All information pertaining to a student (and family), whether shared directly with you or overheard, is confidential, however certain situations must be reported such as neglect or abuse. Keeping this in mind discuss one of the activities from the text and it's implications if confidentiality is not maintained.
Respond to two other people.
Activity 1: The Teachers' Lounge is a situation that is easy to fall into if you are not careful. Well-meaning teachers or staff are sometimes concerned about what is going on with the student will ask a para or teacher about the situation in the teacher's lounge, office, hallway, etc. Well-meaning staff often will divulge personal information about a student not realizing it is confidential information because it is not something written on the IEP or doesn't have to do with academics. However, it should be considered confidential and in the small communities we live in, it's very easy for the parents or families to find out that they are being talked about at school. It is best to just keep the information to yourself and say, "I don't know" or "I can't say".
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about just listening to others talk and not saying anything was breaking confidentiality. But I can see where just being in the situation where they are talking about a student does make you part of the conversation whether you say anything or not.
Another place that information tends to be shared is with the custodian. I have one that asks alot of questions about one of my students. Her intentions aren't bad, but still...I have pretty generic comments that don't divulge information but it would be really easy for a para to get sucked in to that conversation without even realizing it.
DeleteI have been in situation before except they did't ask me about the kid, just talked. I have to admit, I was young and new and just said that I shouldn't be in there at that time and left. Now we have no teachers lounge and we raraely eat with anyone else.
DeleteLarrilee,
ReplyDeleteI love those teachers who truly keep things under their hat. We don't even have a group in the lounge anymore. It was too negative and thank goodness I can eat alone now in my room or in the lounge with someone who doesn't talk about kids. Stay away from those kind.
I know that my paras face the second activity all the time. It is even more difficult for them because often they grew up in this little town and do know everyone. It is something we preach, but I know that it is hard. I would like to take this chapter and copy and give it as the lesson next Monday at our meeting time. I was very impressed on its presentation.
ReplyDeleteI too have the issues. I usually would try and change things to a positive about something on the playground or in the paper or ballgame. Or I would chew and not talk. I know I had to chew to keep my mouth quiet. Now I see that isn't helping the situation.
I use to eat in lunchroom, but now almost no one does, so it solves itself. I do think I have to do a better job in this. It is always a danger
I think it would be great to share this with paras. It just helps to be reminded every now and then.
DeleteI'm more of a "keep quiet" person than someone who actually points out that people are breaking confidentiality. I probably need to get better at that.
Great idea to share with paras. Mine have been with me a while and do an AWESOME job of keeping things confidential, but a review wouldn't hurt. I was thinking what a great resource for when you have subs or new paras.
DeleteOur teacher’s lounge has a different group of teachers this year. Unfortunately, the conversations are not always constructive. I was just visiting with my para about eating lunch in our room. However, getting out of our room can be refreshing. Sometimes I seem to suffer from burn-out if I don’t get out of the room for a breath of fresh air. I am happy to hear that some people at the high school level tend to talk more about interests and such. I really feel that being a hermit can disconnect you from teachers and can send a signal that you do not care to create relationships. However, the hermit approach is more favorable than breaking confidentiality.
DeleteMy paras have run into this situation, but at the store. The way she said she handeled it was to say, "I don't know, you'll have to ask the teacher." I liked her response.
DeleteActivity2- in the community. I often have a Spanish-speaking para talk to a student's mother out front after school to let her know that he needs to bring this or that or even one time, his lunch box disappeared (which was later found by the way; another student had actually taken it). In the community, parents could likely ask paras things about their child at the grocery store or wherever, but I try to take care of everything here at school so they shouldn't need to ask. Even little things that may seem no big deal to us but may be a small concern for a parent, I will call home or have Spanish para call home to let them know what's going on so they would have no question as to what happened... Maybe a crying fit at recess because he barely bumped his head on the big toy for example, I may call the parent and tell them what happened because I have one student who may cry and whine all day because of it and unless I let that parent know from school, the parent may never know what he's still sobbing about at 6:00. If a para was stuck in a grocery-store situation and broke confidentiality, that would be grounds for dismissal. Also the parent may think, geez, if the para is talking so freely about my child, then is she telling the whole rest of the world all about him too? Is my child safe there at school? Maybe I should homeschool him or move & switch schools and he'd be safer because then those people aren't spreading stuff around about my kid all the time!
ReplyDeleteI think the same about teachers. I do eat with the 5th grade teachers at lunch and listen to them complain about students and parents a lot (not students on IEP's, but other students), and I am sitting there thinking, "What are they going to be saying about me and my son when he becomes a 5th grader?"
DeleteThankfully, he is a very good student and pretty responsible, but he does make mistakes and I'm sure I do as a parent at times, also.
In the small towns we live in (most of us anyway) I do think those little conversations happen in the grocery store, at the games, etc. I agree with Ginger, though...if I ever find out it is happening with one of my paras, they will be dismissed!!
Dot,
ReplyDeleteI love the chew, don't talk strategy...it's not too bad for me cuz I teach in one town and live in another so I don't actually run into my parents in the community
Activity 1: Our school, like most, has district paras and high plains paras. I have heard a lot of conversation between paras about students and teachers that is inappropriate and unprofessional. I have not heard it from my own paras though. As far as the lounge goes, it is definitely a place where teachers like to vent. When I am asked about a student or their family, I just say I don't really know and that usually takes care of it. I think that is the best advice for paras, especially when it is more of a gossip conversation than academic. When it is academic, they need to remind others that they cannot discuss it, then refer them to me.
ReplyDeleteWow! I can see both activities happening in our town. I have had both of these activities happen. I have had really good paras and how they handled the situation. The first situation about the workroom happened to my para at the beginning of the year. She was eating lunch one day when teachers came in sat down(which got a little crowded) and started talking. When she got up to leave the teachers told her she didn't have to leave. She replied back to them that I am leaving because I choose not to listen to you talk about something that is none of your business as well as mine. After that there has not been much conversation in the workroom about students anymore. As a teacher I talk with only the people that it involves and when other teachers come around I quit talking. when asked i use the simple reply of I really don't know.
ReplyDeleteThese are scenarios that happen so often in small towns where a lot of people are related to one another. I admire all of your strategies for maintaining confidentiality from the "chew" don't talk strategy to the "I really don't know" response to the avoidance of the teacher's lounge. As a teacher, I have been in both scenarios and have responded in each of the ways you all have mentioned. I taught in the elementary school for 17 years and it seemed much worse there than at the high school level where I taught for 3 years. It was such a refreshing change to eat lunch in the high school teacher's lounge where the conversation rarely turned to students than it was at the grade school where those of us who were "non-gossipers" just went home for lunch, even though it was only 20 minutes!;) If confidentiality is not maintained the one doing the "gossiping" loses their professionalism.
ReplyDeleteAmber,
DeleteI really like how you have commented that the one doing the "gossiping" loses their professionalism. I think in our elementary school we have many teachers that have lost their professionalism due to "gossiping" in the teachr's lounge. There are many advantages to living in a different town than you teach in.
Activity 2: Several years ago a para followed a student to the middle school, this is not all that uncommon, the student had a specific disability and the para was more for continuity on the students' part and support on my part. However due to circumstances at the elementary school this para did the majority of communicating with the parents. This was an established routine and they had a good relationship. When both the student and the para came to Kelpey one of the first things we did was to re-establish the appropriate communication system and the para would no longer be communicating with the parents regarding the specifics of what was going on at school that communication would go through me, the TOR, to the parents. This caused alot of problems, it was a difficult cycle to break. Neither the para or parents did not want to change the communication cycle at first. HPEC and my administration at school were pretty adamant about sticking to the confidentiality rules. The para did understand but it put her in a hard place because the parents really did not want to communicate with me and kept asking her questions every time they saw her. The key is not to let this type of communication begin in the first place. My para's know what they can say to parents and what they can not. They tell the parents they really do not know and to call me. This gets tricky when you have a translator because they will know more about situations than usual. I can trust my para that also translates for me, that is a wonderful thing to have!!
ReplyDeleteHaving paras do translation is a tricky situation. Trust and training are big factors. Having a para who understands the system and confidentiality rules is invaluable. We really expect a lot of professionalism from people who generally have little training. I understand that two hours of confidentiality training is provided as soon as a para is hired and begins work. However, as some of you mentioned … this chapter would be a wonder resource , as well.
DeleteCarol, I have to agree with your comment that "the key is not to let this type of communication begin in the first place," but hind-sight is twenty-twenty. Hopefully others will learn from this experience. However, it is important to remember that the Hispanic culture respects teachers so much so that they are more comfortable speaking in their native language through an interpreter. It is good that you were able to break this cycle. I agree with Deb, that "we expect a lot of professionalism from people who generally have little training," but it is our job as professionals to train them. Perhaps, you all will be able to use these activities as trainings for your paras. I plan to use some of the resources in this book for para training at August in-service.
DeleteCarol,
DeleteI think you are correct about paras who do the translating know more about the situation than you do. Sometimes I have wondered if the para translating has offered more information than I have wanted due to that. I have wondered this sue to the reaction from the parents.
Amber,
I like the idea about using these activities for training for our paras too! Could this be used for inservice points for them?
The first thing I think of in regards to abuse and neglect is an obvious physical sign. However, what constitutes neglect? One time the school nurse distributed a document on abuse and neglect to teachers. I cannot put my finger on exactly where I placed the document for a reread. I do remember being very informative. As a special education teacher there have been times that the manner in which parents of children with special needs care for and supervise their children can be questionable. For that matter, several choices parents of regular education children make appear to be possible neglect. One example I am thinking about was when a child rode their bicycle to a night time program in the winter with no coat and dodged between cars in the dark. I did not witness the event. Apparently, teachers and community members did witness the incident. Would that be an example of neglect?
ReplyDeleteDeb - According to Kansas Social Services:
ReplyDeletePhysical Neglect: any act or omission by a parent, guardian or person responsible for the care of a child
resulting in harm to a child or presenting a likelihood of harm and the acts or omissions are not due solely
to the lack of financial means of a child’s parent or other custodian. (KAR 30-46-10)
Lack of Supervision: any act or omission resulting in harm to a child or presenting a likelihood of harm and
the act or omission are not due solely to the lack of financial means of a child’s parent or other custodian.
This term may include the following: failure to provide adequate supervision of a child. (KAR 30-46-10)
The teachers' lounge - sometimes when I sit and listen to teachers discuss students, parents, and others in our school, I wonder what they say about me when I'm not there. :S Also, our teachers' lounge is located in the back of the office, so if someone walks into the office, a parent, student, or student aid, etc, they may be able to hear what is being said in the lounge. Confidentiality should be stressed more, not only for Students in special ed. Sometimes I think it can be hard for TORs and paras to stand up to co-workers and remind them about confidentiality. It can be a touchy subject. I think it is especially hard for others to remember the rules of confidentiality when we live in small communities where everyone knows each other. It's very important that we remind others about confidentiality, especially when situations like this occur. It's part of our job as professionals. After all, we wouldn't like it if our bankers and doctors spread our private matters around town.
ReplyDeleteActivity 2 is a pretty common occurance. I also agree with Dot, it seems to happen more in smaller towns. When it happens (almost always at Wal-Mart), I have told my paras to give a generic response, "He's a good kid." I go over the confidentiality clause every August even though I've had the same paras for several years. I also try to explain that even if a parent is persistent with questions, they can still get fired. It's best to be generic. My paras report trying to avoid the one parent that seems to ask the most often. I think having them shred everything with a kids name kinda gets the point across too. I will be using this book, and chapter 4, next August for training.
ReplyDeleteThe question I run into the most seems to be "did you ever have so and so?" I am pretty honest and tell them "I don't identify my kids because #1 it's against the law and #2 parent's don't like their kids talked about in public." This will usually end that conversation.