Since you see the children interact, Lorna, can you tell me what the other kids reaction is to this little boy receiving "special treatment?"

I wonder if some will resent him because they can't get away with the same behavior. The other side of that coin is that some may "heroize" him because he gets away with these actions. (rebels can be worshipped at any age)

You're absolutely right, his behavior will only worsen until a teacher actually clamps down on him. Of course, then the parents will argue that he is a "good boy" and never got in trouble before... so it must be the teacher's fault!

One other thing, is the teacher white?

Well, it's hard to say if the other kids resent this because they're only 6 and 7 years old, and perhaps their perceptions aren't quite as keen as others their age because overall, the academic level is fairly low. The boy is insolent and I feel he knows just what to do to get the attention he craves. The teacher told me she gets NO support from the administration in trying to deal with this problem. She's a veteran teacher with good classroom management but is stymied in trying to deal with this.

And yes, she is white. So is the girl who was told how rude she was and ordered to sit down.

Thanks for your insight Lorna.

It's a sad situation that happens all over. Lack of backing from administration can make the teachers look like they don't care, or aren't willing to do their jobs, to those of us on the outside.

For over five years I've volunteered in schools and have seen extremely little parental involvement in the classroom. To 'make an example' of that little girl in front of the class, calling her 'rude', was in my estimation the wrong thing to do. Either let them both stand or make them both sit down, but not be unfair about it. Parents will never REALLY know what's going on until they take enough interest to be right there in the classroom.

That teacher needs to be special to that little boy! What is the MATTER with you folks!

Doesn't anyone realize we have a budding little Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson, or Louis Farrakhan in our midst? Where will all our future black leaders be if we make this kid conform to basic classroom rules?

Why, he could wind up growing up to be another Martin Luther King Jr.! We wouldn't want African-Americans having *THAT* kind of leader, now, would we?

This boy is certainly special to the teacher. It has made her anticipate with increasing relish the breaking up of school later on this month, when she won't have to deal with his disrespect, insolence and disruptions.

That's exactly what we're saying Jeff. The teacher needs to be special to that little boy, and the little boy needs to respect the rules. The question is, how? Without the backing of the administration... a teacher's efforts are futile.
Do you think Martin Luther King Jr. was an arrogant little monster to his teachers? Manners are manners, regardless of color. I teach my daughter to question authority, not thumb her nose at it. Am I wrong for doing that, for attempting to get her to think for herself and still respect others?

Should the teacher be special "to" that little boy, in his mind? Or, should the teacher be "special" to that little boy, as in preferential treatment for a behavior disorder? Put him on ridlan and in a remedial class if he can't behave, and isn't learning.

I guess every time a kid misbehaves, he's a budding leader? That's a lot of b.s. Son of Sam and Charles Manson weren't model school kids either Jeff! I wish I lived in your rainbows and kittens world!

It never ceases to amaze me how many people there are who don't recognize sarcasm when they see it...

Next time I'll start the post with and end it with . But thanks to those who missed the sarcasm, yet still responded in a thoughtful manner. This is one of the reasons I like this place - folks here are open to honest debate rather than senseless name-calling.

Jeff, at first I wondered if you were serious, especially when you added ML King..if you'd stopped after the other 3, then I would've been sure. But the more I thought about certain words like 'basic classroom rules' the more convinced I was your remarks had an imaginary :-) at the end.

Sorry I missed your sarcasm Jeff. Like I told Lorna in another string, without hearing your tone, or seeing facial expressions, sometimes it's difficult to read the emotions of a blogger. Your right, it seems people here are more than ready to debate, without character assassinations. I like it here too.

Lorna and rross:

No problem. And, after reviewing my post, perhaps the sarcasm would have been clearer if I had written "If he's taught how to act civilized in a civilized society, he might turn out like Martin Luther King Jr.!" (which was my original intent).

Matt! We need an "Edit My Post" feature! *LOL*

Why do you assume that she is giving preferential treatment to the child because of his race? She may be unable to discipline him because he is just an undisciplined child. Why do you assume that all children of African descent are unruly by nature. As an African American and mother of African American children, I take offence to that thought process that permenates our society. The teacher may know of other factors that she by law cannot devulge that has caused her to react this way. By the way, all of the AA leaders that were mentioned are highly regarded in the African American society. We are proud of the efforts that they have done to circumvent the evil that has been done to our people since we were kidnapped and brought here over 400 years ago. The statements on this blog confirms that reconstuction of thoughts are still needed in America.