by Don Rainwater

Created on: July 09, 2008

Why do teachers become frustrated and unenlightened about their jobs only after a few years? Most teachers are frustrated because they are given multiple roles that sometimes overshadow the role of just educating children. Because of the high rate of behavioral problems, teachers spend most of their time discipling children and then filling out the paperwork for office referrals. Once the office referral process is exhausted, they then have to attend meetings and go through a behavioral intervention program that is extensive in both time and paperwork.

If the child with the behavioral problems is a special education student, there are more processes in which the teacher must involve themselves with. If a student does something extreme, the teacher must attend a manifestation determination meeting to confirm that the behavior was not related to or influenced by their disability. A student with a disability can assault a teacher one day and be back in that same teacher's room the very next day.

There are programs that have been and are currently being put in place to deal with and educate these extreme behaviors and acting out children. The programs are designed according to the ability or the lack of a disability like emotionality. In Sheridan, Wyoming the A.C.E. program was created as an in-school suspension in which a student has to earn there way out to go back to school. For students with disabilities such as emotional or behavioral, there is the R4 program. This program teaches students how to act properly in the classroom and deal with their emotional and behavioral issues.

The next option, if the student does not complete the program is have a one on paraprofessional attend the child throughout the day in their classes. If this does not work the next option is have the child recieve tutoring from a tutor off campus for three to four hours a day. In extreme cases a child will be placed in a behavior program that is residential. This should be a last case senario because most behavior residential programs last for a year or more. This would take the child away from their family for a long period of time and they would be associated with other children with the same problems. This sometimes causes the child to revolt more when there are so many negative peers around. Local thearpy and outside interventions with mental health experts are also an option that a school or parent should consider.

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