For the first time in about 7 years, Tommy has gotten himself suspended from school. I loathe suspensions. A day at home is not a punishment. The punishment should fit the crime whenever possible and if not, there should be consequences at school. I am also uncomfortable with the situation as it is being described compared to what Tommy told me. This is one of those things that can’t and shouldn’t be fought though. Just try to make the day at home a school day and talk, talk, talk about what he can do to prevent this in the future. I expect Noah to bring home a note from school so that today’s trifecta of bad parenting can be complete.
Update: Noah’s addition to the day. “Hey Mom, somebody came in our class today and checked everybody’s hair for lice.”
What happened?
I am going to let Tommy blog his side before I tell the teacher’s aide’s side.
There was this one time in 5th grade that I got OSS for fighting, and it was like the best time ever. It was 3 days before the end of the year, and my folks were only mad at me for the first, so I got an extra two days to my summer break.
Seriously, out of school suspensions are the dumbest punishments ever.
In my experience, the aide is usually not telling the whole story. It’s sad what he said about wishing he didn’t annoy her.
Personally I think that’s a pretty severe punishment. It doesn’t seem like it was done with malintent. Did he get in trouble yesterday when he actually did the “brushing”?
Just a detention yesterday.
When the aide called in sick today because “Tommy gave her a migraine” it became a suspension.
The detention to suspension progression doesn’t add up. Seems to me either the act was worthy of suspension in the first place or it wasn’t.
I’m reading the aide’s behavior here and the school’s response.
Migraine sends boy home after he had —already— received a detention.
So,he was punished twice?
Recently, one of the nieces was threatened with detention because she had been out sick with strep and came to school without a particular piece of homework. The aide never listened to the fact that she had gotten her study sheet and it didn’t include the assignment.
No explanations, DETENTION!
Needless to say, my sis went to the school and basically told them there would be no detention until her daughter was allowed to tell the school her side of the story as she wasn’t allowed to. After she at least got to tell her side of what happened, then a detention could be considered.
Here’s my thing: When you don’t let kids speak about the little things, then they are taught not to bring up the big things.
The principal heard both sides of the story and then called the aide into his office privately.
Needless to say, no detention.
I hate it when kids are devalued.
Anyway, just bonding over teacher’s aides from the west of the state.
I understand that teachers and aides put up with a lot, and need to set boundaries and such, but this is just case of the school “Making an example” of student without just cause.
Just my couple of copper pennies.
“The detention to suspension progression doesn’t add up. Seems to me either the act was worthy of suspension in the first place or it wasn’t.”
No freakin doubt. It sounds to me like the aide wanted a day off, and screwed over Tommy to get it, but I’m a suspicious person.
I’m also a sometime migraine sufferer, and I’d get a headache, under the right circumstances, but a kid hitting me in the head with one of those thingys (what are they called, anyway?)
Tommy didn’t do this, but lets just argue it anyway.
So, I go home, have a headache. Sleep, wake up, headache’s still there?
Its not like Tommy did any more in between the detention and the morning.
Fight it, Cathy. Get all wild-mom on em…