WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS: Have you seen the secretly-filmed video of a teacher severely chastising a 1st grader’s who had difficulty in answering a question? Perhaps the educator’s underwear was on backwards and cutting off circulation to her brain.
You’ll see in the article that surrounds this video clip that 20+ former teachers have criticized the behavioral climate of the Success Charter Schools network in NYC. I have heard these same complaints from a couple of my grad students who have taught there or have a friend on the Success Schools staff/faculty.
This network of multiple schools has also been called out for trying to get rid of kids with behavior challenges (with practices that are in violation of educational law), instead of providing services to them. The “word on the street” is that in one small part of this granite planet (the part found my city’s Inwood Marble), climate change would be welcomed.
PLEASE NOTE: I do NOT intend to impugn the integrity of the vast majority of S.S. teachers who are reaching and teaching kids with the power of positive strategies. I’m referring to the “bad apples” who in the name of “not taking any nonsense from these kids” use negative and hurtful practices. Administrative tolerance of their contra-indicated ways is also abhorrent to me. (if indeed true)
In the clip, it seems that the student is asked to tell others how she solved (on paper) the math problem. She seems to fail to verbally describe what she graphically produced during the independent work time.
There is so much that is involved in this short clip, and so much we don’t know…so many questions surround it. I hope that I am not errantly jumping to conclusions based on minimal information.
I’d by very interested in discussing the different aspects of what happened in the video clip (including any defense of the teacher’s actions). What did you notice? What would you have done differently at that moment? Is it wrong to publicly shame someone who “goofs” in a moment of frustration? (although the other adult in the room claims that it was the teacher’s modus operandi) Chime in!
Here’s the link to the video clip: http://www.sfgate.com/…/Abusive-teacher-caught-on-video-682…
Here’s the link to the website of the Success Schools Network:http://www.successacademies.org
HEY! Success Schools! I’m right down the road from you. Call me!
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