My philosophical belief in mutual respect extends to the management of students with specific behavioral problems. Such students may need to leave the classroom on occasion for extra help learning self-control and self-discipline. Many of these students will have an IEP that includes behavioral supports, with specified instructional strategies. Thus, my “Somewhere Else Plan” will only be necessary for a small fraction of students.
If a situation arises in which a special education student needs to be separated from the rest of the class to get control of himself, I would ideally like to send that student to the learning center or special education classroom. There, the student can be redirected under the supervision of a trained special education teacher. Hopefully, that student can complete his content-area work in the special education classroom, and avoid falling behind in class. I believe in the importance of abiding by and supporting the IEP in every way possible and of cooperating with the special education team to ensure the student gets the behavioral supports he needs. Thus, my “strategies” will be those set forth in the IEP by the students’ special education team.
If a student who is not a special education student needs to be separated from the class, then I would like to send that student to either a special area of my room (if available) with a single desk facing the wall and out of the eyesight of the other students, or to the classroom of a fellow teacher in the same subject area. Ideally, I would make an advanced arrangement with another teacher that we could each send each other “cooling down” students on occasion. The student will be expected to sit quietly in the back of the room and complete relevant content-area work or reading, or simply reflect on the behavior. In situations in which the “hot” student would be disruptive to the other teacher’s or my classroom, I would like to be able to send that student to a school counselor, if staff is available, or else to administration. I would not like to send “hot” students to a place without adult supervision.
If a situation arises in which a special education student needs to be separated from the rest of the class to get control of himself, I would ideally like to send that student to the learning center or special education classroom. There, the student can be redirected under the supervision of a trained special education teacher. Hopefully, that student can complete his content-area work in the special education classroom, and avoid falling behind in class. I believe in the importance of abiding by and supporting the IEP in every way possible and of cooperating with the special education team to ensure the student gets the behavioral supports he needs. Thus, my “strategies” will be those set forth in the IEP by the students’ special education team.
If a student who is not a special education student needs to be separated from the class, then I would like to send that student to either a special area of my room (if available) with a single desk facing the wall and out of the eyesight of the other students, or to the classroom of a fellow teacher in the same subject area. Ideally, I would make an advanced arrangement with another teacher that we could each send each other “cooling down” students on occasion. The student will be expected to sit quietly in the back of the room and complete relevant content-area work or reading, or simply reflect on the behavior. In situations in which the “hot” student would be disruptive to the other teacher’s or my classroom, I would like to be able to send that student to a school counselor, if staff is available, or else to administration. I would not like to send “hot” students to a place without adult supervision.