From Josh Stumpenhorst, "Stump the Teacher"
"Rules...are for the Teachers" Posted Friday, May 4, 2012
Link to original post: http://stumpteacher.blogspot.com/2012/05/rulesare-for-teachers.html
None of these discussions or potential
rule changes had to do with student behavior but rather on staff behavior. Let
me explain…
The
gum chewing conversation came about because many teachers were not enforcing
the rule and some sit in front of their class chewing it themselves. Yes, I
realize gum chewing is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. However,
if it is a school rule it must be enforced universally or it causes confusion
among students and pits teachers against each other. I am labeled a “mean
teacher” if I follow the rule we have in our handbook when others are not. So,
this rule discussion was really not about kids chewing gum, but more about
teacher’s enforcing a rule or not...
On
a total sidebar, I laugh at the number of teachers who are constantly on their
cell phones during school hours texting, emailing, updating status and playing
games right in front of the students. What message does that send the kids when
the staff won’t even follow the rules set for the students?...
Many of the other rules we discussed in
the open forum had similar themes. More than once I heard, “it is too hard to
enforce that rule.” I heard
very few people mention what was in the best interest of the student’s and
their learning environment. It may just be me, but I saw evidence that many of
my school’s rules were a product of not keeping kids safe or protecting the
learning environment. What I did see was rules being created because teachers were
afraid to step up and enforce existing rules, or to step up and recognize
learning opportunities and not punishment opportunities.
I
wonder how many schools have rules established for the sake of the adults
rather than for the sake of the kids.
Phil's Response (7 June 2012):
Josh,
I know exactly how you feel and precisely what it is like to
be the “bad guy” because I enforce the rules. Yes, we have rules that I deem to
be silly, but those are the rules that the administration or the teachers said
were important, but they become a problem when some staff either ignore the
rule or worse, blatantly do the opposite. Like you I often feel that the
problem with most rules is not the students, but with the teachers.
On a side note, it is even worse if the administration will
not do anything about the teachers who do not follow the rules. (Note to
administrators, please tell the people who ARE breaking the rules, do not send
an email to everyone.)
As for cell phones, we need to learn to make technology and
communication inside of school more closely resemble those outside of school.
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