5 year old kid records teacher "berating" him.

[Rageaholic]

Found this on youtube.

I don't see what the big deal is. It sounds like the kid was difficult and the teacher was on her last nerve. The only thing she did wrong was bring the other classmates into it (having them tell him he's trouble), but it doesn't sound like the kid was an angel either. Aside from that, nothing she said sounded any different than anything I've heard teachers tell trouble students.

[bara]

Bullshit. That kid had a record of being disruptive and that teachers sounded to be at the end of her rope. Bet those parents never did a damn thing to discopline that kid.
Im certain he has already gone through every punishments those teachers are allowed to give out, but without reinforcement from the parents it means nothing.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, and you know what? They aren't allowed to do much. I don't know what you do when you have twenty or so kids to manage and you have one or more little angel who just takes up your entire focus and makes it next to impossible to do your job.

Time out's about all they can do. Other than that, they have to just sit around and try to teach a class throughout all this shit.

That lady didn't sound abusive. She sounded desperate and at the end of her rope. She's human. He's lucky she DIDN'T snap and get abusive. Certainly, what she did was a bit over the top. She shouldn't have done this. But damn, you know? A person can only take so much.

And here's mom sitting there crying and upset because Oh Dear Lord In Heaven, someone said something negative to Little Johnny and damaged his precious self esteem.

Maybe Little Johnny hasn't had enough people "be mean" to him. Maybe that's his problem.

[Rapscallion]

What are the odds that he engineered that confrontation just so he could record it?

Rapscallion

[blas87]

My thoughts exactly.

If my work didn't prohibit recording devices, heck, I could videotape one of Brown Noser's infamous temper tantrums when things don't go his way. But I probably wouldn't record who perpetuated it to get him that riled up.

[DrFaroohk]

I didn't hear her say anything bad on the tape. Merely called a kid out on his bullshit. I do that to my kid all the time when he's acting way out of line. It's for when the usual "please stop" pleasantries are no longer useful at all.

On the other hand, the reporter said she called the child pathetic. If there was that and some other mean name calling, well, it's a good time for a consistency check...if you're ok with that, you're saying "It's ok to call someone names if they really piss you off."

If my work didn't prohibit recording devices, heck, I could videotape one of Brown Noser's infamous temper tantrums when things don't go his way. But I probably wouldn't record who perpetuated it to get him that riled up.

I always wondered how that would go. Say you recorded some really (work related) incriminating shit from your boss...BUT you aren't allowed to have the recording in the first place...do you both get fired, or what?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, no mistake here, I do think she crossed a line. But I think this whole family needs a wakeup call of some sort before they're picking their little darling up from the police station later on down the line.

That's no excuse, she should not have been saying some of that stuff. But I understand why she snapped.

[Rapscallion]

I always wondered how that would go. Say you recorded some really (work related) incriminating shit from your boss...BUT you aren't allowed to have the recording in the first place...do you both get fired, or what?

I suspect if you were unable to legally have the recording device, it would be counted as unadmittable evidence in legal proceedings. If you recorded your boss snorting cocaine off a hooker in the board room and he fired you for that, and the local laws said it required the consent of all parties in such a recording, you might be able to use it in suing for wrongful dismissal, but the company in question wouldn't be able to use it to sack said snorter.

Of course, they'd just find some other method of terminating his (or her) employment.

Your mileage may vary and I am not a lawyer. I also am not in the habit of finding hookers in board rooms.

Rapscallion

[bara]

I also am not in the habit of finding hookers in board rooms.

Rapscallion

So... where do you find them?

(sorry Raps.. couldnt stop myself tottally joking)

In the case of a company policy, as long as it is not illegal to record someone then it is permissable in court company policy doesnt take precendence over laws, an exception might be a government contractor making tank parts or something similar but that would fall under federal censorhip. Still the evidence might be admissable as long as nothing sensitive (to National Security) is shown. Depending on the infraction and crime a company can still fire some one over it. They can also do a 'random' drug test.

[Seifer]

Ugh, some of those Youtube comments make me see red. People shouldn't say how "easy" it is to be a teacher until they've actually taught a classroom. You are NEVER lucky enough to get a classroom of angels who sit and listen as you teach. When you have a child who won't STFU during class, not only is that child not learning, the rest of the class isn't, either. As a teacher, you get blamed if the students aren't learning. You can try going to the parents for help, but if they're in denial, they'll do nothing to support your classroom rules.

I don't blame this teacher for finally snapping after 149 days of putting up with a child with behavior problems. Who knows what he's been doing in class? What if he's getting up and running around? Shouting over the teacher? Kindergarten is when kids begin learning to count, read, and write - if they don't learn key elements in kindergarten, it's going to be harder and harder for them to catch up to the rest of their peers in 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade, etc.

I do believe that the teacher handled this situation poorly. You don't berate a student in front of the class - you pull them aside and speak to them privately. Explain what they were doing, why it was wrong (and use small words they can understand. Example: "(Child), do you know why I brought you over here? When you talk without raising your hand, it hurts my feelings. Do you know why? When you talk without raising your hand, the rest of the class can't hear what I'm saying. How do you think that makes them feel?" Etc. With young kids (especially 5 year olds) you have to literally spell it out for them as to why it's wrong.

Young children are knee deep in a developmental stage where they can only see the world from their own eyes. They are egotistical, have little to no empathy (THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS LEARNED), and think the world revolves around them. It can take years for them to grow out of this stage, and damn can it get annoying. Unfortunately, teachers are big players in teaching young children the proper way to act in school and public in general. If mommy and daddy are telling the child otherwise, problems arise.

I think the best thing to do in the OP situation is to place the child in another classroom for the sake of both child and teacher. Obviously it wasn't a good match to begin with.

[FArchivist]

What most people here seem not to know is the facts of the matter when it was reported in 2008. Gary was removed from school; the teacher was put on paid administrative leave. An investigation was performed. His "acting out" and disruptiveness turned out to be due to constant public humiliation in front of the classroom, being singled out daily for abuse by this teacher. Investigation also showed that she had done this every year with a student or two for the entirety of her teaching career, but no child had dared snitch on Ms Kristen Woodward before. She was subsequently encouraged by the Teacher's Union in her area, who had been defending her case before the School Board, to take early retirement.

It's not very dissimilar from this case.

[Rageaholic]

I didn't see anything about her singling out a student every year. Where did you find that?

I'm not saying it's not possible that this teacher could have been harassing the kid from day one (personal experience). Especially since the kid had the foresight to record it and catch it on tape. But what I heard sounded more like a teacher who had her buttons pushed by a trouble student than any harassment or berating. She could have handled it better, but she also could have handled it worse, so I don't believe she should have been fired.

Now the autism one, that's bad. Calling the student dumb and picking on her weight is just cruel. But these are two different cases here.

[Panacea]

I suspect if you were unable to legally have the recording device, it would be counted as unadmittable evidence in legal proceedings. If you recorded your boss snorting cocaine off a hooker in the board room and he fired you for that, and the local laws said it required the consent of all parties in such a recording, you might be able to use it in suing for wrongful dismissal, but the company in question wouldn't be able to use it to sack said snorter.

Your mileage may vary and I am not a lawyer. I also am not in the habit of finding hookers in board rooms.

Rapscallion

Funny you mention snorting cocaine with a hooker . . . since this is exactly what the FBI got Washington DC former mayor Marion Barry for in 1990 (he was tried, convicted, and did prison time).

Yeah, you have to make sure it's legal to do in your jurisdiction. This is what Linda Tripp got in trouble for over her recordings of Monica Lewinsky during the whole sex scandal thing in the Clinton Administration; Tripp lived in Maryland and it's illegal to record a conversation there without the knowledge and consent of both parties (in most states, one party's consent is all that is required).

So, where do you find hookers again?

What most people here seem not to know is the facts of the matter when it was reported in 2008. Gary was removed from school; the teacher was put on paid administrative leave. An investigation was performed. His "acting out" and disruptiveness turned out to be due to constant public humiliation in front of the classroom, being singled out daily for abuse by this teacher. Investigation also showed that she had done this every year with a student or two for the entirety of her teaching career, but no child had dared snitch on Ms Kristen Woodward before. She was subsequently encouraged by the Teacher's Union in her area, who had been defending her case before the School Board, to take early retirement.

It's not very dissimilar from this case.

Hmm. Similar thing happened to me growing up, sorta. I had a teacher who would pick a "bad" student to "save" every year. By fiat, what he did was give permission for this student to bully the rest of the class for one year.

I got beaten to a pulp because of it. My brother got into a very public fight in the cafeteria when the other kid spat in his food, because of it.

Teacher got a teacher of the year award for it

[Rapscallion]

So, where do you find hookers again?

Underneath lines of coke, apparently.

Rapscallion

[Panacea]

Underneath lines of coke, apparently.

Rapscallion

Man, that's a lot of coke.

"Say hello to my little friend!"

Cookies for reference.