perhaps that of the family as well but thats part of being a parent.
My general opinion on all these recent topics is that the reigns need to be pulled in, but how do we do it? We need a more stuctured society for our children, and more rights back to the parents.
I have never beleived in kicking the kids out of school unless they are a threat to others. There will always be kids who are more difficult than others. FInd a way to deal with it rather than give them the boot to do as they please. It might have been different in a society where one parent is home and can punish the child as seen fit. But the reality is, it takes too parents to work to survive. School is to educate our children. Not to throw out the ones who are a little more challenging and make bad decisions. Work with them to stay in school and not give them the means to escape it.
Now maybe this doesnt apply to your area either and maybe it does. Either way, opinions are greatly welcomed.
I have seen many instances, again where I live, where children or teens are expelled from school for misbehaving. Now I dont mean violent acts that put other children at risk, because in that case, I think it is right to expel them.
I mean children who disobey rules, dont do homework or skip too many classes. Things of this nature. I reallize that if a child skips too many classes that catching up can be disruptive to the rest of the class who are there to learn.
However, sending kids home, in a society where most parents both work, is not a punishment in my eyes. It is a break from school and just what the kids want. Who is going to stay home and make sure they are punished? Often these kids just enjoy their time off, get further behind and often dont bother to return to school
I say bring back the detentions. Make these children stay at school. A lot of the problem is today that teachers leave when the students do. Union rules. There is no more of the after school punishments. OK, so make a detention room, in school time. Give these kids work to do. If they dont do it, oh well, at least they arent getting their way and running the streets. How about imposing a punishment where the child has to attend school on a saturday? WOuldnt that just ruin their weekend. Perhaps that of the family as well but thats part of being a parent.
My general opinion on all these recent topics is that the reigns need to be pulled in, but how do we do it? We need a more stuctured society for our children, and more rights back to the parents.
I have never beleived in kicking the kids out of school unless they are a threat to others. There will always be kids who are more difficult than others. FInd a way to deal with it rather than give them the boot to do as they please. It might have been different in a society where one parent is home and can punish the child as seen fit. But the reality is, it takes too parents to work to survive. School is to educate our children. Not to throw out the ones who are a little more challenging and make bad decisions. Work with them to stay in school and not give them the means to escape it.4 people like this
16 responses
@meandmy3 (2227)
• United States
25 May 09
Excuse me, you are in fact asking the schools to parent these children. Parents are the ones that took the ability of the schools to punish children in different manners. Who is going to pick these children up from school if they have to stay after the buses run, we can not afford to have a bus to take them home, who is going to pay for the teacher to stay and work extra hours, do you not think they work enough for the measly amount of money they are paid. These children are disrupting the classroom, the teachers can not teach the rest of the class as a result, what is a teacher/school to do when their hands are tied and the only resource they have is to remove these students form the classroom environment so the rest of the class may do what they are there to do and that is to learn.
Yes the reigns need to be pulled in but that starts at home, there was a time that kids would not have thought of disrespecting their teachers or parents, but now days our children are allowed to do what every they want without any consequences. Parents need to parents their children, schools need to educate them, if the kids are not disciplined enough to be in the classroom without disrupting it so that no one else can learn, then it is not the schools problem it is the parents.
blaming the school for removing children from the school that are misbehaved is wrong, these children do not belong with the children that are there to learn.
Several states have started what they call alternative schools for these kids to go to, their is normally one per district and yes the parents have to get them there and pick them up. The class sizes are smaller and they have better trained teachers to deal with the behavior problems so that the students in the regular school can continue to learn without the many disruptions. That to me is a good solution to the problem
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
25 May 09
Hi meandmy3.....I can tell that these are touchy subjects for you by the anger in which you respond...I am NOT asking the school to parent the kids. If you would have read carefully, I said a detention, on school time. Instead you went on about how are the kids going to be picked up, who is going to stay the extra hours, I didnt say any of that! Ofcourse an unruly student needs to be removed from a classroom where a teacher is trying to teach. You are taking what I am saying out of context.
And yes, we have the alternative schools here as well...and I did make it clear at the start of my discussion, that rules may be different other places. Here the teachers DO leave when school is over. I never said they were paid enough for what they do, in fact, I wouldnt want that job is this day and age. You are surmizing a lot of things.
Yes parenting begins at home. But where do kids spend most of their days? At school!..There has to be discipline there as well.
I also said its different for students who are being disruptive or pose a threat to others. I mentioned the ones that may skip classes, not doing homework etc.
You are taking what I am saying to an extreme and adding things I DIDNT say.
@meandmy3 (2227)
• United States
25 May 09
Sandy I was simply adding my thoughts and I was not angry just like you said a touchy subject of mine. I have seen to many articles and so many complaints that our schools are not doing enough, our schools hands are so tied with rules and regulations and money is so tight with them. Kids not doing homework, is not a school problem it is a parenting problem. I think I let my anger from a conversation I had a few weeks ago with someone whom thought the school should be parenting their children, and she used some of your same arguments. I had to walk away from that one as it got too heated. I am sorry if I offend you,
Yes I get that kids are at school longer than they are at home, but this starts when kids are young, parents need to teach their children to obbey and respect those in authority and to not bail them out of all of their mistakes. Schools have had their hands tied by parents, and laws in which they can not discipline. Schools are having to cut programs that our children need because they are out of money. They can not have music, art, and even recess in some cases due to budget cuts, yet we have to open special schools and have special class rooms for children who do not know how to behave in class. That is what upsets me, the good kids, the kids that are there to learn are the ones hurting in the long run as a result of all of these changes, that is what I get angry about.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
25 May 09
My fiance and I aren't parents yet but the topic of spending as much time as possible with the children has come up quite a bit. We feel that parents should stay home more or make sure the child is in an environment where they can learn, get the attention they need and deserve! Sometimes acting out is just a means to get some attention, and what parents really should do is find a way to get the children the attention they need, GOOD attention. I Say yay for detentions in school and NAY for out of school because like you said, whose going to stay home and make sure they do it?
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
25 May 09
I know that when my fiance and I do have children I want to stay at home to be with the children but I also know that the world is now where it's nearly impossible to stay at home. I guess that's partially why I am on here, with my fiance of course, so that we can make some money to save for our future. So we'll always have that little bit of money for a rainy day!
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
25 May 09
Hi somecowgirl..Hopefully laws there will not become what some of them are here.
I do realize that children who are disruptive to the point of putting other children at risk need to be handled differently and removed from the ones who are trying. But the ones who are just acting up a little, pushing the limits as all kids will do at some point in their life, should be made to remain at school,in detention or something, and not sent home to have free days off. That would have worked in a society where the mother could afford to stay home and be there constantly for the child. but not now in most cases.
1 person likes this
@rio82solomon (132)
• Indonesia
26 May 09
I agree. Additionally, there are couples of things that make children misbehave. First, he or she might have problems whether mentally or phisically. Some kids in this case try to find attention by misbehaving at school. It's normal though. Secondly, perhaps the school environtment is not comfortable to the students. So teachers shall trick the situation into interesting things, perhaps the way he or she teaches, or the teaching method. Teachers need to realize that their job is not only for the kids' intelegence, but the most is their moral. Third, the teacher-student relationship. I loved the way most of my teachers treated us. They were mostly like good old friends of old that we longed, and if we were absent from their class we'd missed them badly. The way they trick the situation worked although in fact the school ambience was not in good condition. So, kick out children from school will never answer the lable disciplin. Maybe if teachers could be bothered a bit to be their students' friends, they won't see anymore misbehavior. Rather they can be this kids' answered-prayers. An expecting person.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
26 May 09
Hi there..thanks for responding. I agree that there are different reasons too that kids misbehave and a very good point to bring up.
When my oldest brother was in school, he acted up terribly in the younger grades. He threw things around, changed the coats around in the closets, and did lots of distractive things.
In the end, they discovered his problem was NOT that he was bad, but he was bored.
He wanted to go to school to learn and not play games so they advanced him a grade and gave him different things to do. They had to satisfy his learning needs because he was smarter than the average student and had a whole different outlook.
Once things changed, he was fine. He grew up to be a fine man with a great job, besides that of a part time teacher, he also worked as a forest ecologist for the government. So you see, not all disruptive kids are bad, sometimes theres a reason. If they would have just sent him home, they would have lost a great student.
@dfinster (3528)
• United States
26 May 09
Hi sandymay48. I really enjoyed your discussion post here. My sister-in-law is a teacher of grades 5 through 8 here in the town we live in. She's been a teacher there for 23 years and just the other day we were talking about what a tough time she's having this year. She says kids always get a little wild toward the end of the year with summer coming and all but she said this year so many of the kids are really disrespectful. Last week she had one boy pull another nboy's pants and underpants down in front of the whole class while she was up in the office making copies of test papers. Then the other day she had a kid call her retarded when she told him to do something so she sent him to the office where he talked to the principal the same way.
The first boy got a 3 day suspension because of the severity of his actions but the second kid had to sit the whole rest of the day in a room by himself. Kind of like an in-school detention. When they do that the kids only get to leave the room to go to the bathroom and even have a time limit for that and they eat their lunch in there also. She says that type of punishment seems to be pretty effective. She says they hardly ever give the kids an out of school suspension unless it's something really bad like what that boy did to the other boy in front of the class. Sitting alone in the detention room for the school day seems to work because they know they don't just get to go home and get out of school for a mini vacation as they like to call it.
She also said that the kids that are repeat offenders are put into special classes so they aren't as disruptive to the other students and then they still have the same schoolwork and lessons as the rest of the kids only seperately. I feel bad for teachers today for the little pay they get and then what they are expected to deal with and trying to mold these kids into productive members of society. It's like teachers aren't just expected to teach anymore. they have to be teachers, police officers in a way, disciplinarians, parent types and counselors. They have to wear so many hats to do their job, and I don't know how some of them can do it and be so caring. They need to be appreciated more than they are for all they do.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
26 May 09
Hi dfinster and thanks for your response. I agree that I would not want the job of a teacher today. A teacher definately has to wear many hats and take a lot of abuse.
I think it takes a special type of person to be able to do that.
Im glad to see that at her school, there isnt that many out of school suspensions. I think there are far too many where I live. When my youngest son was in high school, kids were constantly being suspended, some that I know were not really "bad" kids, and the things they were suspended for were ridiculous. It seems the school had a zero tolerance policy for anything. Kids are going to act up and make mistakes. They dont think or act like an adult and dont always make the right decisions. But neither do adults. I think that an in-school punishment would be much more effective, than sending them out. Sitting all day in detention, they miss out on everything..even little things like going out for a smoke!! They arent going to learn by giving them more freedom, but rather by restricting it. That is the very reason there are so many disrespectful kids here now in the first place. Too much freedom, not enough restraints.
@technoobs (406)
• Philippines
26 May 09
Maybe that is not enough reason to get over a stubborn child at school but rather looking at the trends of how is the environment the child has. The living conditions where this kid might be staying may not be enough to show him the better respect so as we might also consider other things surrounding the kid.
Misbehavior can be controlled to and be alleviated to a better child discipline if we are aware of the child's' growth with good being attitude. We may not be expert to be doing this to them but a simple observation can do give us the idea on how to get them to the right attitude.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
26 May 09
Hi there..yes, there are many reasons why children act out in school. Sometimes, kicking them out and not helping, is only going to make matters worse.
@wolfbyte18 (50)
• United States
26 May 09
Well, I'm a high school student, I must say I was jealous when my buddy got a 5 day out of school suspension. Almost encourages us to misbehave.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
26 May 09
Hi wolfbyte18...I really appreciate your input as a high school student. It gives us an example of what goes through the mind of a teenager instead of pretending we know. I do know of teens who have done just that, and some were teens that were never normally bad. Their friends were expelled, and they wanted to join them. I have seen this more than once with boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. One will act up, to spend time with the other.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
3 Jun 09
I have always thought that sending them home, or suspending them was far from a punishment. They should be able to find ways to punish that make more of a difference. To kids, that just means getting to sleep late and not have to go. I agree they should leave punishing up to us parents and let us take care of things without the kids threatening on calling childrens service on us. They have ran that in the ground.
@Ithink (9980)
• United States
26 May 09
*Claps* I totally agree, our daughter acted up in school. She really doesnt get along with one of the teachers and she does have a mouth at times. However she doesnt get to do what she wants when out.
We are one of the old time families, hubby is at work and Im at home. She doesnt get to run and do as the other kids do. Not that day or even other days! When she is here because she is in trouble, there is more work to do and rooms that need spring cleaning.
Allowing a kid to stay home when there is noone there is inviting more trouble in my opinion. I remember when they did after school detentions. I do think that they made you think alot more then this sending home where most parents arent home.
I dont like the Saturday idea thou. We are a busy family and have things that take the family do do on the weekends.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
26 May 09
My personal experience was with my oldest daughter. She wasn't bad and she didn't get into trouble at school until the middle school years. I was flat out told by the school that she would get 8th hours and she did. 8th hours for having to stay after one class and the teacher not accepting the previous teacher's excuse. 8th hours for sharpening her pencil, dropping something on the floor, for talking with her friend at lunch (talking was permitted), and 8th hours for refusing to wet her pants in class. We had a rule about the bathroom issue and I stood behind her. Mother nature is NOT negotiable. She didn't serve any of the those 8th hours but she did serve some. "Mom, I screwed up and I deserved the 8th hour." She didn't try to take advantage. She was honest and straight forward with me.
I don't remember the circumstances but she and several others got in trouble for something. They were told to write sentences. She knew she had done wrong and was ready to serve her punishment. We then found out some other kids who had gotten in trouble for the same thing were allowed off the punishment if they sold so many boxes of whatever they were selling at the time. I told her not to write the sentences. You can't punish one kid and let the others off, it just isn't right or fair. To make a long story short she got sent to the principal's office, he sent for the teacher, no teacher in the class. They found the teacher in the lounge drinking coffee. The teacher got in trouble that day and my daughter never wrote the sentences. My daughter, by the way, was on the honor roll and received an invitation to attend a high school for gifted kids.
Now I know there are kids whose parents just tell them to take the punishment whether they did something wrong or not. What message does that give the child when the one that child depends on for guidance is telling them to go along as if they had done something wrong?
There are a couple of schools in this area that the more troubled kids get sent to. Most come out better for it.
@sandymay48 (2030)
• Canada
25 May 09
Hi there...I agree and have heard more than one teen say that!..I have seen them act up, just to get kicked out..Whatever works, for some of them!
@bing28 (3795)
• Philippines
26 May 09
I guess it depends upon the offense. If the children do offenses repeatedly and grave offenses, I think the school can impose suspension or even expulsion but for lighter offense they can impose lighter punishment as well.
@tundeemma (894)
• South Africa
26 May 09
that is totally out of it, sending a child out of school should not be accepted anywhere because it will only add to the troubles and sorrows in that student's life, only students which are considered to be health risks to their fellow students should be removed from schools, like an adage says, when you send a child out of school, you should prepare a room for him in the prison
@sjvenden27 (1840)
• United States
26 May 09
Children belong in school, if they are skipping school and then get sent home for not attending classes too... Doesnt that show a double standard for the student? Its ok for the school to make you skip school but if you do it on your own its not ok... Mix signals do not help the situation, plus the student is not in class learning... Missing out. I think their should be more in school detentions and less out of school detentions... A student that is skipping school, doesnt need another reason to miss more school.. On top of that like you said, both parents work... So should one of the parents miss work due to the bad behavior of a student... Granted, it is all part of a role of a parent.. Some students skip school and act out in class to get attention, granted it is the wrong way of doing that... but any attention is better then none, in the eyes of a child.. How is a child ever suppose to catch up on their studies at home, if their is no one their to teach that student? There is a better way to teach the student the lesson of responiblity then just allowing them to runaway from it!!!
@dimbaka (10)
• India
26 May 09
You have almost hit the bull's eye. You are right in saying that misbehaving children should not be kicked out of schools as a measure of punishment. Children until they cross their juvenile age have their own set of problems in terms of thier upbringing, their family surroundings, the values they imbibe from their parents, the peer pressures etc. The society plays a greater role in their behavior. Why not try to correct them by forgiving them, explaining them the values of virtues, wisdom, tolerance and comparing them with downtrodden children that are not blessed with the facilities of children. They must be apprised of the fact that there are millions of children who starve for a square meal and do not have facilities for proper schooling.
'Spare the rod and spoil the child' is an adage that must be used in exceptional cases. We must make the children understand that nobody is above fault and everybody falters in some instance and they need to get corrected quickly for a happy future. By such soothing words of advice and a little chide, they must be brought on track and I am sure most of the children would oblige with the approach barring a few, which should be dealt with a steel grip.
@Jevendiran (778)
• India
26 May 09
Absolutely NO! Punishment is not to hurt a person. It's just to make him realize his mistakes. School children are lack of experience. So, they committing mistake is so usual. They must be guided towards the right path and must not be ignored or isolated!
@huangchengs2009 (6)
• China
26 May 09
Children in schools is now unsafe .Schools are often acts of violence.Now,society is a serious problem.
