Upon picking B up from school today, I learned that she had her recess
revoked for talking. The fact that B vehemently denies committing this
offense is virtually irrelevant as to the concerns I have with the
disciplinary actions that were instated due to this perceived inappropriate
behavior.

 

I do not comprehend why she should have her entire recess withdrawn due
to talking, and yet I am more concerned with the idea that my first grade
child was left outside and forgotten while the rest of her class was taken
in.

 

While I am unaware of the amount of time my child is normally allotted for
recess (and therefore unaware of the exact amount of time she was actually
required to sit on the wall for the offense of talking), I am fully aware
that she was left unattended for at least 10 minutes, as she inevitably
missed out on the full amount of allotted snack time.

 

Thus, my child was duly punished twice, as well as neglected, for a
single offense.

 

I am troubled as to how my child could have been left outside unnoticed
while the rest of her class was attended to, and I am disturbed that she
would not be given the opportunity to have time set aside for her to eat her
snack when she realized your mistake and returned to class on her own.

 

I am also concerned, while she could have transgressed severely enough
to warrant having her entire recess and snack time revoked, that her daily
behavior chart, which I am required to sign, was sent home indicating
perfect behavior. If I am not to be somehow notified of my child's
indiscretions while in your care, then what is the actual purpose of my
daily signature acknowledging your perception of my child's daily behavior?

 

If you could enlighten me as to why and how this incident and its apparent
repercussions occurred, I'd be greatly appreciative. Furthermore, I would
appreciate a speedy and appropriate resolution-- preferably in the form of a
sincere verbal apology to Bethany and the assurance that this incident will
not re-occur.

 

I would appreciate your care in responding to this sensitive matter.

 

Sincerely,

S

 

 

Mrs. F,

 

Thank you for letting me know, B didn't mention any of this to me.  We were doing laps for PE(part of our recess time), walking to China, for Mrs. N and then played outside for about 5-10 minutes (we were outside for a total of about 20-25 minutes)til it was time to go in.  There were several other first grade classes out there (and teachers)at the time, so when we went inside for snack there were other teachers supervising on the playground.  She lost 5 minutes for talking to another student in the classroom.  Usually the children are quick to remind me when their minutes are up and they are ready to join in recess activities.  The wall is right by the door when we walked in.  If she would of told me I would of gladly given her more time to finish her snack, we had our class peer mentor there today so it was busier than usual.  I will talk to B tomorrow when she comes in for class.  I usually mark the behavior charts early in the morning and change them throughout the day if I need to.   I apologize for overlooking and correcting B's chart today.

 

Sincerely,
Mrs. S

 

 

Mrs. S,
 
I hope you realize how much I appreciate you as a teacher. B adores you, and I love the fact that you encourage her to reach her potential. I couldn't be more pleased with her progress this year under your direction.
 
Unfortunately, in this incident, my child was forgotten. It is unreasonable to expect a child to be responsible for their own time-out. You must see the irony in punishing her for speaking out of turn, and yet expecting her to speak out of turn to get out of her punishment. 
 
As I was not there and only have bits of B's account to piece together, I believe it is natural for me to be concerned for her safety when, from my calculations, my child was basically unaccounted for for 35-40 minutes. 
 
Because of her willingness to take her punishment without complaint, B's 5 minutes of time-out turned into 35-40 minutes. While I'm fully aware that you would gladly give her more time to finish her snack if need be, possibly you weren't aware that she didn't enter your classroom until all of the students were already lined up to walk to their specials (according to B). 
 
I'd like B to understand that it wasn't her fault that she was left outside while the rest of her class returned to the classroom and had snacks-- that it was an accident-- and that it won't happen again. I'd appreciate any effort you could give in helping her to understand this.
 
Sincerely,
 
S F