Posted: Nov 25, 2015 5:09 pm
Thomas Eshuis wrote:crank wrote:
You've not only misconstrued much of what I said, you changed the facts.
What's the point in quoting my entire response if you're not going to address what I said?
And, no I did not change the facts in the slightest, you have to read the OP carefully/thoroughly.crank wrote: It's a quite different situation if the guy who returned the books said someone 'made' him do it, that wasn't in your first version in the OP.
False:Thomas Eshuis wrote:
So finally, with one minute left, one student retrieved the books from the cupboard and handed them back.
When I asked them why he would do such a thing, he said that someone had handed them to him. When I asked who, he said he would not tell.
Therefore I told him that, until he does tell, everything would be his responsibility and that I would contact his tutor/counsellor (not sure what the correct word is in English, the teacher who manages your affairs during the year).
I think I know how to read, please point to where it's said someone made him do it?
You're right, I forgot that.
This goes with the 'made' thing. It makes no sense to me as you reported it, if he actually said 'made' then I would agree, there was probably something more serious going on, like maybe there is one or a small group of bullies going after much of the class. But, having just now gone back through all of your posts, he assures the counselor that it isn't systematic. Now I'm beginning to think it really is.
No, that's not even what I said, I said it wasn't serious, which, by itself, it isn't.
Thomas Eshuis wrote:crank wrote: I'm sorry you don't understand how a kid sees you as authority, and if he shows real deference to that, he won't make a good skeptic, but it's crystal clear to me.
This is nothing but an elaborate appeal to common sense fallacy.
If you can't demonstrate how it makes him not a good sceptic, you're just asserting it.
There's a difference between not betraying a friend, who's being wrongfully persecuted and covering for people who did something you know is wrong.
Good skeptics don't view authority something deserving respect simply due to their being authority, this goes beyond 'authority' as in scholarly authority. I thought that should be obvious. Not ratting another student out is normal behavior, it's not the same as covering for someone, it's not ratting them out. It's not all that subtle a distinction.
Your words sounded like you had just about assumed it, your scenario spinning left little to no room for it being a harmless prank.
What? I asserted an opinion, based on the observation that you expect kids to rat out another student in open class, I've made nothing up.
Thomas Eshuis wrote:crank wrote: ratting out someone just isn't going to happen, not unless you got a class full of busybody weasels.
Expecting it is not a sign of being a good teacher, it's a sign of a teacher with zero understanding of her students.
Your choice of words is quite telling. This has nothing to with grassing or weasels.
This has to do with unacceptable behaviour and teaching children not do this.
And again, I suggest you stuff your blind assertions about my understanding where the sun doesn't shine.
No, you're just wrong, you are expecting behavior from kids that aren't the way kids behave. They don't give a shit what you expect of them here, they're going to view anyone ratting another student out as a weasel, a rat, whatever, and it;s likely to go very hard on them afterwards. If you don't see that, you're not being a good teacher, you're demanding behavior that isn't in the students' best interest.
Thomas Eshuis wrote:crank wrote:
I don't claim to know what's going on, not enough info..
And somehow that's not prevented you from making blind assertions about teaching capacities, knowledge of my pupils and other things.crank wrote:
It could be an isolated incidence, a harmless prank, hiding someones books is not serious, friends routinely do much worse shit to their buddies. The 'victim's' clear distress could easily be a gross over-reaction, you don't know, at least you haven't given us a reason to think you do.
Equally I have no reason to assume it is an overreaction and the first priority is to ensure no-one feels unsafe in my class.crank wrote: What is the relationship between the 'victim' and the perps? They could be good friends for all we know. A far better response by you would have been to tell the class no one is leaving until the books are returned, and if it happens again, serious consequences would follow..
You've just demonstrated again you haven't read my OP thoroughly, or my subsequent post as I've made it clear that's exactly what I did.
No, it isn't, you also demanded ratting out another student. You're getting loose with the details, keep misconstruing what I said. I've tried to caveat everything considering how little data was released.
Thomas Eshuis wrote:Thomas Eshuis wrote:
Since no-one wanted to fess up, I told the entire class that I would not tolerate this kind of behaviour and that if the books were not returned before the end of class, the entire class would get detention.
I had to threaten detention as it was the middle of the day and the kids had different classes to get to.
Thomas Eshuis wrote: Your scenario spinning with insufficient evidence did no one any good, leaving you to possibly making it out to be far more serious than it was.
I have to ask which thread you have been reading because this does not at all reflect what I've been posting here.
My remarks stand, you're not being honest with yourself if you don't think you've left virtually no room for the harmless prank case.
Thomas Eshuis wrote:Thomas Eshuis wrote: I bet you haven't even tried perusing the kids social media have you? You don't have a clue what's going on, don't make it into WWIII, figure out what's happening without making the 'perp' into a terrorist, and try real hard to remember what it's like being a kid in school.
Nope, you clearly haven't read my posts in this thread.
You can facepalm all you want, it's a non sequitur, I have read all of your posts now and there's no reason to change anything I've said. Have you checked out the social media of kids in the school? that would be really helpful if you suspected there to be a pattern of bullying. By continuing to insist that students should rat out other students, especially in class, you clearly forgot, don't understand, what it's like to be a teenager in school. If the kid was telling the truth, that he's not being systematically bullied, then this was highly likely a harmless prank. Maybe I'm biased, in the US, there are usually much much worse shit to get upset about in schools, maybe the schools where you are do so well that something this minor is worthy of so serious a reaction.