Wow - it sounds like your 5th graders are on a power trip!! Our 5th grade safety patrol are on the same power trip. Is "spanking" allowed by the district? I would go to a district board meeting and demand that adults supervise the younger children! I would not hire a 5th grader as a babysitter - I would be very upset to know that my school district would allow 5th grade age children to supervise my children. What if a child falls and gets his eye poked with a pencil? In this day and age it sounds like a law suit waiting to happen.
Our school has 3 lunch aids and our assist. principal during lunch 2 handle the lunchroom and 2 handle recess.
Most of our public schools in this area (southeastern Michigan) has a union for the lunch mom's...I forget the blanket name that they call it...but they pay dues, have meetings, and all the same functions as the big name unions. When our school has indoor recess half of the school is eating lunch and the other half are in their classrooms...keep in mind that the district has hired only four lunchmoms for our school. One mom stays in the lunchroom with the principal while the other three (if they all show up) roam the halls and check in on the classes (the class room watchers are the ones actually assigned to a class to keep an eye on the kids). My son's teacher who is also a friend outside of school has volunteered to have her lunch in the classroom to watch her own kids, but was told by the teachers union rep that she could be black balled from the union because they are entitled to an hour for lunch off school grounds. Once again the politics are hurting the kids instead of helping...
Thanks for the input and advice...I wasn't clear when reading my post again, but it is the fifth grade students who are watching the younger grades when we have indoor recess. My son is in first grade and it was him and another first grader who were "spanked". We have suggested having parent volunteers but it is prohibited by the lunch moms union. I did speak to my absentminded principal today and he forgot to address the issue...this is real frustrating!!
Hey Crystal, that looks like another idea that should have stayed on paper! We have lunch helpers (a few kids from the older grades) but all they do is wipe off tables and take ketchup bottles to be filled by the lunch staff.
My first thought (which will go over like a lead ballon) sounds like these helpers need a spanking in front of their peers-- you know a taste of their own medicine! HANG ON!!!! I have come to my senses, can these students be written up by the teachers? Has the Principal ever been in the lunch room during lunch? Would playing music help? Our school tryed this and it worked well until a high school student broke the radio (long funny story actually!) I think everyone could agree on Radio Disney..... As far as the helpers, look at it this way, these are good ol'fashioned bullys. They are going to get away with their behavior until someone steps in and puts a stop to it. If possible a meeting with the parents wouldn't hurt either. Does your school have cameras in the room? I know we do as a new school and it has caught many kids that would have otherwise gotten away with a lot.
I'm not crazy about parent volunteers in the lunch room, I truely feel there should be school staff for this job but that's what I have always seen.
Nothing is worse than a child that is arfaid to go to school or lunch for that matter. My school bully is now serving time for drugs....I hated to go to school...... and the way he made me feel about myself.
The last couple of months I have had the opportunity to go and have lunch and breakfast with my children. I cannot take the yelling, raising of their (aides) voices. The children arrive to have breakfast at 7AM. Okay let those children eat and take their time. You constantly hear "Hurry Up eat your breakfast so you can get to the gym" They constantly walk around saying. GIVE ME A BREAK! The children are already rushed when they are getting ready for school as it is. Then to be hurried through breakfast. I can understand rushing the children that arrive at 7:20am. because school doesn't officially start until 7:45. Then during lunch the kids can't even socialize during lunch time. They are constantly "Hurry up eat lunch" let's keep it down. Hurry UP, I cannot stand it. It has been addressed nothing has happened. I wish that those aides would put themselves in the place of the child. You don't get any socializing time during school except maybe in PE. What I am trying to say it's okay to let them talk. That's a wonder that they (children) get so talkative whenever they find the opportunity. Let me off my soap box about this. I have visited other schools they don't have the yelling, in the lunch or breakfast morning.
