What am i going to say?

Question

since i made mistake by asking my students to pump (squat and up and squat) for 5 times and the parents are protesting about my action. which is trully i didnt know that also part of physical punishment. (i thought as long as i dont beat /hit d children with rod or ruler anything can be OK)

so what am i going to say to the parents to express that what i did was wrong? (actually i dont feel it is wrong, only d school where i teach cant accept this way of punishment and said i did a physical punishment)

i have to make calls to them regarding this. and i really2 need advice on way of talking since i am not good in social communication

please help

Answer 1

Tell them to p*ss off.  Not really.  But kids need discipline in their lives and if they recieved proper parenting at home then it wouldn't be necessary for you to put them in their place.  And a little exercise could probably do them good.  They probably sit in front of the tv all day- hence the short attention span and lack of respect for authority.  You are not touching them, it is no different from a coach requesting his pupil to run extra laps.

Answer 2

make those little freaks do 100 push-ups next time and tell em if they bitc.h to mommy and daddy they'll be doing more

Answer 3

Get with your Boss/Principal and ask his/her advice as to what your next plan of action should be regarding this.

Your Boss is there to help you.

Actually, in my school you can't make someone do anything physical as punishment either, so next time someone is behaving poorly, just take away a privilege, but don't make them do exercises.

Answer 4

I would just say that you were trying to get the blood flowing in your students, you know, like a wake up exercise. did you actually force them to do it, or was it more of a suggestion.  

Answer 5

In Calif, unless you're in a PE class, having students run or do other physical activity is not allowed. (Why would you do it anyway?)

My telephone suggestions:

"Mr/Mrs ______, this is _____________________, your child's teacher at ______________School.

I'm calling because you may have heard that on _______I had my students do five quick calisthenic exercises to refocus the class.

That was a mistake. I've since learned that this may be/is against our school's policies. I'm just calling to let you know what happened and to let you know that it won't happen again.

Do you have any questions?

If you have any other concerns in the future, please contact me directly at the school -- phone email"

Keep a record of who and when you called and what they said. Oh, and the boss may or may not be your friend, especially if you are a new teacher.

Answer 6

Most people who gave serious answers were right on. However, do not admit you did anything wrong. Your administrator (principal) should be taking the lead on this, if they are not handling this personally, they shouldn't be in their position. Talk with your principal and ask them how they would like to proceed. If they tell you to make the calls and handle it, then don't argue or tell them they should handle it. Hopefully, you have a union you belong to. Put a call in to them and get their help with this. If you don't have a union, you need to find someone who can discuss this with you who has or currently handles similar situations. Trusting the advice of Yahoo Answers! is a bad idea as we don't have the whole story.

Remember, this could turn into a lawsuit if you act like you did something wrong. If you admit you made a mistake, you make it much easier for them to sue you. Find someone who is an expert, lawyer, or union rep to help you. However, like I said before, your principal should take care of this and guide you. But, be prepared for the principal to take disciplinary action on you when this is all over with.

If you absolutely feel you must call yourself. I would simply state "I am sorry my actions were construed as a physical punishment. The pumps were not a consequence for misbehavior, but a physical exercise to give the students an opportunity to get the blood flowing before moving on with the next lesson. I felt it would be beneficial as the class had been sitting for a long time and had become lethargic"

Answer 7

Tell them that you made a mistake.  Explain what it was that you were trying to accomplish (think carefully about this; what did you think these squats would actually do for your class?) Be honest. Don't be defensive or angry.  Admit that you were frustrated and at a loss as to how to discipline.

Next, promise to read up on positive discipline; get the Responsive Classroom materials. Have a plan as to what you will do to learn some new and better classroom management skills.  Then tell them what you will do next time you feel frustrated with your class.