I had an interesting day yesterday during my 3rd block. At the very beginning of class, one of the principals walked in and started looking for a student that he was trying to track down for a dress-code violation. While walking through my room, he noticed an odor like marijuana. He proceeded to take one student at a time into my office, which has windows all around for the whole class to see this investigation. He only had to take 3 students in to the office before discovering the culprit. The whole time this was going on I was trying to carry on the class and not bring much attention to the situation, but I'm not sure if that was the proper thing to do.
One more thing, after the principal and the student left the room, I asked the students to not make the same poor choice because there are consequences. Nothing else was said about the matter after that. At the end of the day, the principal sent out a notice that stated not to discuss the situation with the other students. So today when my class asked about his suspension, I did tell them that he had been suspended for 10 days and he would lose 20 points off of his final average (2 points per day of suspension). Please note: my school has a very strict attendance policy which is good in some ways and in some ways not, but that could be another blog later.
A couple of questions come to mind after this situation...
1. Should I have stopped the class and just waited until the principal was finished in my office?
2. If we do smell pot, are we suppose to be sniffing the students until we find the guilty party and then sending them to the office?
3. Should you discuss consequences for actions like this situation with the class?
This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
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2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.
FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!
Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?
3 comments:
I wouldn't even know the smell of marijuana if it drifted my way. I've lived a very sheltered life when it comes to drugs. I'll be curious to see what some of our more worldly-wise fellow bloggers have to say. It does seem that the principal should have handled the situation in a less disruptive manner. When the resource officers removed a girl from my class one day we had to hear it on TV that night that she had been arrested for burning down two houses and vandalizing a church. No one knew why they were taking her out of class and it was done with very little interruption.
I think that if I thought I smelt something I would casualy contact administration and let them handle it. Thats why they make the big bucks. Were not drug dogs were teachers. Also I believe you handled the situation well told nothing that really if you think about it the information you gave was merely a recap of school policy.
Something I always use is email communication. I have had a couple of situations arise that needed an Admin without raising suspicion. So I just sent and email to the students administrator with a copy to all other Admins and the resourse officers. I always get a response from someone in the form of a knock on my door. Works like a charm every time.
The students will talk enough among themselves, they probably know more about the details of situations than we do. I would think that the less said about a situation in class the better.
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