when kids NEVER admit that they did it

[veldayo]

I have 2 boys in my homeroom class in 2nd year high school who committed several pranks and not-so-funny practical jokes on their classmates and teachers. The last one was when they hid the pieces of chalk of their math teacher in an attempt to dissuade him from giving them a seatwork.  The teacher ended up dictating his algebraic problems much to the chagrin of the whole class. We searched their belongings for the chalk only to discover that it was placed behind the bulletin board.
The worse thing about is that they never admitted that they did it when they were questioned about it.  They always denied their involvement saying that they were somewhere else. We only managed to prove that it was really them when their other classmates who witnessed their deed told on them. Otherwise they would never tell the truth. I guess it’s because they are scared of the sanction that they would get if proven guilty. They even got mad when they found out that somebody actually squealed on them although they still don’t know who the person was. I’m not even sure if they felt guilty about what they did.
There had been other misdeeds in the classroom like the chair that was thrown out of the 2nd floor window to the grounds below. It belonged to a classmate that they hated. This time nobody saw them do it and they’re still denying it but I’m almost sure that they were the culprits but I have no proof. 
I am alarmed that they might continue with their misdeeds and become so good at it that can easily get away with them. What should I do?

[Adam Waxler]

Are the students being left alone in the classroom?  They shouldn't be...this can lead to serious legal action...what if someone got hurt?  What if the chair hit someone?

Could you elaborate on the situation so I can get a better understanding of what is going on?

[veldayo]

Our set-up in the Philippine schools is that the students are assigned a homeroom class. It's the teachers that go to the classroom to teach them. The kids mostly stay in the room except some subjects, lunch and other breaks. Although a teacher is present most of the time, it's quite impossible that they be supervised all the time. the chair incident happened after class and it landed on an abandoned lot in an area outside the school premises. Nobody got hurt but the chair got destroyed. I asked each of the students to write to me if theu know something about the incident and if they know who did it. I said that their identity need not be known to the others if they did. Nobody wrote anything substantial.

[Adam Waxler]

Wow...that is much different than in the U.S. We are not allowed to have students unsupervised at any time (although it does happen), but I guess that's what happens in a country filled with lawyers 

Now that I understand the situation better...it sounds like something your administration should be taking over...it could be considered a crime, right? Destruction of private property?

Something like this should not fall on the teacher's shoulders...don't we have enough to do?

[veldayo]

i agree! being a homeroom adviser can take up so much time... especially when the students under your care are too hyperactive and hormone driven.  but i guess, it's really part of the job... you can't really just limit yourself to the actual teaching...
the incident can really be considered a crime... but the problem is the lack of proof and no admission of guilt. no one from the class said anything  suggestive. i'm not sure if the others do know something about it and are just covering up for the people involved or they are really just clueless...
if this case is left hanging just like that, the perpetrators might get encouraged to do more misdeeds 'cause they got away.

[kirkhamsebooks.com]

May I suggest having the whole class write a note on what happened that way individual students are not seen writing a note to the teacher

Rick

[Adam Waxler]

The administration should be interviewing each of the separately...it as amazing how much they will talk when they think they will get in trouble if they don't...they rat in their friends in a heart beat...again, at this point, this should be your adminstration's problem.  We have a deputy on campus, so our deputy would be the one questioning the students and belive me....they're not so tough anymore.

[veldayo]

you're right. what i feel is that the administration passed the buck on me. they asked me to conduct an investigation and i did... but i can only do so up to a certain extent. i mentioned that one of making everybody write what they know in secret. however i feel that the students involved were not threatened at all by that. after all, being a homeroom adviser means that i have a certain rapport and friendship with them which can be at a disadvantage when it comes to investigations of this kind. i told the one of the discipline committee members to be the one to question these boys so that they get intimidated to finally admitting it. sad to say, she told me that since i was told to investigate i had to be the one to question these boys. i think i should insist on it to the others in the committee. yes, the students really get weak in the knees when questioned especially by the principal. one boy admitted to me before that he could deny things in front of other people but would be feel forced to say the truth when it's the principal questioning him.  these boys shouldn't getting away with somethiing big... they might get encourage to make a repeat performance in the future.... well, thanks a lot for the suggestions!

[Francis]

Hiding a teacher's chalk seems to me to be standard schoolboy practice. We did the same sort of thing ourselves and I don't think feeling guilty came into our minds. In fact, I still look back at it with some amusement.

Throwing chairs from a window is entirely different. The main thing is that you have made a fuss. Even if you can't 'nail' these two (and don't forget, you may, just may, be wrong) the whole class will get the message that bad behaviour is followed up. A near escape this time might make them think twice next time.

Do these two near each other? If so, perhaps a little reorganisation fo the seatingplan might help.

Best wishes,

Francis,

the teacher who never got jaded.

www.kaizenteacher.com

[veldayo]

i guess teaching in a co-educational for just 4 years is not enough for me to get to really know "boy" psychology. i haven't encountered chalk-stealing in the 8 years teaching in an exclusive girls school. at least, now i realize that that incident is not so out-of-the-ordinary. it's still bad for the teacher though.
yes, these boys have been near each other. i will change their seating arrangement when they get back from their christmas break. thanks for the suggestion.
thanks a lot for the encouragement, francis!

[tater03]

I know we are not allowed to leave the children in the classroom alone here either. If we step out into the hall we have to be right at the door. I was wondering after reading this how the rest of the school year turned out for you? I liked the idea of having everyone write down what had happened.

[veldayo]

Hi! Things have gotten busy afterwards. There had been major incidents after that. They didn't get punished but I I had to let them know that I knew it was them. They didn't deny it so I guess that's what really happened. I think these boys badly needed attention because they are not receiving much of it at home. One of the boy's parents are on the verge of separating while the other one's with problematic siblings. Giving them attention whenever they feel like talking somehow helped improve behavior for the rest of the schoolyear.
We're now in a different schoolyear. It was sad that the principal did not give me another homeroom class.  She added more hours to my teaching load so I might not have enough time to handle a homeroom class according to her.  I guess it's also because of a different philisophy on how to approach misbehavior. Her style is more of a harder, more aggressive stance on misbehavior .  I do not consent to misbehavior but I prefer to go to the reason for the misbehavior and to have a more personal approach.
Some of these students would still go to me once in a while just to talk and they would say that they prefer to have me as their adviser because I was more approachable. That is not really a gauge that I was effective but at least i know that they don't have any problems opening up to me.

[SageMother]

Somethings to consider.....

Where it might be convenient and desirable to have perpetrators step forward and accept blame, it is a very stupid student who will do so easily unless their spirit has been broken somehow, in my experience.  The drive toward self preservation and the avoidance of pain through loss of freedom or other sanctions will usually deter the normal student, but not the budding sociopath.

Since these boys were already known to never tell the truth, asking them was obviously a waste of time and shouldn't be engaged in again.  Should a witness come forward with information in the future, it may be better to start a conversation with these boys by addressing and assigning the consequences.  Where a prank seems to be on par with something they would cook up, consequences should simply be enforced without their being given the chance to "negotiate".  This may do more to curb further pranks and cruelties, on their part.

Where supplies are an issue it may be best to simply lock chalk and other items these little cherubs find convenient, locked away when not in use.  Solving an immediate problem, or preventing its development, can take the momentum and control out of the equation, and allow lessons to proceed without delay.

Does all of this make sense?

[veldayo]

Yes! Thanks a lot for the insights and suggestions.  Sadly enough, no witnesses with information came forward. If ever there were people who saw them, there was too much peer pressure preventing them from speaking out. But I guess I should have thought that insisting that the "culprits" admit to their action was a waste of time. Preventing and foreseeing untoward behavior is really a good idea. It's not so easy though to predict a thousand things that the students are capable of doing.
I guess even after more than a decade of teaching, one can still encounter new situations that can pose a challenge to your knowledge and experience.  Especially with the new breed of students now, one cannot really just depend on past teaching and classroom management styles. What worked then may not work now.  In a way, that is what is good with the job... one can never stop learning and growing.
Thanks again!

[atula]

Veldayo..I think you really handled the situation pretty well...here in India to the classrom system is same as that in phillipines and I exactly know what you are talking about. In every class there are students like that who might be due to some personal problems behave in an absolutely rude fashion or play some pranks with the student or the class...
I remeber how one of the students in my class stuck some gum on the hair of a girl sitting in front of him and she had to finally cut her hair...
these are sad incidents and although you cannot really punish them directly...you r apporach is truly the right way....