Zoe Girl
10-31-15, 11:21am
It is very interesting to me that the school video surfaced at the same time I had an issue at my school. I obviously was too asleep when I wrote the first post about this, it turns out that both me and my coach were both really shook up by the experience. I didn't sleep well and he was sick the next day. For clarity I am the administrator and he directly coaches the team for me and the organization that funds it.
So the issue was that soccer practice went very very badly. The team has ups and downs, they did great on teamwork and sportsmanship on a Saturday Jamboree with other teams but at our school they treat each other badly, don't listen to directions well, don't stay with the group very well, and in general are difficult. He has stopped practice before due to behavior and on Wednesday he did that again and brought the team to the library to do homework for the rest of practice time. They weere taking a long time to listen in practice and then when they got pinnies (the things they put on for teams) they were grabbing from each other and pushing kids down. It was the worst behavior ever.
I ended up suspending 7 out of 13 players based on the best information and then dealing with them until parents picked up. Any time I let them start to talk it was arguing again and negotiating my decision which just gave me and the coach a royal headache. One child kept on trying to argue even after I put her outside the school, shut the door and walked away (yes her parents were at the curb to pick her up).
We have a restorative justice staff person at our school that is working with us. I feel the behavior and the arguing was so extreme that if we did not have this help I would have to eliminate half the team for the rest of the season. We are funded in a program that is designed to help kids in high poverty schools rather than a parent paid program which means to me I want to do everything I can to reduce barriers in sports including teaching them teamwork. We have had 2 RJ circles where I heard some new information that is very important, as well as learned their perspective. Each child so far has taken responsibility for something so means we have a chance to continue. They needed to hear my concerns and conditions to continue the team in a calm supported place. The restorative justice staff is really good at this, I did not tell her why were there to start with and that was important. Later I told her more about the situation and I think we need more work to get to safety. In addition an adult talked to the kids very rudely in the middle of part of the drama and the kids (possibly parents) have some legitimate concerns about that, I am so glad I don't have to do this all by myself!! And the entire process is exciting and a little exhausting.
In any case I thought I would share what is happening in some schools. There is a lot more restorative justice work being done as compared to other styles of discipline. I could expand out to the data on back to basics schools and the inequity of suspensions across racial lines, or the school to prison pipeline. It may be more political but this is also my job.
So the issue was that soccer practice went very very badly. The team has ups and downs, they did great on teamwork and sportsmanship on a Saturday Jamboree with other teams but at our school they treat each other badly, don't listen to directions well, don't stay with the group very well, and in general are difficult. He has stopped practice before due to behavior and on Wednesday he did that again and brought the team to the library to do homework for the rest of practice time. They weere taking a long time to listen in practice and then when they got pinnies (the things they put on for teams) they were grabbing from each other and pushing kids down. It was the worst behavior ever.
I ended up suspending 7 out of 13 players based on the best information and then dealing with them until parents picked up. Any time I let them start to talk it was arguing again and negotiating my decision which just gave me and the coach a royal headache. One child kept on trying to argue even after I put her outside the school, shut the door and walked away (yes her parents were at the curb to pick her up).
We have a restorative justice staff person at our school that is working with us. I feel the behavior and the arguing was so extreme that if we did not have this help I would have to eliminate half the team for the rest of the season. We are funded in a program that is designed to help kids in high poverty schools rather than a parent paid program which means to me I want to do everything I can to reduce barriers in sports including teaching them teamwork. We have had 2 RJ circles where I heard some new information that is very important, as well as learned their perspective. Each child so far has taken responsibility for something so means we have a chance to continue. They needed to hear my concerns and conditions to continue the team in a calm supported place. The restorative justice staff is really good at this, I did not tell her why were there to start with and that was important. Later I told her more about the situation and I think we need more work to get to safety. In addition an adult talked to the kids very rudely in the middle of part of the drama and the kids (possibly parents) have some legitimate concerns about that, I am so glad I don't have to do this all by myself!! And the entire process is exciting and a little exhausting.
In any case I thought I would share what is happening in some schools. There is a lot more restorative justice work being done as compared to other styles of discipline. I could expand out to the data on back to basics schools and the inequity of suspensions across racial lines, or the school to prison pipeline. It may be more political but this is also my job.