A Kindergartner Punched my 5th Grader

[Luv Bunnies]

My son came home laughing about a kindergartner who punched him in the arm today. He even showed me the note of apology his teacher made him write to my son. It was raining at lunchtime so they asked for 5th grade volunteers to supervise the kindergartners while they ate lunch in their rooms. The teacher's rule is that if they're eating, they need to be in their seats. When they finish eating and clean-up, they are allowed to get up and play games until the end of the recess period.

My son and his classmates (there were four of them) had to continually remind one boy to sit down and eat instead of running around with food in his hand. My son said the kid came up to him and punched him in the arm and stuck his tongue out at him. He told the teacher when she returned and she made the kid write a note of apology to my son. He was laughing about it and then he said, "Mom, now that I see what you have to deal with all day, I understand why you're cranky sometimes when you get home." I work in a preschool class. Gotta love that kid!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Sounds like a good kid. Your son, that is. Where were the teachers?

 

[mickaholic4077]

Teachers need that half-hour break from their students!!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I hope you are kidding. Leaving a few 10 year olds to watch a class of k's is so wrong.

 

[minkydog]

I hope you are kidding. Leaving a few 10 year olds to watch a class of k's is so wrong.

I agree. I know teachers need a break but having 10-11yo subs is NOT the answer. What if a child choked? or had an allergic reaction? I could happen and if it did happen while they were being "supervised" by other children, the liability would be HUGE. I hope this school will re-think this idea. Better yet, run past Risk Management. I bet their attorneys will see things much differently.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

It's pretty common in our district to have older kids watch the younger kids for rainy day lunches. The teachers take their lunch breaks. The classroom doors are left open and there are yard duty people who patrol the halls and pop in and out of the rooms. The 5th graders are there to play with the kids and report any problems to the adults. If a kid has a real problem, the room monitors can yell out the door for an adult. I work at another school in the district and today they called for the "Puddle Jumpers" to report to their positions. At my son's school, they call them "Rain Rovers."

 

[Mouseteacher]

This type of supervision can never happen at my school. Adults must supervise and be present at all times (not walking the hallways). Students can help as long as an adult is present in the room with the helpers (supervising the helpers, too).

 

[snarlingcoyote]

It's pretty common in our district to have older kids watch the younger kids for rainy day lunches. The teachers take their lunch breaks. The classroom doors are left open and there are yard duty people who patrol the halls and pop in and out of the rooms. The 5th graders are there to play with the kids and report any problems to the adults. If a kid has a real problem, the room monitors can yell out the door for an adult. I work at another school in the district and today they called for the "Puddle Jumpers" to report to their positions. At my son's school, they call them "Rain Rovers."

Wow! I think it's great that at your school they're still teaching older kids to be responsible for younger kids and to care for and about younger kids.

 

[clovergirl5]

I think, as a parent of a kindergartener last year, I would feel more comfortable with an adult in the room versus a 10 or 11yr. old. Choking and things getting out of hand or rowdy would be my concern. Although in the same sense, it is a great idea for the older grades helping with the younger kids, maybe not this scenerio though.

 

[HsvTeacher]

Lunch break? What lunch break?

We have to supervise our kids during lunch, unless it's a duty-free lunch day. I cannot even imagine leaving my students alone with older children and being comfortable with that. Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. What happens if someone gets hurt? Who is liable?

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I have never heard of older students watching younger students without an adult there. I don't understand why the weather had anything to do w/it. Who would watch the students if the weather was nice?

 

[hentob]

It's pretty common in our district to have older kids watch the younger kids for rainy day lunches.

Wow

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

Our school does this also, except that the kids eat in the lunchroom and then go to their classroom for a 15 minute indoor recess (on bad weather days). There are 5th grade safety patrol in the room with them and the "lunch ladies" are in the hallways checking on each room. This year I began a lunch parent program to have parents come in on indoor recess days and help supervise, but it is the first year it has been done.

OP - your son sounds like a great sport. At our school, that punch would have gotten the kindergartner suspended for at least 1 day. Our new principal has a 0 tolerance policy on intentional hitting. Even with the Kindergartners.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

What would the 5th graders be doing during this time, if not helping in Kindergarten class? Are they missing class, lunch time....?

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

What would the 5th graders be doing during this time, if not helping in Kindergarten class? Are they missing class, lunch time....?

At our school they are missing about 15 -20 minutes of class time as part of their safety patrol duties.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Wow! I think it's great that at your school they're still teaching older kids to be responsible for younger kids and to care for and about younger kids.

While I all for teaching responsibility that is not the way to do it. There is no teaching involved.

 

[mickaholic4077]

In my school district,the activity teachers(art,music,p.e.,computer) and the classroom assistants all take a turn at lunch duty so the teacher can half their lunch.

 

[aprilgail2]

Lunch break? What lunch break?

We have to supervise our kids during lunch, unless it's a duty-free lunch day. I cannot even imagine leaving my students alone with older children and being comfortable with that. Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. What happens if someone gets hurt? Who is liable?

Wow- the teachers union would never stand for that here...our kids go to lunch for 30 minutes in the cafeteria where there are 3 monitors (not teachers--they pay people to come in and be cafeteria and playground monitors)...and then they go outside for 30 minutes if its nice- if not they go in the gym for 30 minutes so the teachers have their hour for lunch. The kindergarten kids and 5th grade kids go at the same time but the kinder kids have their own playground on the other side of the building. THey have 2 aids on that playground for the kids and they also have 10- 5th graders (they rotate and its all voluntary) who go out there and play with the kinder kids and make sure they all play nice, but the aides are still there in case they are needed!
The teachers do leave the kids in the classrooms by themselves on occassion...if they have to run to the office or have an emergancy and have to go home and while waiting for the sub to arrive the teacher in the next room will pop back and forth between the rooms to make sure all is well.