i think u should complain about ur boss to higher authorities, i dont know, a district school board or committee or whatever kind of affiliation. this child shouldnt be in the class, more for the safety of other children then u, no offense. this child needs to be in some sort of therapy and then a special education facility. if ur boss wants to "help him" then let ur boss take on his education and stop ruining all the other innocent children's education.

I agree with you, having to restrain him in front of the whole class, or having to leave the class to deal with this, is ridiculous... why does this child not have a one-on-one assistant if they want him in the class?? Inclusion cannot always work when a child has such severe needs at a given time...
I would tell my boss that I needed to have a serious deiscussion with him about how to protect the other children in the classroom from seeing this/being affected by it, as well as protecting the teachers (including yourself) from continued injury, possible liability problems, and overall lesser wuality of teaching for the other children because so much of the teachers attentions have to be spent on this one child, while the rest suffer for it. I would tell him that I seriously am beginning to feel that I cannot continue on teaching the other children under this kind of stress, that though I care about this child's welfare and want the best for him, I do not believe that the best thing for him is to be in a regular classroom right now. Let your boss deaal with talking to his Dad. The school doesn't have to kick him out, but he may do better in a pre-first(social remedial) type program if your school has one, or at least with a full-time aid to deal with his behaviors. It shouldn't be you; you have the rest of the class to deal with,too. I'm assuming this child doesn't have an IEP? It's time for him to get one and for services to be put in place...they can always be lessened as the child needs them less, hopefully for this little guy that time comes. Remember, your not going to like me saying this but, he can tell if you don't like him- all kids can- and despite his being as loveable as a porcupine right now, try sending him extra affirmations for the tiniest thing he does that is not crazy(pays attention for more than 50 seconds, wink at him, smile- plays well even if by himself- your doing a great job with that jumping,buddy-or whatever- hugs and high-fives can't hurt, try and see if he'll let you- you know that hurting people hurt people. This little guy is in pain emotionally. He may also have some undiagnosed as of yet psychological problems...)wish you the best of luck:) hang in there, there will always be kids like this, probably more to come as there seems to be more problems with kids these days

This is so sad. I can't imagine what a 5 year old must have gone through to be this angry at such a young age.

That said, he shouldn't be in your classroom disrupting all the kids that are just trying to learn and have fun. Why should they be afraid in school? Why should YOU be afraid in school?

It's an absolute disservice to everyone that you have to take time away from the good kids in order to try to tame this other kid.

If I were a parent I would pull my kid from the classroom immediately.

In the end though, only you know your limits. I would probably issue an ultimatum that you are willing to follow through on. Either he goes or you go. And if you go, you'll be calling all the parents to explain why you are leaving.

Your boss clearly wants to help this child. That is admirable. But it cannot and should not be at the expense of the other children. Period.

If you quit, you're not only giving up on yourself, but also on this little boy who deserves to learn in an environment appropriate for his needs.

Go to your boss with a clear explanation of the problem, the consequences it'll have for the school, and possible solutions.

Problems:
Child is violent, difficult to teach, abusive of authority.

Consequences:
Other students lose attention, lawsuit/liability certain when he injures another child.

Soultions I would offer would be:
Research appropriate preschools/programs (maybe Head Start) and present them to the parents as alternative options.
Pay for you and your coworkers to take education classes or an instructional seminar on how to deal with violent special needs children.
Implement school-wide policy on physical aggression. Give 3 warnings, then child is removed from school. Be prepared to follow through with the trouble child and any others who may do the same.

From your post it seems like he hasn't had a full evaluation yet. Without full testing results from a trained professional (a full psychological evaluation) it will be difficult for both you and the parents to have a real understanding of the underlying issues. Once the problems have been identified, then a complete educational and behavioral program can be set up. The status quo is not meeting this child's needs and is compromising the education and safety of the other students in the class. Any reputable school (seems to me like yours is private rather than public from your comments) should have a plan in place for such situations. Unfortunately, if your boss continues to ignore the situation he/she is putting everyone in harm's way. You must find out your school's policy by checking mission statements and the parent/staff/student handbooks. If none exist, then perhaps finding another job at a more reputable school is the way to go.

The child sounds emotionally disturbed. I teach 2nd grade, and a kid like that should NOT be in a mainstream classroom. Emotional problems are one thing, but children should not be allowed to hurt others. It sounds to me like your administrator is the problem. Honestly, I would QUIT NOW. Because if it isn't this kid turning your class upside down, it will be another one and you already know that your administrator will not handle the situation appropriately.

When you look for a new job, check out the union at your new district. If your union is good, you can file a grievance against your administrator if something like this ever happens again.

Good luck.

I actually dealt with this problem over the summer. The child ended up injuring my wrist which was hurt for 6 weeks and injured another coworker who ended up having surgery!! The administration told us to "stop making such a big deal out of everything" and give into the child's demands. When we refused to do as he would say, he would throw chairs, bite, punch teachers and students, kick, etc. It was a nightmare. The administration offered no help and only talked to the parents about it once. However, there was a little black boy who had the same problems and he was kicked out!!! If the administration is bad, there is no hope of making the kind of difference you would like to as a teacher. If there's no one to back you up, then find a job that will have the support of the administration. I left because of a different reason, but I am so glad I did.

I agree with everyone above who said he needs more help/evaluation. Can you call social services or something? If the kid is assaulting people there is something terribly wrong. Letting him behave that way without consequences will help no one. He probably needs some pretty intensive therapy.

I wouldn't quit unless absolutely nothing else can be done. Try a few more avenues, bring in as many resources as you can, and try to get the kid some help. Enough people have turned their backs on him. You have the opportunity to be the one who stands up for him and makes sure his needs are met.

Good luck.

keep going up the chain to higher authority...make yourself be heard...you might make yourself a bit annoying to them..but it will get the point across....if you don't do it...one of the other parents will...then it will come back to you....

Right now the child has the power and he knows this. You need to schedule something immediately with the parents (or just one) and get him into some sort of program to find out why he's so angry. Once you find out the root of the cause he can lose the behavior and find out how to deal with what is going on. If you just kick him out of class it will never get resolved, and he'll just be angrier b/c it's another rejection (like the divorce) and everyone giving up on him and tossing him aside. If you go up the chain to authority then they aren't going to deal with it properly and he'll just be removed. If you are a preschool teacher who really cares about her students then you'll want to see that he's helped, rather than letting him slip through the system and eventually either be a problem for every other teacher he encounters or end up being expelled and falling into a life of crime later down the road. Let the parent know that you're on their side and not ganging up on them b/c they may get on the defensive, but you want the boy to not be so angry and if he does learn how to express that in a healthy way. Think of him as your child as you are going through this and please take the necessary steps to make sure that he'll be on the correct path.

While this may not be your responsibility per-say, it sort of is b/c (1) you are a teacher and (2) as a caring person you should not want to let him feel like he's been completely abandoned (kids are smart!).

So take that extra step before anyone else gets hurt AND before you end up regretting it and casting him aside b/c you can't be bothered, and help him get help!

Oh my! This sounds like the same exact situation my younger sister was going through last year. She's also a preschool teacher and had a lot of problems with this one kid who I believe was all of three years old. He had a lot of emotional problems and would lash out physically. She was frustrated day in and day out. I think her response to the whole situation was to hold parent teacher discussions on top of going to the head of the school (the school is private so they definitely weren't going to throw him out) to talk about what can be done with the child. Unfortunately he ended up staying the whole year with little repercussion on the child. Personally, I think there should be mandatory school counseling for kids like that. I'm no expert, but it seems like an hour out of the child's day with a school counselor will help things. My sister ended up staying at the job b/c she likes to teach, but I think you have to decide if teaching is truly what you desire in a career. If it is may be you can see if teaching older kids is better for you or maybe he can work with the school counselor?

There is no doubt this child has problems...and unfortunately you can't give him the help he needs. It's one thing to have bad behavior, and its another when the kid is violent...and its too bad, but this kid is going to get quit on all his life, but thats not your fault. He could have a diagnosable disorder, or who could be a hellin who is getting exactly what he wants by acting this way. Kids are alot smarter than they get credit for! And I would NOT physically restrain him myself. You are asking for trouble...any parent who allows a child to be like this and NOT seek help, will probably just be as irresponsible when it comes to other things, and will probably come at your asking you why you laid a hand on the kid to restrain him.

And your boss needs to be fired. Period. That is totally ridiculous! Go to someone higher. He needs OUT! Just wait til this kid really hurts another kid...can you say LAWSUIT! And as his teacher, I guarentee you will be named in the suit, at the very least as a witness.

I don't think quiting is necassarly the right answer, but its obvoius your boss hasn't got a clue about ANYTHING...so no matter what happens with this kid, I don't think I would want to work for that guy at all!

This child could have autistic/ADHD/behavioural issues. He needs to be assessed by a child psychologist and placed in a special needs school PRONTO. Since you are not a special needs teacher you should not be expected to tolerate this. The school board is failing him if they do not assess him and place him accordingly.

Good luck, don't quit your job over one child.

This is why i don't like kids!

when i was 5 if someone acted up, they got a swat. then they call your f*ckin' parents, and they would get taken to the bathroom and got a whuppin'.

this kid has issues, and you didn't sign up to teach kids with behavior issues. it sounds messed up, but it's true.

those teachers how teach that class probably have 24 more hours of specialized curriculum back in college/when getting teaching credential. that's a whole 'nother pie to eat.

plus, the little sh*t is throwing chairs and what not?! you know when little Petey or Susie gets hit with that chair, you're the first to blame?

you're gonna have to get with his little a*s.

document EVERYTHING he does. EVERYTHING!
go to the superintendent about the matter because your boss is a punk and doesn't have kids kicking her in the chest. when he cuts up, grab him by the wrist and take him to the principle's office and leave his a*s there.

have a voice and demand that he gets an evaluation. tell his mom (set up a mandatory conference). keep it real with her. he has behavioral issues and she needs to have him checked out because he is disrupting and depriving the other children from receiving a crucial enrichment (what they learn now will effect them later). so what if you hurt her feelings. she has a kid hurting authoritive adults and other kids. if she wants to not step up, then call child protective services.

ring some alarms.

don't quit, this is a set back but it wont be for very much longer he wont be in you're class forever will he...i would say he needs constant attention, maybe a assistant there just for him, even if your boss says to you it would be too much hassle..the fact is it is affecting your teaching skills and the children in your class are suffering to what time they have to learn...thats what they come to school for, its not just a place to keep children while their parents are at work and i think people forget that.. also it sounds like he needs to talk to someone, a counsellor or something, espesh as his parents have recently broke up...be strong and dont give up on the other children who need you, try to remember why you became a teacher in the first place...

*an

also, if you don't step up, you're gonna be the teacher who gets all the bad kids every year. why? because YOU will put up with it.

Speaking as the parent of a special needs child, you need to go to higher authorities and get this child taken out of your class and possibly the center all together. Obviously, this child has some severe issues that are beyond your control, and for his sake and the rest of the children in his class, he needs to be in an environment where he is getting one on one care and where he can't hurt himself or others. I am all for inclusion and mainstreaming children, and I know that a parents breakup can be tough on a young child (again speaking from experience), but this situation is way above and beyond that. I am lucky in that my son's developmental delays don't affect his very sweet natured tempermant, but if he was acting out especially in violent manner I would want him to get the specialized care he needed. I think this situation can be niped in the bud now, for his sake and yours.

This is such an awful situation but you should not quit your job over one violent ankle biter. You are supposed to be in charge and you need to make some things happen in your school. Do you have a video camera? Next time he gets out of hand, have your assistant tape it. Tape all of his fits and at least you'll have evidence the next time your principal makes light of your situation. I would talk to everyone: the parents, administrators, school boards, everyone! I'd be the loudest, most annoying squeaky wheel they'd ever heard. That way they'd have to fire me to get rid of me and I'd at least get unemployment. It's a shame you can't just slip him some kiddie Valium every morning with his milk. That's not a joke, some kids just need to be drugged. I admire you for the work that you're doing, not everyone is cut out for it. I hate other people's kids. Keep on doing the hard work, stay safe. Don't be afraid to get medieval on his ass.

That is terrible! I'm sorry to hear your in this situation, practicly having to quit your job because of the idiocy of your boss.

She won't hear your complaints, but what about the parents' complaints? She might overlook a couple of families pulling their kids of the class, but what if there were more threatning to do the same? I'm sure she would rethink her position then. Talk to the parents if you can.

I agree that you should document and tape his outburts. You probably won't remember or have time to turn on the camera at the exact moment he starts being violent, so I would just place the camera in a place where it captures the entire classroom, and leave it on all the time.

Go to higher authorities, and maybe social services? It's unacceptable for this kid to be in that class, he isn't getting the help he needs, and the other kids are being negleted in consequence.
Research schools and institutions in your area that can help children with these kinds of problems, and tell the parents and your boss about them. Convince them that that's the way to help the kid.

Meanwhile, there are some books that teach tecniques to handle violent and troubled children. It doesn't come close to actually being trained to do so, but it might help you help him, protect the other kids in the class, and protect yourself.