The STOP room
I feel that the STOP room is very beneficial to the students when it is used appropriately. How can you decide if they are wanting to go for a legitimate reason or simply to get out of class? I have a very small Science class of only 3 students and we usually always do all assignments together as a group and help each other out. However, today one of my students asked to go to STOP while I was reading a test outloud to them and taking my time so that everyone was able to follow. There was no loudness, no unusual distractions , or stress related activities going on in the room. According to the guidence counselor and 6th grade SPED teachers this student has completely turned around because the last two years he has done nothing in class but put his head down when he was even at school; however, in my class and the other 7th grade SPED teacher's class he is awake for the most part and will participate in activities! Anyway, he asked to go to STOP right in the middle of the test. I asked him why and he said because it was too loud and confusing for him. So I let him go.
My problem is that last year many of our 7th grade students asked to go to STOP for what seemed to be only to get out of our class and to go and spend time with a teacher that they had the year before who just so happened to be manning the STOP room. Many students would try to go into STOP during this period and at times the room seemed to be a madhouse, with around 5-6 students in there at a time doing whatever they wanted to be doing. I just don't think that it was the best situation for the students. It just so happened that the same teacher was in there today and when the student returned to class mentioned how much he missed that teacher.
I guess I feel that some of the students are taking advantage of the program and "use" it to get out of situations that they just would rather not be in. Is that bad of me to think this? Don't get me wrong I honestly do think that some students need this room and I have seen students who have needed this room. But when and where can we draw the line? Is it ok for me as a teacher to say to a student that I don't think that you need to go to STOP right now, lets talk about it; if it wasn't on their IEP?
Ramona
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3 comments:
I don't have experience in teaching middle or high school, and I'm not familiar with the stop room. However, from your description, it seems like it is a place where a student can go to relieve some anxiety. There will probably always be a percentage of students who will take advantage of a situation. However, if 95% of the students use the room properly, target the 5% who may be abusing the priviledge. Make some modifications to the rules for stop room usage. You mentionsed that last year, "5-6 students at a time were in the stop room doing whatever they wanted to be doing." More structure seems to be needed, e.g., a student would have to fill out a questionnaire or a survey discussing why they needed to come to the stop room. This would also provide documentation to use for IEP meetings, parent conferences, etc. Students might think twice before going to the stop room--it might eliminate or reduce some of the nonsense. Pam Gresham
I've also wondered if some students use STOP as a way out of class when they don't need to. I always ask the student his or her reason for wanting to go. Sometimes it doesn't seem necessary, but I always let them go when they ask. If it's in his or her IEP, I think we have to let them go. But if it's not in the IEP, I'm not sure it's mandatory that they be allowed to go. And it seems that when a student really seems to need the STOP room, he or she doesn't want to go...I'm still trying to figure that one out.
-Casey
I've had the same issue with students wanting to go to the stop room just to get out of class. I try to discourage them if I don't think they need to go, especially if it isn't in their IEP. Now those same students want to go see their 7th grade teachers. Sometimes if they go for just a couple of minutes they are able to come back to class and get back on task.
Gae Noble
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