Dealing with Unfair Punishment from Teachers: A Guide for Students
Honestly, in most cases, 'what can be done' is to establish a good reputation. The reality is that when children are blamed and punished unfairly, it's often because they have been guilty so frequently that teachers just assume the worst about them. This isn't fair, and good teachers do their best not to jump to conclusions. However, there is a simple way to avoid this: Don't develop the bad reputation in the first place.
Why Establishing a Good Reputation is Key
While I am not saying it's impossible, it is pretty uncommon for a student who has never been in trouble, is polite, and respectful to teachers, and has friends with similarly good reputations, to be blamed and punished for something they haven't done. And if a false accusation is their only punishment in years, the teachers are more likely to believe a kid who always tells the truth than one caught lying in the past. So, be the one who, even if a teacher does blame you unfairly for something, other teachers will say, "Are you sure that doesn't sound like him/her?"
Experience of a Teacher
When I was a teacher, eight out of ten students that I reprimanded or punished didn't actually do anything. Of course, I wasn't being fair. My question is, what teacher has time to punish students unfairly and without reason? When teachers have to deal with disruptions, they are losing valuable instructional time.
For example, if I had to stop teaching, I would make sure that the disruptor was removed from the classroom and taken directly to the office for disciplinary actions, ensuring that the other students could continue to learn. While inaccurate, this behavior by students can indeed reduce overall classroom learning and hurt the students.
Steps to Address Unfair Punishment
It is very important to have a clear, consistent behavior management plan in the classroom and implement it fairly. Definitely, parents should investigate to see if this is true or if the student has a biased perspective. If a parent thinks their child is being treated unfairly, the first step would be to listen to their child's side of the story and then meet with the teacher to let the teacher explain what is happening from their perspective.
If the result of this meeting is that the parents still feel that their child was treated unfairly and the teacher is not in agreement, then it is time to make a meeting with administration. Moving the student to another teacher's classroom may be the best option. If this is an ongoing problem with other students in the classroom, the administration should and probably will meet with the teacher and start working on a plan to make necessary changes.
This should start with administration observing in the classroom, and then moving forward on additional teacher training and support. If this action does not resolve the situation, and the teacher is not tenured, they will be at risk of dismissal.
True Stories of Fairness in the Classroom
While it could be true that a teacher is being unfair, this is in my experience rare. Most teachers want to be fair and do have a reason for correction. Here are a few true stories from my experience.
1. I arrived to a parent-teacher-student counselor meeting and noticed that the parent looked quite angry. The student had told her that I made him sit in the corner and face the wall. I had not done this, nor would I ever do this. I turned to the student and said, 'Why would you say this to your mother? You know I never did that.' The student looked at the floor and said, 'I don’t know.' I asked him to tell his mother what really happened. He was silent, so I explained. In reality, he continued to talk to the girls around him while I was giving directions, so as per my classroom management step system, I gave him a warning (Step 1). He continued to talk after I started over again, so I implemented Step 2 and moved his seat to the front at a table where there was only one other male student who did not want to talk to him. This was it. He was now in a location where he was less likely to interrupt. Since he did not like this and his grades had been falling, he decided to make up a story. His mother was no longer angry with me; she was now angry with him. She never apologized to me, but I was fair, clear, and consistent.
2. I had a student that told her parents that I had treated her unfairly because I would not help her at tutorial and only helped the White students. I was called into a parent-teacher conference. I arrived at the conference to some very angry parents who told me how racist I was. I very calmly said to my student, 'Rachel, you know that I don’t have any White students. I only have Hispanic, Asian, and Black students. You are out visiting with your boyfriend during my tutorials. I help every student that comes to tutorial. I can’t help you because you don’t come.' At this point, the parents apologized to me and redirected their anger at Rachel. The principal thanked me and said that I could return to the classroom.
Final Thought: While it could be true that a teacher is being unfair and this should be investigated, sometimes it's the student's behavior and motivations that are the problem.
If you would like to read more true teacher stories, you can read my book, Wait Don’t Quit!