A Bad Little Boy

He was right in front of me, so I couldn't help but watch him. I would guess he was about four years old. If I would have acted that way when I was his age, I am sure my mom would have taken me out of the gym and given me an education on proper behavior.

The Laurelville Spring Program was last night. The band played and students sang, danced, and bounced balls to the rhythm of the music. It was a good night and the students did a good job showcasing their talent. Throughout the program though, my eyes were continually drawn to this little boy.

He stood on his chair. He talked continuously. He hit his older brother. He ran up and down the aisle. At one point, he went almost the whole length of the gym and carried a chair that was bigger than him, back beside his mom. He placed it in the aisle, and sat in it, although only for about 30 seconds before he was on the move again.

His older brother, who was about 8 or 9 tried to keep him under control. This resulted in a few punches. His mom made several comments to him, which he ignored in a way that showed he was quite practiced at not listening. The best way to describe him--a bad little boy that is 47 pounds of terror.

Questions pounded through my head throughout the program. Does he always act this way? Does his mom ever discipline him? Was she embarrassed by his bad behavior? Why was his eight year old brother trying to correct him, while his mom mostly just sat there? How did his brother know right from wrong, but he didn't? Will he act like this in sixth grade?

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Rule Breaking is OK, or Not

Will Richardson, in his blog, weblogg-ed tells a story of a student in in-school suspension. This student, while under suspension, texted a teacher for help on homework. School policy says no cell phones in school. The story as told:

She was checking her email and received this message from one of her students. It read: “Hi Mrs. Smith. This is John. I had a question about the Hamlet homework you assigned. I am texting you from my cell phone in [in-school suspension].”

The school has a simple cell phone policy: “No cell phones or text messaging during class.” The policy holds true when you are in [in-school suspension] because it is on school grounds. You are in [in-school suspension] to do school work, that is it; no socializing, no talking, no sleeping, no listening to I-pods, and no texting.

The student received 2 extra days of in-school for violating school policy, and for refusing to give up his phone.

Here are my questions:

1. Is it OK to violate school policy if you have a good reason?

2. Did the student really want help, or was he just pretending, just to break school rules?

3. If the student really wanted help, couldn't he have just asked to in-school monitor?

4. Should the teacher have just helped the student (and then violated policy herself)?

5. Should teachers not follow the rules, if it will help a student?

6. Should a parent encourage rule breaking if their son is in the right?

Lots of questions, no sure answers. Your thoughts?