Apr 03 2008
Philosopical debate within Alternative and Special Ed. departments
Kasey is a 9th grader. He has chewed tobacco since the age of 6 or so he has always claimed to me. Prior to this year, Kasey was a mouthy, raunchy, mean spirited 13 year old. He is a big boy for his age and in his home school was know to get violent with authority figures hence his placement in a BOCES program. Many social assets are missing in his home life. I have known him for 2 years now. He is enrolled in a Marine Biology elective class taught by a high school special ed. teacher. This class is scheduled to go on a field trip to a local fishery tomorrow. Kasey is a very hardworking student who deserves to go and his teacher is adamant that he should. However, Kasey also attends classes in Alternative Ed. which is his point of registration and entry. In Alt. ed. Kasey is on the ineligible list. He is failing his Living Environments class where he accomplishes very little and is way behind. In English his grades are far from stellar and motivation seems to be a problem. Social Studies and Math are not spectacular subjects for Kasey but he is producing as expected for these teachers. Oh, Kasey does have an IEP.
It is clear that Kasey is very motivated and has been recognized for his interest in the Marine Biology class because for this teacher, he does good work. The debate occurred because there were two points of view - one from the vantage point of the Special Ed. teacher that the student should be allowed to go on the trip because he has earned it and one from the Alt. ed teachers pointing to the fact that this field trip will interfere and reward Kasey when he is on the ineligible list due to missing school work and assignments. The point well made by the Special ed. teacher is that the eligibility of students who are enrolled in his class is of no importance to him other than the fact that Kasey is a registered Alt. Ed. student. The teacher bought no stock in the program, cannot subscribe to it because he runs his program in a different building and does not tie his grading or student expectations to anything in the alt. ed. program.
I know ( as some teachers pointed out) as the Principal, the decision of whether or not Kasey goes on the field trip is ultimately mine but it is important for us as a faculty to examine all points of view. We are all advocates of our students. The special ed. teacher has advocated effectively and eloquently and Kasey gets to go on his field trip.
This debate has all given us fodder to digest as we begin to plan for next academic year when more students will cross over departmental course offerings. I believe that by not forcing my opinion, the teachers worked this out themselves, advocated for Kasey both ways and his instructional needs ultimately won over the need to deny and deprive him of an opportunity to learn more about something he really enjoys.
Points for discussion:
1. What is Kasey’s response during the field trip, what is his level of interest and interaction with staff at the Fishery?
2. Since the field trip has the level of Kasey’s engagement with the Marine Biology class been affected?
3. How has Kasey’s benefited in the short term from the field trip?
Kasey will be going to a CSE meeting on 4/25/08 on the table for discussion will be questions about his academic progress in Alt. Ed. and how his current IEP is meeting his needs within the Alternative Education setting.
6 responses so far
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I whole heartedly disagree that Kasey’s instructional needs won over the need to deny him an opportunity. In fact, Kasey’s instructional needs are truly not even being considered. If Kasey’s instructional needs were being met he would be in the Alternative Ed. classrooms where he belongs. He should be working on the Regents level classes that he requires to graduate. Instead he is going on a field trip for a class which is only an elective. This field trip is NOT going to help him graduate or receive a Regents diploma that he is supposedly striving for.
Kasey is not hard-working in any means. He is on the ineligible list for all four teachers in the alternative education setting. Which means that he doesn’t just have a problem with one class or teacher. He has a problem with all of them.
Since many social assets are missing from his home. It is our job to teach Kasey that there are consequences for his actions. This is obviously something that we didn’t consider because Kasey has just learned that he can be failing 4 out of 5 classes and still be rewarded with a field trip.
Yes, there should be consequences. But students also need positive rewards and every opportunity to reward good work and appropriate behavior should be seized. Sometimes a little positivity is what a student needs to be lifted out a din of negativity, whether the student is responsible for the negativity or not. There should be a “safe haven” available where the student can, at least for a little while, exist in a brighter place than in the midst of his failures. Perhaps in this way the student can see the light at the top of the hole he himself has helped to dig. Because, “If you’re in a hole, you don’t want to dig it any deeper.”
This has been posted to the Erie2 ALT Ed. Discussion forumearlier today.
See article in Todays (4/4/08) New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/education/04middle.html?pagewanted=all
Where/When does the demand for behavioral control override learning goals/objectives?
Any administrator willing to espouse a coherent research based philosophy on this or related topic(s)?
Are “Law and Order” approaches counterproductive?
Educational staff is challenged often to make decisions on a classroom level and occasionally on a programmatic level.
Where should such decisions rest?
Kasy continues to be a mean spirted, lazy, manipulative boy. He never thinks twice about disrupting a class and seldom listens when verbal warnings are given. He is bright, but it is apparent from administrator’s blog that he can manipulate some adults. With regard to Marine Biology, this only goes to prove that if Kasey wants to do something, he can. The decision for him to go on this field trip was not ours, or he would have been in ISS catching up on the work that he owes each and every teacher in Alt. Ed.
With regard to consequences, if Kasey is not learning cause/effect, action/consequence at home, this is the place to learn these things. If we fail to do this, he will end up in jail, which may clearly be in the cards for him.
Encouraging any student is a no brainer, but for God’s sake, let’s not encourage these very negative actions on the case of this student or enocurage him by allowing him to go on field trips which he has clearly not earned.
Most of these kids have reached the point they are at due to enabling. I, for one, will not be a part or support this type of ridiculous behavior.
P. Caloren
Speaking from the perspective of someone who doesn’t personally know Kasey, I can understand both sides of the story, but how about we start looking at it from the student’s point of view. Obviously Kasey is a very troubled young man that fails to see the reward or benefit of education. If you think punishing the kid all of the time will help him become motivated in school I think you are mistaken. You may not see a total turn around after the field trip or even awhile there after, but perhaps this field trip will be the only exciting event in Kasey’s life and as educators you should feel good about contributing one good/positive memory to such a troubled child.
I can certainly see where Kasey’s teachers are coming from. It sounds like they’re quite frustrated with his apparent lack of effort in their classes. As a preservice English teacher, I agree that it would be disheartening to observe a student like Kasey failing in my class (and many others) while succeeding in his Marine Biology class. I am experiencing an interesting combination of emotions right now - everything from despair to concern.
There are many points I feel the need to address. First of all, I see how one might consider allowing Kasey on the field trip enabling his poor behavior. I, however, do not agree. I almost feel the opposite would be closer to he truth. I do not know Kasey, but I know many children and adults like him. He’s more apt to fall into learned helplessness than many other students. He expects to be told he can’t go on field trips. When he’s told he can’t go, he isn’t surprised. He’s been told “no” as long as he can remember. He won’t change his attitude or try any harder because he isn’t allowed to go. On the other hand, he just might realize his hard work in one class has led to privileges he hasn’t been afforded in other classes. Explain to him why he’s being allowed to go to the fishery. Show him the connection between hard work and rewards.
Secondly, it pains me to hear a child being called “mean spirited”, “lazy”, and “maipulative”. He might very well be all of these things, but right now, he’s a 13-year-old boy. He needs guidance, love and respect, not condemnation. Again, I’m sure my feelings would be different if I knew Kasey and I were speaking in the heat of the moment. Nevertheless, it is my personal belief that there is a kernel of hope in every child. Kasey has been candid enough to expose his. If his teachers took advantage of his love for Marine Biology, they might see a side of Kasey they never knew. Perhaps they could ask him to explain a concept in Marine Biology they don’t know a great deal about. This shows him they are personally invested in him and his interests. It might even lead to a concept they could use to connect his schema to the material they’re teaching.
There’s so much more I wish I could say. I don’t feel I have the experience or the eloquence to explain myself better. I hope my input has had some effect, be it even a cause of reflection.