Building Bridges Between Home and School Library : What's New - Newest Additions To Our Handpicked Articles and Teacher Resources

7 New Links:

Teacher Safety Teacher Safety - Berkeley Federation of Teachers - by Berkeley Federation of Teachers
Some basic tips from the Berkeley Federation Of Teachers on what to do if you feel threatened by a parent or teacher. new (Views So Far 70 )

Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns- A Bad Idea - by na
School safety expert advises against arming teachers and school staff Arming persons at schools should be left to professional school public safety officials: School Resource Officers (SROs) and school police department officers new (Views So Far 67 )

Tips For Teacher's Safety - by Mickie Mathes
In many situations, teachers are confronted today with situations which were unheard of only a few years ago. The increasing violence in our schools has endangered the lives of many teachers in numerous ways, and very few teacher training programs prepare teachers with the skills necessary for disarming a student who pulls a weapon, or determining when or if to intercede in a violent multi-student confrontation. The guidelines which I suggest should not be thought of as extensive or complete preparation for teachers who are confronted with a weapons violation or a hostage crisis in the classroom. Rather these general guidelines are intended to offer some suggestions for the teacher confronted with violence, or the potential for violence. First and foremost, your most important advantage in any potentially violent situation, is your own best judgement. Using your judgement, and when appropriate, the guidelines below, you may be able to reduce your personal risk, and increase the likelihood that your reactions to potential violence in the classroom will appropriately resolve the situation without harm to anyone. new (Views So Far 70 )

OKC teacher safety put to the test - by Tim Willert
Scary incident where teacher is assaulted: Excerpt-The third-grader punched his teacher so hard it knocked a tooth loose. Reeling from the unexpected blow, Eleanor Goetzinger was holding the boy and trying to bring him to the principal's office at Bodine Elementary School when his 200-pound father showed up. "Let go of my son," he yelled, barreling down a school hallway new (Views So Far 59 )

New study shows safety risks to teachers - Video Report - by Fox
Brief text plus video report: Some newly compiled data from the U.S. Department of Education has shown some startling statistics about teacher safety, nearly a month after the death of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. Experts say the phenomenon of student-on-teacher violence is too often ignored. The report reveals about four percent of public school teachers reported they had been physically attacked, and seven percent say a student had threatened to injure them. "There's some reluctance to think that the teaching profession can be unsafe," said Dr. Dorothy Espelage of the University of Illinois. The educational psychology professor recently headed a national task force on classroom violence directed at teachers. The group found that little has been done to try to understand or prevent such incidents despite the potential implications on teacher retention and student performance, among other things. new (Views So Far 112 )

Teacher Safety - Head Teacher Attacked - by na
A primary school head teacher who was attacked by the father of a pupil has said all staff and students are at risk from stressed parents. Paul Stratford punched Zita McCormick in front of other teachers after his son was suspended from Seven Fields School near Swindon for swearing. He received a nine-month community order at court on Thursday. Education campaigners have condemned the sentence, saying prison should have been considered. The BBC reports that Stratford punched and pushed Mrs McCormick in the foyer of the school following an argument about his eight-year-old son's behaviour on 22 June. (There are a few other links to stories of parents attacking teachers at the bottom of the article.) new (Views So Far 65 )

Focus on defusing: Tips for teachers to manage challenging behaviour - by Maybo
Excellent tips: Stay calm. Make sure the pupil has an escape route. Allow for personal space. Think about your tone of voice - try not to raise it. Empathise and listen to what is being said. Don't talk over Try not to embarrass a pupil or make them lose face in front of others. Don't make it personal - concentrate on the offence not the offender. Make it easy for them to do what you need them to do. Be aware of the school's behaviour policy. new (Views So Far 118 )