Skip to main content

Individual v. Group Consequences

Richard Vernon | The Breakfast Club Wiki | Fandom

I'd taken a post in a large unified school district north of Phoenix, Arizona, in a primarily middle class K-8 elementary school. As the newly minted Assistant Principal, I'd established my career understanding how to mitigate and manage behavioral crisis in classrooms - this particular campus housed a self-contained program for Emotionally Disabled students - and they hoped to lean on my so called expertise.

Mid-way through the year, and in context of dealing with most of the code of conduct issues across campus, I got to know a group of students for whom navigating school structure was complicated. One student in particular was often in my office for increasingly physically violent actions - hitting a female student in the side of the head with a basketball - and I was working closely with his family and teachers to support rapid changes. It heightened my anxiety around school safety, and stressed my awareness.

Cafeteria duty was part of my routine, not my favorite, but a chance to mingle with all of the students and share some laughter. On this day, I distinctly remember the sting in my leg that followed a loud pop behind me. Glancing down, I noticed a substantial tear in my pants, and a trickle of blood making its way down my shin.

Looking over my shoulder, I noticed a well-crafted projectile embedded in the pads underneath the basketball hoop. Immediately, I glanced up, hoping to make eye contact with a student, and making some identification around the source of the damage.

I called for silence in the room, and in my best Assistant Principal voice I demanded to know who launched the dart.  Continued silence.

In my frustration, I threatened everyone in the room with a loss of recess unless I found out who was responsible. Continued silence. I had to follow through, so there they all sat.

Roughly 110 students were now being punished for the acts of one.

All of those children, and only one responsible, held accountable for something that I still didn't fully understand.

Mistakes I made;

  1. I took it personal.
  2. I punished the whole group.
  3. I lost respect.
Instead, I could have;
  1. Released all the students, inviting them to anonymously explain what they saw.
  2. I could have assumed that it was an accident.
  3. I could have preserved the integrity of all of those students by taking the time to investigate what happened, collecting information, and applying the appropriate consequences where applicable.
The principal, teachers, and cafeteria manager scolded me for mishandling the incident. I stalled delivery of lunch to several other student groups. Deserving students lost recess. Teachers had to deal with the fallout of anxious students. 

I punished the group. The responsible individual became a pariah. I saw myself fulfilling Paul Gleason's role in Breakfast Club - something I'd never wanted to become.

So, should we be punishing the groups to which we assume responsible individuals belong? 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weigh ins...How Wrestling Teaches Equality

I adore the sport of wrestling. Very few things have brought me as much personal and professional satisfaction, grief, suffering, confusion, and growth.  Three of my children have wrestled, including my youngest daughter. She's a pioneer in the sport, as evidenced by the interesting questions she gets asked. "You wrestle boys?" She does, and she wrestles female opponents as well. Or, "Wow, that's cool?" Almost like a side compliment. Wrestling is all about equality . It begins with weigh ins. Pre-match and pre-tournament, stripped down to the skivvies, get on the scale and check how much you weigh. I wrestled in the 119, 132, and 138 pound weight class. My opponents weighed the same.  The mat size is the same for all competitors. Mat time is the same, roughly six minutes, depending on division and age group. Same number of coaches are allowed in your corner, two. Same number of referees, usually one, supervise the match. Unless someone puts their thumb on t...
Post a Comment
Read more

What I've Learned from Trees

  I grew up in the Rocky Mountains, and now reside there as a middle-aged man. God's country. My family has lived here for six generations, founded to towns, owned gold and silver claims, timber, farmed and ranched here. My father was killed and is buried here.  All around me are these beautiful and majestic trees. For a time, my business was trees. Well, commercial landscaping. Purchasing, planting, cultivating, trimming, and growing trees. I can look at a tree and tell you if it is healthy, I can tell how it's been cared for, and when/where it should be trimmed. Over the course of my life I've learned a few things about these beautiful creations. Aspen trees are known for their breathtaking Fall colors. But did you know that they are the world's largest living organism? Their root systems are connected and when one member of a grove is sick, the others support it with nutrients.  Because Aspens are a united grove, they aren't as susceptible to disease and insects ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Big Brother and Virtual Learning - Solutions

Dear reader, here's a report of a child who is suspended for a toy he has in his own home.  The so-called teacher, in a millennial activist fugue, spotted the dangerous weapon and used common sense to alert the parents, have a discussion with them, and then realized she should mind her own business. District administration immediately knew nothing and also were able to mind their own business, getting back to the bloat and lack of necessity they now find in their jobs, sending a multiplicity of boring emails and eating carbs. Except, no . That didn't happen. Here's what really happened. Police were called. They conducted a wellness check   without parental consent. The elementary school child is suspended. He is a Black student. Why do I mention this, because...it matters. District fascists stand by their decision. Parental rights, private property rights, 2nd Amendment Rights, and the right to own whatever toy I want...eroding. Listen up! Keeping cameras off preserve...
Post a Comment
Read more