A student made a racist comment – Why am I the only one doing something?

Dear, we are teachers.

During the panel discussion, one of my students made a racist comment. I solved this immediately, redirected the conversation, and went to the admin. What is their response? “We’ll pay attention to it.” That’s it. No call home, no follow-up with the students. I feel like I am the only adult who sees it as a serious problem, not the first time. I don’t want to remain silent, but I don’t want to burn the bridge either. What to do when the system shruggs and moves on?

– Walking rope

Dear wtt,

First, thank you for stepping in when your students make racist comments. In such a moment, too many teachers freeze and your students need you to model your clear response. You did the right thing.

Now, what do you do when the system is lying down to work?

You are lying in the system.

Documents, documents, documents. Write exactly what you say, what you do, and how your administrator responds. Keep this for yourself, but also email it to the administrator so there is a (digital) paper trail. This is also the time to sign in with the school union representative.

A cycle in the family. If the remark is targeted at a specific student, then check-in with that family is crucial. A simple “I hope you know this happened…this is how I react” shows care, and if the family wants to take action, you can get the ball rolling.

Find allies. There are other people in your school who care about it – you just need to find them. And, if you can’t find them at school, find them at ACLU.

Will you speak loudly in hot water and push it back to this land? I won’t sugarcoat: Yes, probably. But we live in an era where courageous, kind people are desperately needed to continue doing the right things. Please be brave. Everyone should feel safe in school.

Dear, we are teachers.

I am a first-grade middle school teacher and (luckily) I was assigned to the afternoon bus/car pickup service. I thought I should stay until my contract ends at 4:30, but I left last week and my AP told me I should no way If the student is still waiting to ride a bike, please leave. This week alone, I was trapped anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half after school! Is this actually the norm, or am I being taken away?

– Containment

Dear Satke,

No, no! Oh, dear. Translation lost something. Staying until the last child is picked up until one person is a job that belongs to one person: your AP, principal, or – I mean in the best way – some people get much more salary than you.

To be clear, this is the gap in student safety that your school needs to address. If you are not here one day, it sounds like there are a lot of students who will be left unattended on campus.

I will follow up with your principal via email. Say “Hi Ms. Carter, I just wanted to follow up with our conversation about pickup duties the other day. Do you want to make sure I understand that I can leave at the same time as the contract, or should I stay with the students until the last week of the previous week?

Is this a bit passable? certainly. But 1. It leaves room for you to be wrong. Maybe your AFC jumped in and clarified that you misunderstood her expectations. 2. If your AP Once was Trying to unload one of her responsibilities to you (related to student safety), your principal needs to know this. 3. If your Associated Press and the principal both said, “Yes! You will expect more than your contract working hours,” you will now have documentation beyond union representatives.

You have registered for teaching and don’t take a taxi after get off work. Take back your time!

Dear, we are teachers.

I’m going to teach ninth grade biology for three weeks, and when I got into grades this week, I realized I already had 42 missing tasks. Playing football? These are the tasks we do in class! How is the physical condition of the students in front of me still “disappeared” in the grade book? More importantly, what should I do?

– Spread in creatures

Dear Bib,

This is very strange. By the ninth grade, students know that class is required. I’ve never heard of this before!

Ha ha ha ha. just kidding. This is standard (unfortunately).

Here is the fact: they are checking whether they will notice it. And, you need to show them that you noticed it now and they can’t get rid of it.

The most important thing is to review your process. Browse the “submit” look in your room. Is there a trash can? Check-in? Digital confirmation? Make sure the communication process is conveyed so clearly (i.e., written on the board or displayed somewhere), without getting it wrong. Tighten this feature now will save you year-round.

Create a routine. Even ninth graders need system and repetition. Spend a day practicing the “submit routine” just like you practice lab safety.

Then, the next few times you have a class task, When students hand over work to you, check it on the roster. This way, with 15, 10, and 5 minutes left in the classroom, you can remind students who still need to work. (Note: Make sure to be aware of anyone who has extra time in the IEP on your roster to avoid panic.)

If you still have students who don’t go to work after that, Communicate with familyit is best to have documents by email.

Don’t panic – your system just needs to be adjusted. By November, you’ll look back at this and (probably) laugh.

Do you have a burning problem? Send us an email at AskWeareTeachers@weareteachers.com.

Dear, we are teachers.

I teach high school English and I can feel how much energy I have this year. My students are anxious, withdrawn, irritable – some have been open to severe mental health struggles. I will try my best to stay supportive, but I am not a counselor and I don’t want to say the wrong words. At the same time, I can’t ignore it. I can’t teach half of the room to check emotionally. How do I show up in a real way without burning myself, or crossing lines that I shouldn’t be?

– SEL does not cut it