What would you do or say to the teacher as a program manager?

Question

A 4-year old boy in your center had toilet accidents each week. The Lead Teacher in his room has started confining him to a time-out chair after each incident.

Answer 1

It seems to me that there is a problem either physically or emotionally.  No 4 year old WANTS to have an accident.  Putting him in time out will only make him feel worse.  It seems to me that the parents should be involved in this discussion as well.  Are there extenuating circumstances that cause him to have accidents?  If the parents arent involved already, they most certainly should be.  If you are the supervisor of the lead teacher then by all means you need to take this up with the teacher immediately.   If you feel her consequences are too extreme then you have every right to tell her so.   Provide her with alternative methods of helping the child.  If she refuses, then she needs to go.  Perhaps she just needs to be educated in this area.

Answer 2

I think you could arrange a meeting between yourself and this teacher. Ask her why she is sending the child to time out after the accident. (Hear her side of the story before telling her to do something different). Then you could suggest some alternative solutions... have the child change their own clothes - that sometimes turns them off to having "accidents." Set the child on a potty schedule... send them to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. Make sure she's letting the child go before and after recess as well as after lunch and before nap. Assure her that sometimes kids develop at different times and you don't feel that it's appropriate to punish the child for these accidents in the way that she is.

Hope that helps... good luck!

Answer 3

No way.  As a parent, I would be furious.  I would expect the program manager to speak with the teacher and explain to her that not all 4-year-olders have mastered those skills.  As well, I would want to know from the teaher what the parents are saying about why the child might be displaying this behavior.  As the program manager, I would want to know what she has done prior to putting the child in the time-out chair.  Where there other interventions tried before resorting to this type of strategy.  He may be using the behavior to deal with some other type of need.  The program manager should document the seriousness of her actions and assure the teacher of what will happen if she does something like that again.  As well, the child's parents should be assured that it will not happen again.