Teacher, wrong or right?

Question

I received a letter today informing me that my son was withdrawn from lessons to work within the behaviour support centre as a result of inapropiate behaviour.

And that on arrival completed a report of the incedent.I am fully aware of these proceedings as I visited the school on an open day.
However when asking my son about this he said he never filled out an incident report as he had not been informed of what he did wrong.

In a previuos lesson the teacher stated that studys in america had shown that brown eyed people learn quicker and better than blue or green eyed people.

When my son was asked to describe racism, he repeated this back to the teacher. Instead of an explanation or correction was thrown out of class. (his teacher has brown eyes my son has blue).

My question is should I go to the school tomorrow and get to the bottom of this, or will I be fed aload of tripe by teachers who stick together. I know that adults are very far from being always right and truthfull.

the situations of the teacher discussing the study and the question describing racism were different days.my son must have seen this as prejudice of some sort and mixed the two up

Answer 1

Absolutely - go into that school and read them the riot act.

Your son, in my opinion, was quite right in his comment - judging someone on any aspect of their appearance does equate to racism.

The school, and the teacher, have behaved badly. He's your child, your responsibility and you shouldn't stand for it.

In my experience, teachers are NOT always right, in spite of what they might think.

Answer 2

I need to clarify if he is peing placed in a behavior program or just attending a class on how to behave appropriately. And is he still going to the behavioral unit instead of class? This is an important distinction. Either way, he should not be removed from class as disagreeing with a teacher in such a way is not a behavioral issue, as long as he was not disrespectful.

That being said, ask for a meeting and do not read them the riot act. Approach the matter calmly and professionally. People do not react well to anger and accusation and will do directly to defense mode. If you go in calmly and explain that you are confused about the circumstances, you will get answers. I would also suggest you take your son and leave him outside the room while you talk with the principal and the teacher, then call him in if needed. Also request copies of all paperwork related to the incident to check that those papers you received are acurate by comparison. Take notes of the meeting and mark down the time, place and people in attendance. That way you have documentation to use when pursuing further if the meeting is not resolved satisfactorily.

Answer 3

You are being facetious now and know that teaching is a great profession. Learning about our world helps us get ahead. However, it is not good for everyone to have the same profession as then we would not have other benefits and also it would make teaching pay very low, and it is that already. Teaching, especially with today's lack of parenting skills and lack of self-discipline, makes it a difficult profession. Different choices in careers have little to do with homosexuality. If it is then you are saying it is a choice rather than the way you are or the way you were made - in your genes. Therefore, aren't you defeating the argument if it is a choice only. Sure is a lot of turmoil to make as a choice. It would make more sense to me if there was a real reason Then it would be confusing and I think against the purpose and way we have been created, but it would make some sense. I know some very nurturing and sweet people who are homosexual. Being a homosexual also doesn't mean you are a rapist or defile little children as so many seem to think. But I don't think it is a lifestyle CHOICE. Whether they are born that way or it is through the environment and things that happened to them, I don't know. There are a number of things we don't know and will be interesting when we actually find out.

Answer 4

First of all, the teacher stating that studies show....isn't racism. She is stating the results of a study. Perhaps there really was a study done about this and she quoted the correct results. Had she said something like all blue eyed people are stupid and can't learn then that would have been racism.

Regardless, you should go to school and find out what happened. You should always be involved in your child's education no matter what. Hopefully you will be able to get to the bottom of this without too much trouble. It would concern me if you were told your son completed an incident report and he says he didn't. It sure sounds like something happened.

Answer 5

I'm assuming you're a UK resident...

If you want to discuss the situation with the person who sent you a letter, you will be better off contacting the school first and arranging an appointment. That way you are guaranteed to see the person rather then hoping they can see you when you turn up.

I think your generalisation that you will be fed a load of tripe is somewhat dismissive and inaccurate. The school must generally believe that there is a reason to withdraw your son for lessons.

However, please go into the meeting with an open mind rather than being aggressive as you will probably achieve more.

Answer 6

I have family who are teachers and see first hand what a dictatorship and a bureaucracy schools are. The top people in schools are virtually always hot-tempered bullies who love the closed door (the better to bully people and make threats to control others). These same people fear being outed, and bringing their schools or themselves bad publicity, above all other things.

The way to head off injustice is to make sure all doors are open, all meetings are a matter of public record, and that no one gets away with anything that is off the official record. Behind a closed door, they can say anything. When monitors are watching them, even if this is the media or your lawyer, they are more honest and less bullying.

Seriously, consider hiring a lawyer. Also, if they are unresponsive at school, call your local paper and TV stations. I've seen this get wheels rolling, because of the above-described characteristics of all schools and school boards.

Answer 7

You know your son better then anyone, are you 100% sure that's what happened?
It sounds like there is more to this story, There would not be an Incident report for a small infraction as him quoting statistics that he has learned. If he has disrupted the class by insisting he is right , I see the Teachers point. When children are in class, if they think they are right about something, they Showboat in front of the class.(Ex sample):
I have a High School student, who watched a TV commercial that an Easter Rabbit lays eggs. He went to no end to try to prove his point, because he thought he was right, not only was he wrong!, he disrupted the class lesson trying to prove it. SHOW BOATING. This goes on all the time, but as I said You know your child, But Do you really know your child,
I got drugs off children, watched them have sex on the surveillance cameras,taken guns and knives, stolen cell phones and so on.... But Every child's parent was Shocked, NOT MY CHILD! Yes Your child, and they wont believe you until they see the pictures, YES YOUR CHILD!! So go in with an open mind.

Answer 8

The best thing would be to go to the school with an open mind, listen to what is to be said, put it in observation and do not side anyone. This is your son yes but hear what is to be told. And then you will know what to do next. Do not let your anger get the best of you. Deal with it in the very best possible way. Calm and collected.

Things like this happen but we have to tackle it in the right way so that we can learn from it and share out experience with others.

Answer 9

Sounds to me like you need to step up and get to the bottom of this. You may need to enlist the aid of other parents as well. My son had a teacher who was prejudice against boys with his name (no joke) any boy with his specific first name were "trouble makers" and "needed more discipline" regardless of appearance, behavior or intelligence. After working with the school I wound up filing a grievance with the district and having other parents do the same - no action was taken so I removed my son to home school and this year he is in a different district. We have to be ready to fight for our child's right to a good education, we pay for schools with our taxes and if they don't listen to you take your tax dollars elsewhere and encourage other parents to do the same a sudden drop in registration will be investigated at the state level and then real change can happen. Step up - make a difference!

Answer 10

I think that it is important to stick up for your son. He might have been mistreated by that teacher for no reason. The study might be true or untrue. I do believe that the teachers will stick together and give you a hard time about this situation because it is his word against the teacher's word. Even though, you should at least try to talk to the teacher so you can say that you attempted to help your son.