DALLAS -- A teacher is on paid administrative leave after sending a first-grader home with feces in his backpack because the boy went to the bathroom on the classroom floor.
The teacher apparently was frustrated with the 6-year-old student's actions so wrapped up the waste and sent it home with the boy Tuesday along with a note, Dallas school district spokesman Donald Claxton said.
Claxton declined to identify the teacher at Gabe P. Allen Elementary School.

"It generally appears the teacher was trying to help raise awareness with the family," Claxton said. "It's just an unfortunate incident. Unfortunately, she took this course of action."

"It generally appears the teacher was trying to help raise awareness with the family," Claxton said. "It's just an unfortunate incident. Unfortunately, she took this course of action."


If she wanted to raise awareness with the family, wouldn't a note have sufficed? Jesus H. Christ!

If she wanted to raise awareness with the family, wouldn't a note have sufficed? Jesus H. Christ!


Excuse me while I barf.....  ::)

I'm going to go out on a limb.  6-year-olds have bowel control.  There is no reason he should have pulled his pants down in class and put a wet stinking pile of sh** on the floor!

I'm going to go out on a limb.  6-year-olds have bowel control.  There is no reason he should have pulled his pants down in class and put a wet stinking pile of sh** on the floor!


I agree..

Dis-ter-bing.
I think the lady should have just called the parents.

Boy,that's a bunch of CRAP! ;D


Howard

I'm going to go out on a limb.  6-year-olds have bowel control.  There is no reason he should have pulled his pants down in class and put a wet stinking pile of sh** on the floor!


LMAO!  ;D

What we must be careful of is if this child does have a bowel problem - but if that was the case, he would do it in his pants and not on the classroom floor.  ???

I reckon the child has done it more than once for the teacher to resort to that action. If the teacher hadn't told the parents then that is a bit silly to let the situation get out of hand.

I reckon the child has done it more than once for the teacher to resort to that action. If the teacher hadn't told the parents then that is a bit silly to let the situation get out of hand.


That is exactly what I was thinking.  The way the article is worded, it seems to have happened before with this kid.  Maybe the teacher should just watch his as* more closely....uh....literally.

And once mom & dad removed the contents of his backpack, that's when the you-know-what really hit the fan.  This one coulda been handled in a better way.

Ummmm... Yuck...just...yuck.  That's all. 

As a teacher who has dealt with such an issue on a constant basis, a note usually does not suffice. I have told many parents about their children acting like babies when it comes to their "personal habits". A lot of them ignore the notice (maybe out of embarassment or denial), expect us to clean up after them, or accept it with the territory. It's disgusting to have deal with. I'm sure a notice and/or conference was giving as options, so the teacher had maybe no other choice but to show them.

Maybe I should've done that as an option for the parents to see the seriousness of the matter. The child is 6 years old. She/he knows how to use the bathroom and if not psychotherapy is definitely necessary. I can understand accidents, but if it's not an accident, but more prevalent behavior, all hands are tied.

Tanya

Now there's a teacher who won't take any sh*t from any of those little brats!

Sounds like both the kid and the teacher created a big stink down there in Texas.  ;D

Sure is odd that a kid would dump a hot load on the floor.  When I was in 1st grade, sure, a couple of kids accidentally loaded their pants.  But I do not recall anyone dropping their drawers, grabbing a magazine, and evacuating themselves on the linoleum.

Now that this story has hit the news wires, that kid is NEVER gonna get any peace from his classmates.  Alerting the media of this incident is as bad as sending the tird back with the kid.  ::)

I got a nice solution:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:1zJVJDsNAIQJ:www.bluequillangler.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/media/belt-money-braided.jpg

I got a nice solution:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:1zJVJDsNAIQJ:www.bluequillangler.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/media/belt-money-braided.jpg


??? Pay the kid money not to dump during class? ???

??? Pay the kid money not to dump during class? ???


HAHAHA.  I didn't see that money.  I meant the belt (which I am sure you already knew.)

So do you mean get the kid to wear a belt so he can't take off his trousers to do a dump in the class room?  Or do you mean hit him with the belt?

Neither are likely to be very effective are they?  and I suspect the second would have the opposite affect

He should have gotten the paddle, or at least a bedpan. ::)

As a teacher who has dealt with such an issue on a constant basis, a note usually does not suffice. I have told many parents about their children acting like babies when it comes to their "personal habits". A lot of them ignore the notice (maybe out of embarassment or denial), expect us to clean up after them, or accept it with the territory. It's disgusting to have deal with. I'm sure a notice and/or conference was giving as options, so the teacher had maybe no other choice but to show them.

Maybe I should've done that as an option for the parents to see the seriousness of the matter. The child is 6 years old. She/he knows how to use the bathroom and if not psychotherapy is definitely necessary. I can understand accidents, but if it's not an accident, but more prevalent behavior, all hands are tied.

Tanya


Amen!  My husband is a teacher.  He constantly tells me how the kids behave and the steps he takes to try to make the parents aware.  Unfortunately, notes home doesn't work much these days

Exactly. Notes nowadays are almost as good as no notification at all. Ask your hubby how many notes he "sent home" to only see at the end of the kids' bookbags the next day.

Tanya

He stopped sending notes a long time ago.  He knew they didn't do any good.  Now, he just lets the administration deal with the kids when they get to out of hand. 

All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not a teacher. 

The situation was handled badly and unethically by this "so called" teacher, regardless of the problem and its possible prevalence.

A parent-teacher conference should have been arranged by way of phone call, not to mention having the school principal and guidance counselor involved.

It's protocol!

With proper intervention, the child may be found to have a physical/mental issue.

The sheer fact that feces is a dangerous pathogen alone is more than sufficient reason to know the teacher's judgment is extremely poor, the person plainly lacking common sense and any knowledge of health hazards.

And what of the psychological effects on the child? Especially if it turns-out the action on the child's part was beyond the child's control?

The "teacher" should have been fired.

The situation was handled badly and unethically by this "so called" teacher, regardless of the problem and its possible prevalence.

A parent-teacher conference should have been arranged by way of phone call, not to mention having the school principal and guidance counselor involved.

It's protocol!

With proper intervention, the child may be found to have a physical/mental issue.

The sheer fact that feces is a dangerous pathogen alone is more than sufficient reason to know the teacher's judgment is extremely poor, the person plainly lacking common sense and any knowledge of health hazards.

And what of the psychological effects on the child? Especially if it turns-out the action on the child's part was beyond the child's control?

The "teacher" should have been fired.


What about the psychological effects of his/her classmates? I have had students with emotional issues. They played with their feces in the BATHROOM, even they had enough sense to not go to the bathroom in the classroom (same age - Kindergarten and first grade). We do not know what occurred before this incident, so to call for firing is not necessary. Maybe the teacher was fed up with this child and/or his/her parents. I've been there. This is beyond a parent-teacher conference because you have other children involved in a serious manner. Besides, phone call conferences are a joke anyway. Unless you get the parents in person to speak with, it's a lost cause. In fact, I have experienced the "protocols" that are in print, but not in practice.

Yes, the counselor and principal may have been involved already. Maybe the parents were called to conference, ignored the options discussed, and the teacher used this as an "extreme" manner of opening their eyes to the situation. Maybe this wasn't the first time. There are a tremendous amount of "maybes" in this predicament.

This is another grey issue in the world of education. As many TEACHERS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL know, there are very few black and white areas in our field. For example, teacher molests (or hints at molestation) a student, this becomes a clear black and white issue. However, the issue of which we speak here, is a grey area that must be handled delicately.

Tanya

Besides, phone call conferences are a joke anyway. Unless you get the parents in person to speak with, it's a lost cause.
Tanya



What I meant was that the conference should have been arranged by phone, as opposed to sending a letter. The arrangement could have then been successfully made for a face to face conference.

I respect your opinion. However, mine still differs greatly.

There exists no reason or excuse to justify that abhorrent action on the part of the "teacher". That is no teacher as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not degrading all of the teachers of the world by any means. There are in fact many people who should not be teachers like the one in this case. Those persons may be offended by my rigid opinions and don't apologize for my right to have my personal opinion.

No need to apologize for your opinion. You are more than welcomed by me to express your opinion. I guess I get touchy at times about my profession b/c of the drama inside and outside of the classroom that I've seen, heard, and felt by many. While I wouldn't have taken the extreme action that this teacher had taken, I can understand the anger/feeling of wanting to do something extreme. But, of course, I have common sense not to go there with my students.

Once again, please do not apologize for your opinion. I'm glad to hear (or read it) any time.

As for the phone arrangement, I agree. However, I've also arranged conferences by phone with the promise of parental arrivals to no avail - only to have non-arrivals. But, that's the risk one takes in this profession.

Maybe he/she had a nervous breakdown (or just plain snapped!). I have seen good teachers snap due to some odd or out of way incident. Maybe he/she needs counseling as well. I don't know it's just so weird to read about this incident.

Tanya

The situation was handled badly and unethically by this "so called" teacher, regardless of the problem and its possible prevalence.

A parent-teacher conference should have been arranged by way of phone call, not to mention having the school principal and guidance counselor involved.

It's protocol!

With proper intervention, the child may be found to have a physical/mental issue.

The sheer fact that feces is a dangerous pathogen alone is more than sufficient reason to know the teacher's judgment is extremely poor, the person plainly lacking common sense and any knowledge of health hazards.

And what of the psychological effects on the child? Especially if it turns-out the action on the child's part was beyond the child's control?

The "teacher" should have been fired.


Thank you, I thought I was alone here in this wilderness.  I have a special needs child, because of
that fact I have come into contact with many, many children with many different issues.  I am not
surprised at some of the ignorant solutions set forth on this topic.  If the family is not addressing this issue
than they could be part of the problem.  There should be an intervention from some kind of social service.  I am most dismayed that the "teacher" was so woefully inept.  Anyone in a position of dealing with children , if they have any pride in their profession, is much more educated in this kind of behaviour than this person, I shall not honor her with the title of teacher.

Well, if the parents and the kid were not paying attention before, they sure are now.

Nothing like sending Junior home with feces in a a ZipLock bag to get the message across.

I got a nice solution:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:1zJVJDsNAIQJ:www.bluequillangler.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/media/belt-money-braided.jpg

Nooo, the belt is not a solution.  In this case it would be an investment toward a future serial murderer!

As for that teacher, here is one case where I regret the protections of the unions, if I was that teacher's principal, I'd want to give her her marching orders on the spot!

Anyway, who could tell the difference between the load of sh*t in th kid's backpack and the curriculum-approved American history textbook?

Of course, you know what this reminds me of:
http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/tv/images/dec23/hankie.jpg
Howdy-ho, Kyle!

http://www.southpark.dsl.pipex.com/img/kyleindex.gif

I'm going to go out on a limb.  6-year-olds have bowel control.  There is no reason he should have pulled his pants down in class and put a wet stinking pile of sh** on the floor!
I got to agree.Parents should be giving their kids the message that this isn't acceptabl e behavior.

Nooo, the belt is not a solution.  In this case it would be an investment toward a future serial murderer!




I am so sorry for you, hope they find the right meds to put you on (just kidding.)
As soon as you start to see that a 6 yr old who craps on the floor needs some drastic attention from his parents (spanking would be a good start) then perhaps you will be on the way to leading a normal life.

or have the kid wear Depends. ;D


Howard

Well, if the parents and the kid were not paying attention before, they sure are now.

Nothing like sending Junior home with feces in a a ZipLock bag to get the message across.


"hey Ma,look what I just made...A doody ;D

Howard

or have the kid wear Depends. ;D


Howard


It wouldn't help, unless he crapped his pants.  He actully pulled them down and crapped on the floor.

I am so sorry for you, hope they find the right meds to put you on (just kidding.)
As soon as you start to see that a 6 yr old who craps on the floor needs some drastic attention from his parents (spanking would be a good start) then perhaps you will be on the way to leading a normal life.

Thrashing children with belts is bad, mmmmkay?

Thrashing children with belts is bad, mmmmkay?


Not for the kid who crapped on the floor.

Spanking is a whole other topic.

Moving on...

Thank you.

Oh and Howard, that would be "Pampers". "Depends" are for adults.

Jeez, you still don't get it do you.  I have a child with autism, because of that I have met many
people with children with different issues.  Any six year old who is crapping in class is a kid
with a problem, one that could be a problem in the family, or school, but definitely somewhere.
This behaviour is not untypical of a child who has been abused, physically and/or mentally.
The kid isn't crapping cause he's a bad kid, you think any kid actually likes the kind of ridicule
that brings along?  Another thing I noticed with children with special needs is that when the going
gets tough, dad bugs out.  When you sit in the support sessions, and or clinics it is the mother who
is bearing the brunt because dads solution is to ignore, pretend it is something else, or leave.  If
their attitude is anything like what I have seen on this board it looks as if, as difficult as it is, the kids
are better off.  I must say Howard, I am ashamed of you.  Dealing with the issues you are dealing with
I would think you would be much more sympathetic to this child.  GW doesn't surprise me at all.

Jeez, you still don't get it do you.  I have a child with autism, because of that I have met many
people with children with different issues.  Any six year old who is crapping in class is a kid
with a problem, one that could be a problem in the family, or school, but definitely somewhere.
This behaviour is not untypical of a child who has been abused, physically and/or mentally.
The kid isn't crapping cause he's a bad kid, you think any kid actually likes the kind of ridicule
that brings along?  Another thing I noticed with children with special needs is that when the going
gets tough, dad bugs out.  When you sit in the support sessions, and or clinics it is the mother who
is bearing the brunt because dads solution is to ignore, pretend it is something else, or leave.  If
their attitude is anything like what I have seen on this board it looks as if, as difficult as it is, the kids
are better off.  I must say Howard, I am ashamed of you.  Dealing with the issues you are dealing with
I would think you would be much more sympathetic to this child.  GW doesn't surprise me at all.


I'm still trying to figure out why EVERYTHING is a disease or mental illness.  A kid can't be just dumb.

It is nice to see the somewhat modern, ''give them a hug and tell them you love them,'' and ''redirection works'' parents of today.

I'm still trying to figure out why EVERYTHING is a disease or mental illness.  A kid can't be just dumb.

It is nice to see the somewhat modern, ''give them a hug and tell them you love them,'' and ''redirection works'' parents of today.















What we are saying is that, in general, six year olds know how to behave with regards to their toilet habits.  Therefore there must be an underlying reason why this boy did what he did.  Maybe his family situation is so bad that he doesn't realise that crapping on the classroom floor is unacceptable.  But that is not the boys fault.  His family situation needs to be looked at in this example.  More probably, as DannotaAndMe says, is that there is another problem in his life, maybe some form of abuse.

We don't have sufficient information to judge the story.  We no little or nothing about the child's background or what the teacher had previously done to try and stop this behaviour.

What we are saying is that, in general, six year olds know how to behave with regards to their toilet habits.  Therefore there must be an underlying reason why this boy did what he did. 
We don't have sufficient information to judge the story.  We no little or nothing about the child's background or what the teacher had previously done to try and stop this behavior.


Exactly.  GW If your first inclination is to blame the kid for actions that are so out of whack with the way a
typical 6 year old acts, then your reasoning doesn't seem to have progressed any more than his.  This
kid is doing something that is bringing more ridicule on his head, that is not normal.  I would bet dollars
to donuts that this kid is being abused, and the inaction of the adults in his life have only compounded
the problem.  For all we know the teacher could have been verbally abusive to the child and the kid
was so scared he was sh*tting himself to get away.  There is a reason I feel strongly about this. When I was in elementary school I had a teacher who was verbally abusive to her students.  She tried picking on me, but I was a tough little thing and my parents came up the school and had a talk with her.  One little girl wet her pants almost everyday because she was so picked on on a daily basis, she was transfered to a different classroom and the wetting stopped. The teacher ended up having a nervous breakdown in class and started beating on another child, they had to take her out in  a straight jacket.
Everyone knew that this teacher was out of it, but she got her job through political channels and was untouchable.  This was back in the late 50's and I don't see that a whole lot has changed. 

Exactly.  GW If your first inclination is to blame the kid for actions that are so out of whack with the way a
typical 6 year old acts, then your reasoning doesn't seem to have progressed any more than his.  This
kid is doing something that is bringing more ridicule on his head, that is not normal.  I would bet dollars
to donuts that this kid is being abused, and the inaction of the adults in his life have only compounded
the problem.  For all we know the teacher could have been verbally abusive to the child and the kid
was so scared he was sh*tting himself to get away.  There is a reason I feel strongly about this. When I was in elementary school I had a teacher who was verbally abusive to her students.  She tried picking on me, but I was a tough little thing and my parents came up the school and had a talk with her.  One little girl wet her pants almost everyday because she was so picked on on a daily basis, she was transfered to a different classroom and the wetting stopped. The teacher ended up having a nervous breakdown in class and started beating on another child, they had to take her out in  a straight jacket.
Everyone knew that this teacher was out of it, but she got her job through political channels and was untouchable.  This was back in the late 50's and I don't see that a whole lot has changed. 



It sounds to me like you and Karen don't want to accept that the kid could be nothing but a spoiled brat who decided to crap on the classroom floor after not getting his way.  Just admit that the kid could be a little monster and I'll agree to disagree.

nope

It sounds to me like you and Karen don't want to accept that the kid could be nothing but a spoiled brat who decided to crap on the classroom floor after not getting his way.  Just admit that the kid could be a little monster and I'll agree to disagree.

We don't know the background of the kid, but it's rather unlikely his name is Damien 666.  As for "just dumb," I agree, what can you do with dumb kids but beat holy hell out of them with a strap?  So, you ask why a kid can't be "just dumb" anymore, why everything has to be an illness or a disability.  Well, there are three fields that made great progress in the 20th century:
1. Medicine
2. Psychology
3. Scientific inquiry (the basis of fields 1 and 2)
Using these methods, most men and women of learning concluded that calling kids "dumb" and beating them up did not help them overcome their problems.  Quite the contrary, such methods made children rageful, withdrawn, anxious, fearful, recalcitrant, and led to inability to adapt socially, and sometimes criminal behavior, later in life.
You could go back to the 17th century and say the kid behaves the way he does because he's got the devil in him, and you must beat the devil out of him, but I wouldn't endorse it.

We don't know the background of the kid, but it's rather unlikely his name is Damien 666.  As for "just dumb," I agree, what can you do with dumb kids but beat holy hell out of them with a strap?  So, you ask why a kid can't be "just dumb" anymore, why everything has to be an illness or a disability.  Well, there are three fields that made great progress in the 20th century:
1. Medicine
2. Psychology
3. Scientific inquiry (the basis of fields 1 and 2)
Using these methods, most men and women of learning concluded that calling kids "dumb" and beating them up did not help them overcome their problems.  Quite the contrary, such methods made children rageful, withdrawn, anxious, fearful, recalcitrant, and led to inability to adapt socially, and sometimes criminal behavior, later in life.
You could go back to the 17th century and say the kid behaves the way he does because he's got the devil in him, and you must beat the devil out of him, but I wouldn't endorse it.


Why does every time a kid act up now, it has some brian psycho-crap thing involved.  Kids don't act up?  Its because they weren't hugged enough, right?  No kid can be a spoiled brat in todays' world with you people anymore?  Come on, I know people haven't lost that much common sense.

Yes, I agree some children can be spoiled brats.  It's another form of dysfunctionality within a family as far as I'm concerned.  But spoiled children would not choose this method of getting their own way, imho.  They might throw things or scream blue bloody murder but humiliating themselves is not what they do.


Why does every time a kid act up now, it has some brian psycho-crap thing involved. Kids don't act up?

Brian?  Who he?  :)

Why does every time a kid act up now, it has some brian psycho-crap thing involved.  Kids don't act up?  Its because they weren't hugged enough, right?  No kid can be a spoiled brat in todays' world with you people anymore?  Come on, I know people haven't lost that much common sense.

To be sure, a lot of kids are overindulged, underdisciplined, an are not taught how to be considerate of others.  I think divorce is terrible for children, and that it is much harder for single parent familes to give children the sense of completeness they need.  I also observe a lack of a moral balast at all stages of growth these days.  Spoiled-brattiness is epidemic, but I still don't believe in beating or ridiculing children.

 Spoiled-brattiness is epidemic, but I still don't believe in beating or ridiculing children.


Back in the day (early 1960's) we had these two 8th graders in my grade school who were bullying 5th graders and stealing their lunches on Pizza Day (every wednesday as I recall).

Well, these two Dillingers got caught in the act one day.  Sister Victor took them up to the principal's office, where they each got paddled over the PA system, while the Battle Hymn of the Republic played in the background.  :o

None of us kids, or our parents, thought anything wrong or unfair about it.  And I can guarantee you that those two kids never bullied ANYBODY in our school again!  :P

I agree with Jessica...big suprise....a note would have been just fine. I think unless it's been an ongoing thing that's been ignored by those who were informed, then the teacher went way too far.

Back in the day (early 1960's) we had these two 8th graders in my grade school who were bullying 5th graders and stealing their lunches on Pizza Day (every wednesday as I recall).

Well, these two Dillingers got caught in the act one day.  Sister Victor took them up to the principal's office, where they each got paddled over the PA system, while the Battle Hymn of the Republic played in the background.  :o

None of us kids, or our parents, thought anything wrong or unfair about it.  And I can guarantee you that those two kids never bullied ANYBODY in our school again!  :P


Don't tell some people here that.  Some people think that the 8th grader just needed to be told he was/is loved.

After reading posts about "Mental Disturbance". A lot of  the solutions sound like something from Dr. Phil.  :o
I blame today's glurgy houswife psychobabble on the self-absorbed, loud Texas quack Dr. Phil.
I really, really hate him. I don't see how he's helping out the psychological community at all when he acts as his advice only betters HIMSELF and makes HIM look good, as if he's actually helping.
You just know after the show, the family goes back to their old ways. 

I am hoping that some of you will see there is a marked
difference between a six year old who craps himself and a
twelve year old who beats up kids.  I once saw a kid about
10 or 11 push a first grader out of his way in the hall. It
was his misfortune to have long hair because I grabbed him
by a handful of it and in a whisper(so much more scary than
a yell) let him know that he should never be caught doing it
again(that kid almost crapped).  That kid deserved a smack,  he did have a sore scalp and something to think about. But
this 6 year old,no...