Extremely disappointed with my students today.

[Ms. I]

I would also definitely try to retract those recommendations for that student, if I could. He obviously didn't appreciate it one bit. I just hope that when it's time for you or whoever to talk to/reprimand him, hopefully he won't be a smart ass about it & say, "Well, you are gay. I didn't say any derogatory term a lot of people use for gay people."

[Peregrin5]

Originally Posted by Ms. I

I would also definitely try to retract those recommendations for that student, if I could. He obviously didn't appreciate it one bit. I just hope that when it's time for you or whoever to talk to/reprimand him, hopefully he won't be a smart ass about it & say, "Well, you are gay. I didn't say any derogatory term a lot of people use for gay people."

I thought of that. There's no way he can pull that on me I don't think.

First of all, he doesn't know that. That would be an assumption on his part, and secondly, he's a middle schooler, I know **** well that he meant it in a derogatory manner, and thirdly, it's not his business to be sharing the personal lives of his teachers in this manner, and it didn't follow the rules of the assignment.

I'm going to go with guilt tactics. Basically guilt him on the fact that I provided these recommendations, the fact that he is not fit for student council if he uses a description of someone as a derogatory slang term, and he's probably going to lie about it off the bat, so I'll tell him that lying to my face is an insult to me when I could have just passed this off as bad choices made through peer pressure, and I'm going to require him to write me a written apology. Basically tell him he's going to need me to rebuild my trust in him yadda yadda if he wants to me to recommend him for positions of leadership in the future.

I don't care so much as he used the term "gay" in a derogatory way (I mean, 'STOP THE HEADLINES, Middle schooler calls someone 'gay'!') than that he specifically came to me for recommendations to leadership type positions and he expects that he can insult others for their culture (he's done this before--this was why he wasn't allowed in student leadership this quarter) or sexual orientation while being someone that students look to for the culture and climate of the school.

[hbcaligirl1985]

Let us know how that turned out Sorry you went through it.

[catnfiddle]

Middle schoolers are such an odd bunch to teach. That student probably wrote that thinking it would make him look cool, without thought to any consequences. Sometimes, they don't think long term. I'm so sorry you've received the fuzzy end of the lollipop, so to speak. Glad you squelched the impulse to jam the lollipop up the boy's nose.

[Peregrin5]

Well I brought the student in for a talking to with the VP and the P. He denied everything until the end. I KNOW it was him, but if he won't corroborate the story, and with only handwriting analysis as our evidence we can't really do anything about it.

The VP wanted to have him suspended and involve the police, but I would have been content with a written apology. When faced with such harsh consequences, I think it scared away all desire to fess up to his actions and take the consequences.

Still he knows now that I mean business and I don't let petty things like that slide in my class. I'm constantly battling a shallow view of me as a teacher who won't do much because I'm close in age with my students.

I think he understands that I'm very disappointed in his choice to not confess and while I can't do anything about it, he's lost a lot of trust and respect for him in my eyes.