New Albany, Ind. (The Weekly Vice) -- Just yesterday, we posted a story on 5 year old Alex, who's teacher allegedly humiliated him in front of his entire class, by allowing each student to comment about what they didn't like about him. The teacher later asked the class to vote on whether Alex should stay in the class, telling the youth that no one liked him.
Now, just a day later, a very similar story has emerged of a teacher's abuse and humiliation of another 5 year old boy, Gabriel Ross, in Indiana. This time however, the teacher was caught on tape.
Kristen Woodward, a kindergarten teacher at Ellen Jones Elementary School has been suspended after she was recorded berating 5 year old Gabriel in front of his class.
While Gabriel's parents admit that he has not been a model student. They believe the teacher decided to verbally abuse their son, instead of disciplining him.
After months of hearing the boy complain about his 'mean' teacher, Gabriel Ross' parents decided to send a pocket tape recorder with him to school with instructions to record the 'mean' conduct Gabriel had been telling them about.
When the tape came back, they were shocked to hear the teacher's ongoing rant against their son, which contained the following rebukes:
"You've punished everyone in this building with your behavior. Everyone has been affected by your nasty behavior. Everyone. Cafeteria workers, the monitors, the art teacher, music teacher ... ten people in this building you have tormented and tortured for 149 days. I'm done."
"You've been ignorant, selfish, self-absorbed, the whole thing. I'm done..."
Then Ms. Woodward asked the class to join in by asking: "He has made every wrong choice possible and he has had more help to make right choices and he has chose not to. So you guys think, is that somebody you want to be with?"
"Noooo," says the kindergarten class said.
"See, your friend doesn't want to be with you," said Woodward.
Gabriel's parents have now pulled Gabriel out of the school and have said that they plan to seek out counseling for Gabriel.
"We seriously need to find somebody to talk with Gabriel to see if he's alright, because this experience for 149 days - as far as I'm concerned that's how long it went on."
The Indiana State Teachers Association is standing up for Woodward, who has taught for 13 years. They say the school system went too far with the suspension and didn't give Woodward a fair chance to give her side of the story.
The Weekly Vice Opinion:
A majority of the media who is following this story has all but lynched this teacher for her words - and we're partial to agreeing with that sentiment, however we're not going to take this position quite yet.
We have a bigger bone to pick with the school who we believe is at least partially to blame here - not just the teacher.
Most schools have special funding for children who present behavioral or emotional problems in class. This funding usually goes to additional support such as an extra teacher who can take a smaller class of kids with a history of behavioral issues - and works with them on a more one on one basis.
This is good for the student, because it gives them a more specialized care that may help them. It's also good for the rest of the class, who can move ahead on a different track. Lastly, it's good for the teacher, who can follow a lesson plan, instead of having it disrupted every 10 minutes.
It's clear that this school did not provide these resources to the teacher - and we absolutely do NOT believe this teacher got to this point without ever going to school authorities and discussing this problem.
We could be wrong, perhaps this teacher tried to handle things on her own - but it's clear that she's in over her head here and is simply reacting out of sheer frustration.
Meanwhile, the school board will throw this teacher under the bus, never acknowledging that it's THEIR responsibility to handle special needs cases (and this may very well qualify).
In an effort to save money, many schools misappropriate funding that is designed to go directly to situations like THIS.
If the school board has been negligent in using these funds appropriately, then their ass should be in the meat grinder right along with the teacher here.... and in our opinion, they should shoulder more of the blame, since they control the purse strings and resourcing here.
We hope some of the news outlets in this local community will investigate the school's role in all of this, instead of just putting the whole issue on the teacher's shoulders.
Danny Vice
The Weekly Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com
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7 comments:
I have to disagree with you on this one. There is absolutely no excuse for any adult talking to a five-year-old child like that.
I am sorry but this was not an isolated incident. Mrs. Woodward was continuously berating my grandson and she has done this to other students and eventually everyone will find out about it. Gabriel is a typical out going little boy who did not deserve this kind of abuse. We are building our case against her and thank goodness to the media for getting this out. I hope that the system will change and make it better for our children. This really broke my heart to hear his teacher talk to him like she did. Not everyone has heard the whole recording of that very sad and painful day for gabriel. I had 12 brothers and sisters that went to S. Ellen Jones school. My four children attended their too. Nobody knows how hard it was to listen to this tape and hear her be mean to Gabriel and other students. This is very hurtful and my family is heart broken, because gabriel did not even get to graduate from kindegarden with his classmates. This was going to be a special time for all of us.
I am a kindergarten teacher myself, and I have to agree with you, that the SCHOOL SYSTEM failed this frustrated teacher. I can TOTALLY understand her frustrations with children who are CONSTANT behavior problems, and it sounds to me like this boy was. (The teacher named several members of the school staff whom this student had run-ins with already in the school year.) I would hope that the school would have stepped in, but MORE importantly, I feel that if THE PARENTS HAD DONE THEIR JOB, the student and situation would never had escalated this far. My guess is, these parents expected to send their child to school in order for the teacher to do the parenting FOR them. I'm sorry, I WENT TO SCHOOL TO BE A TEACHER AND TEACH, not to discipline YOUR child. Disciplining your child TAKES AWAY precious time from the school day. Takes away time from the instruction of the other children (who pose NO CONSTANT behavior problems). Is that fair to them? I think not. The child in this article, if his behavior was as inappropriate as I can imagine, should have been put through testing to see if he qualified for special ed, or emotional issues, or even just on a specialized behavior plan worked out by the school counselor. Don't get me wrong, the comments of the teacher were DEPLORABLE, however, she is NOT the only one who should take the fall for this.
*Jamie, kindergarten teacher, 11 years, EAST COAST
truthnut
I have to disagree with the teacher here completely. I worked in Special Ed with a Para who was not only a bully to me because I outshined her everyday and our students trusted only me; but was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive to the students in our class too. It was one year and 34 documented pages with listed witnesses later before our administration finally quietly transferred her to an older school (yeah, new targets for her). This woman plays bunco with our administration uppers. The whole mismanagement of our problem is unbelievable. It's sad that this type of irresponsibility causes this saying my husband quotes, "Teachers are educated idiots". Sad.
For those SUPPORTING this "teacher", do you realize you are SUPPORTING an adult BULLY??? I PRAISE the family for taking their child out of this monster's classroom! If this "teacher" truly was an educated professional, she would have worked with the parents regarding what she saw as "disruptive" behavior. THAT IS HER JOB! Since she obviously can't handle her job, she needs to be TERMINATED! Leave it to a "union" to support those not worthy of their jobs. Arrest this adult BULLY & keep the kids safe mentally/emotionally!
nkg0515, been there & dealt with worthless teachers.
She didn't do anything to hurt the child. sure her words were a lil tuff and she shouldn't have done it in front of the whole class and involved them. It seems to me Like this kid had no respect for authority figures. When I was in school u wouldn't dare disrespect a teacher. If u did u knew what would happen when u got off the school bus. I even had a few teachers that would handle it on there own. not physically putting their hands on u, but u knew they weren't to b played with. In my opinion one of the biggest problems with society today is kids don't receive enuff discipline at an early age.Just look at this web site for instance, how many ppl on this site are under the age of 25. That's right around the time when it became "wrong to dislike ur kids. don't get me wrong u shouldn't abuse ur child but a spanking every now n then when they are I'm the wrong will not kill them. Just
Ool at the amount of crime and ppl in prison now vs 1970-80 numbers don't
Lie.
The fascinating thing is this teacher addressing this little boy as though he were an emotionally mature adult, as though he had the vocabulary to understand such a rant. This is exactly how women berate their boyfriends - the same kind of shaming language.
Is she berating this boy in these terms because she lacks an actual adult man in her life to dump on?
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