Kindergartener Suspended
FreyasRebirth
Posts: 514 Member
in Chit-Chat
My son is suspended from school today. One kid told him to put hand sanitizer on another kid's snack. Someone told on him so no one was hurt and my son claims that he had no idea that it could hurt the other boy. The principal told me on the phone that if the boy had eaten the snack, my son (6 years old and in kindergarten) would have gotten a 5 day suspension. Since he did not, he is suspended for the day.
Do you think it is fair to suspend a kindergartner (for an entire school week) for an action that was stupid but not malicious? I agree it was a terrible choice, have had a serious talk with him, and had him write a note to the boy apologizing. Then again, I don't know how I'd feel if I were the parent of the other boy and it was my child who this prank was pulled on. Is a 5 day suspension an appropriate consequence for a kindergarten student?
Do you think it is fair to suspend a kindergartner (for an entire school week) for an action that was stupid but not malicious? I agree it was a terrible choice, have had a serious talk with him, and had him write a note to the boy apologizing. Then again, I don't know how I'd feel if I were the parent of the other boy and it was my child who this prank was pulled on. Is a 5 day suspension an appropriate consequence for a kindergarten student?
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Mines come close....they seem quick to suspend these days0
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Your son, young as he is, has to learn that he doesn't do what other kids tell him to do. Yes, it was hand sanitizer, but what if it had been something worse? This is a learning experience for your child and all the others in his class. I would use it as an important lesson to learn. Do not complain about the principal's decision to your child. It will help him think and make better choices in the future.11
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I'm not complaining to the principal. I appreciate him calling me and having me come and get him. I didn't want to delay having the conversation about how dangerous his action could have been.
I have no idea what happened to the student who told my son to do it. I've given the name to the teacher in my own apologizing email, if she didn't already have it.1 -
My son has been suspended a number of times from kindergarten until just yesterday no in 7th grade. Much of it is ticky tacky stuff that we would get reprimanded for when I was young, or was really non-issues. Today, for legal protection and insurance liability measures seem EVERYTHING is a suspendable act.
Not saying the hand sanitzer isn't or is, just making my own anecdotal observation.2 -
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Meh. It's just a day. It's not going to keep him out of college. Maybe he'll think twice next time about going along with the crowd and doing stuff he shouldn't be doing. Probably a good lesson to learn...The apology was a good thing. I think it will all turn out just fine!
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Jeez. Suspensions are such a strange punishment to me - it's just not responsive to the infraction. I like the apology note, and I do think there should be consequences, but suspension is just weird.
As for this particular behavior - I don't know. I can't tell from your description what was really going on - I mean, he certainly didn't put hand sanitizer on another child's snack out of KINDNESS. If it's part of a pattern of picking on this kid or other kids, maybe it's a serious thing that needed to be addressed. But as an isolated incident, I don't really see it.1 -
snowflake954 wrote: »Your son, young as he is, has to learn that he doesn't do what other kids tell him to do. Yes, it was hand sanitizer, but what if it had been something worse? This is a learning experience for your child and all the others in his class. I would use it as an important lesson to learn. Do not complain about the principal's decision to your child. It will help him think and make better choices in the future.
While I agree with this.. common..he is 6yo.0 -
I'm so glad I don't have kids.13
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My son is in kindergarten too. I got a call from the principal to let me know about an "incident" that happened on the bus.
Apparently my son and another kid had gotten into a pushing match over a seat.
My heart dropped when I got the call for a pushing match between 6yo boys!!
I think it's very important to teach them how every action has a consequence, but sometimes I feel as we are not letting kids be kids. And yes, that mean makes mistakes too.1 -
Let's just pretend the spanking comment isn't there or the thread will get locked very soon. If there were an infraction meriting a spanking, this isn't it.0
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DeficitDuchess wrote: »
If I did flag, I'd certainly own it, but the senseless flagging is ridiculous IMO.4 -
Did you ask your son why he blindly followed the orders of another child? I think I'd be more concerned about the why than the punishment.4
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He's old enough to know that hand sanitizer isn't edible as evidenced by the fact that he didn't eat it himself. He should own the consequences for his actions, with any luck he will learn from it. It is not an indicator that he's a future serial killer, kids just do dumb things. Suspension is the only way the school can punish the parents and protect the other kids, it's their favorite.4
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DeficitDuchess wrote: »
If I did flag, I'd certainly own it, but the senseless flagging is ridiculous IMO.
I know, you'd & I agree with, most of the; flagging being senseless.0 -
_notorious_ wrote: »Because parents who think reprimanding children is barbaric, leaving the disciplining up to the schools.
Someone has to do it.
But suspending them doesn't do it. I agree - a reprimand, a discussion, a learning should come from this. And I have no doubt that @FreyasRebirth will address what happened (and has, already). Suspension seems like the laziest response to behavior there is. Shoot - detention and making a kid write "I will not poison my classmates" 100 times would at least be responsive (probably dumb, but responsive).4 -
Gimsteinn1 wrote: »Suspending kids for being kids is stupid.
Children at that age are learning... A 6 year old gets into trouble... It happens to us all... Suspending children is utterly stupid and may even cause harm
Why the hell does a school suspend children for making mistakes?
This just seems barbaric
While I agree that suspensions have become WAY too easy to earn, I would say in this scenario that some sort of punishment is merited. He did make a mistake, and I would say using it as a lesson to teach that poor choices have consequences would be beneficial, right?3 -
DeficitDuchess wrote: »
Why did you flag him? He didn't say anything inappropriate. So because he has a different opinion than you, you felt the need to flag him? Do I think the situation calls for a spanking? No. But I'm mature enough to not flag someone for thinking differently.7 -
Gimsteinn1 wrote: »Suspending kids for being kids is stupid.
Children at that age are learning... A 6 year old gets into trouble... It happens to us all... Suspending children is utterly stupid and may even cause harm
Why the hell does a school suspend children for making mistakes?
This just seems barbaric
For the lawyers. You're from Iceland, right? America's national sport is suing.7 -
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Freyas, bottom line, he'll learn his lesson. I got kicked off the bus my first day of kindergarten for beating up a 6th grade boy who was picking on my big sister who was in 2nd grade. I pinched him and punched him until he cried and apologized to my sister for making her cry. I learned my lesson though, as did the other kid.
I would have a talk with the Principal to see if the other kid was punished as well and explain that you do understand the reasoning behind it.3 -
abitoftrouble wrote: »JeepHair77 wrote: »_notorious_ wrote: »Because parents who think reprimanding children is barbaric, leaving the disciplining up to the schools.
Someone has to do it.
But suspending them doesn't do it. I agree - a reprimand, a discussion, a learning should come from this. And I have no doubt that @FreyasRebirth will address what happened (and has, already). Suspension seems like the laziest response to behavior there is. Shoot - detention and making a kid write "I will not poison my classmates" 100 times would at least be responsive (probably dumb, but responsive).
Then this post would be about how barbaric writing those sentences were. The schools have their hands tied when it comes to discipline but they have to discipline.
Sure it would. I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying, if you're going to get flack no matter what you do, you might as well do something that makes some modicum of rational sense.
I'm certainly not arguing that the behavior shouldn't be punished. I'm just arguing that suspension is a stupid punishment and should be used as an absolute last resort.1 -
I'm not sure if anyone said this yet, because I didn't read anybody else's response, but during the suspended day you shouldn't be allowing the boy to play video games or watch television or whatever other things he enjoys doing. To him, a suspension will just mean he gets a day off from school. You have to back up the principal's decision as an actual punishment.7
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CaptainHandsome wrote: »I'm not sure if anyone said this yet, because I didn't read anybody else's response, but during the suspended day you shouldn't be allowing the boy to play video games or watch television or whatever other things he enjoys doing. To him, a suspension will just mean he gets a day off from school. You have to back up the principal's decision as an actual punishment.
Oh no, he's not playing. He has written his apology note and he is grounded to his room, expected to get it clean while he is in there.7 -
1 Day. Lesson Learned. He won't do it again. It's fair.3
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Yes, he deserved to be suspended. You claim it was stupid, not malicious. I don't know about that...tampering with somebody else's food is pretty malicious to me. Whether the intent is to harm them, gross them out, anger them, or just laugh at them...it is not done with good intentions.
Whether he did it on his own or at somebody else's urging is irrelevant. He needs to learn boundaries and that actions have consequences.7 -
Boy it was a paddle back in my day lol...but hey he learned (hopefully) his lesson best to move on.1
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CatchMom13 wrote: »DeficitDuchess wrote: »
Why did you flag him? He didn't say anything inappropriate. So because he has a different opinion than you, you felt the need to flag him? Do I think the situation calls for a spanking? No. But I'm mature enough to not flag someone for thinking differently.
While personally I, believe spanking's abuse it; by law within the US & this' a US company isn't considered abuse. However spanking the child until, they pee their pants isn't spanking; it's a beating & that, by US law & thus this company'd be, considered abuse & therefore, it's a; flaggable offense!2 -
CatchMom13 wrote: »DeficitDuchess wrote: »
Why did you flag him? He didn't say anything inappropriate. So because he has a different opinion than you, you felt the need to flag him? Do I think the situation calls for a spanking? No. But I'm mature enough to not flag someone for thinking differently.
Spanking is one thing...spanking until a child urinates him/herself would be abuse, not discipline.5 -
tcunbeliever wrote: »He's old enough to know that hand sanitizer isn't edible as evidenced by the fact that he didn't eat it himself.
When I spoke to the principal on the phone, he told me that (when the principal asked how he would feel) my son didn't see a problem with eating it himself. I think if this instigator kid told him to eat it himself, he probably would have.1
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