Should I tell someone that a child in my class reacted to timeout by banging her head into the wall?

Question

A child in my second grade class kept chewing gum. I'd make her spit it out, but she'd just wait until my back was turned and pop in another piece.

I warned her, then called her grandma. She got pretty upset and her face turned red and I saw a couple tears.

Then, within 10 minutes of the call, she's playing around instead of doing her work.

I warned her two times, then sent her to the corner. She stood there fine for awhile, then as the class was lining up near the corner she was standing in, I saw she'd started lightly banging her head against the wall.

It wasn't super hard, but she did draw blood.

I'm not sure if I should take her to the Nurse, Guidance Counselor or ignore it.

Right now she's sitting at her desk copying, "I will not chew gum in class, it's against the rules".

Answer 1

Take her to the nurse, and make sure the Principal knows about it. Inform her parents before she goes home.

Answer 2

Of course you tell someone!    Self-abuse is serious and can show signs of many different neurological problems.  

Why on earth would you think you should ignore that?

Answer 3

I'm sorry, but she's bleeding from the head and you're not sure whether to send her to the nurse?

how about instead of all this copying and time-outs and phone calls you just take the package of gum from her desk until the end of the day?

i have to agree with others that based on this and your other questions, that while you may be great at teaching academics, you don't seem tremendously well prepared for dealing with the age group that you teach.  perhaps do some reading about disciplinary techniques and development for that age group?

Answer 4

She may have not been banging her head roughly BUT if she drew blood then maybe she hit it against a sharp object.. and you MUST report it to the nurse!!!

If you do not report it the child will & then you'll really be in deep trouble.

Why would you just clean up blood & then have her continue with her punishment sweetie.. no no don't do that.. please rush her to the nurses office.  You did nothing wrong by putting her in time out.. it's not your fault she hurt herself, but you're doing wrong by just letting time slip like it is... ALWAYS report incidents.

Answer 5

I think it would be wise to tell the Admin Office of the action of the child to cover your self cause I'm thinking if the child goes home and tells a different story other than what you told who's going to be look at ? You ! Cover your self.

Answer 6

I would tell her parents. She probably exhibits similar behaviours at home.

Answer 7

You are a teacher and you don't know how to handle a problem like that? Of course you send her to the nurse. What on earth is wrong with you? You should not be teaching young children if any of this is true, which I doubt. No one puts kids in a corner for misbehaving or has them copy rules over and over in this day and age. In this case, you gave her a run-on sentence to copy.

You are cruel and poorly trained.

Answer 8

There is a reason for this defiant behavior and the head banging, I'd follow your school's procedure and get her help with the Guidance Counselor.  If there is blood then the nurse needs to be notified for safety reasons.

Do not keep this to yourself - it will only escalate and then you will be held accountable.

and don't worry there are a lot of reasons why kids behave this way, and you are not to blame unless you don't become part of the solution.  Maybe this kid needs social services due to a bad home life, maybe they have other mental health issues that need addressed, compulsive- obbsessive disorders etc.

Answer 9

You are mandated to report abuse of any kind. Physical self abuse is serious especially with females. Help her now and you may prevent her from a tumultuous adolescence. Now you may want to sit and write "I am a mandated reporter".  That may seem harsh but too often school administrators and teacher preparation neglect to provide all school personnel with clear policy on reporting abuse. You can lead the way and make this clear for other teachers and staff. Good luck and thanks for being a caring teacher.

Answer 10

yes take her to the office so they can document wht happened.

Answer 11

She may be a victim of abuse at home. Take her to the nurse and refer her to the school social worker or therapist. She also may be ADHD.

Answer 12

take her to the nurse just to make sure, and definitely talk to her parents about her behaviour...