Charter School Teacher's Disturbing Treatment of Students

The pervasive culture of shaming students in some charter schools is deeply concerning and harmful.

### Disturbing Teaching Practices in Charter Schools: A Call for Change
* 😡 A recent video from The New York Times showcases a charter school teacher in New York **harshly reprimanding a first-grade student**, raising concerns about the **treatment of young learners**.
* 📉 Parents express outrage, stating that "**you don't talk to my kid like that**," emphasizing the need for a **supportive learning environment** rather than public humiliation.
* 🎥 The school claims the incident was isolated and that the teacher is typically a "**model teacher**," but an assistant recorded it due to witnessing **repeated occurrences of similar behavior**.
* 📚 Numerous reports indicate a troubling pattern of teachers **shaming students**, with the school's leadership appearing **dismissive of the issue**.
* 👶 With first graders being only six years old, the negative impact of such teaching methods can **discourage learning and trust in educators**.
* 💔 Personal anecdotes from individuals highlight the **long-lasting effects of humiliation** in educational settings, contrasting **healthy competition** with **harmful teaching styles**.
* 📏 Despite the potential for short-term academic results, the overall approach of **instilling fear and stress in students** is deemed **unacceptable**.
* 📝 Former teachers from the Success Academy network reveal a culture where **making students cry** is mistakenly viewed as a **successful teaching strategy**, calling for **urgent reform in educational practices**.

THE NEW YORK TIMES PUBLISHED A DISTURBING VIDEO FEATURING A CHARTER SCHOOL TEACHER IN NEW YORK BREAKING ONE OF HER FIRST GRADE STUDENTS. TAKE A LOOK. THAT'S THE ONE YOU, YOU CUT OR YOU SPLIT? SO COUNT IT AGAIN, MAKING SURE YOU ARE COUNTING CORRECTLY. COUNT. ONE, TWO ñ GO TO THE CALM DOWN CHAIR AND SIT. THERE IS NOTHING THAT INFURIATES ME MORE THAN WHEN YOU DO NOT DO WHAT IS ON YOUR PAPER. SOMEBODY COME OUT AND SHOW ME HOW SHE SHOULD HAVE COUNTED TO GET HER ANSWER THAT WAS ONE AND A SPLIT. SHOW MY FRIENDS AND TO TEACH THEM. THANK YOU. DO NOT GO BACK YOUR SEAT AND SHOW ME ONE THING AND THEN ñ YOU ARE CONFUSING EVERYBODY. VERY UPSET AND VERY DISAPPOINTED.

JESUS. THAT WAS CHARLOTTE DIAL. SHE IS A PART OF THE SO-CALLED SUCCESS ACADEMY, A NETWORK OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS IN THE NEW YORK AREA. THEY ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS, SO THEY ARE DIFFERENT THAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THAT GOT HER A LITTLE BIT OF A PUNISHMENT. SHE GOT REPRIMANDED. LET ME GIVE YOU THE DETAILS. DESPITE THE SCHOOL'S GUIDELINES, WHICH INCLUDED MANDATES TO REFRAIN FROM YELLING AT STUDENTS, USING SARCASTIC TONES, OR GIVING CONSEQUENCES INTENDED TO SHAME CHILDREN, DIAL IT BACK IN THE CLASSROOM AFTER A BRIEF, WEEKLONG SUSPENSION. TEACHING IS NOT EASY, AND I WANT TO GIVE THEM WIDE LEEWAY. I GET FRUSTRATED WITH THE PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT MY KIDS GO TO.

IT IS A LITTLE SOFT ON THEM. I'M LIKE, ALL THE NUMBERS ARE BACKWARDS, LET'S FIX THOSE UP. SO I GET THAT THE TEACHER, BEING DEMANDING, AND I WANT TO PUSH THE KIDS, AND I THINK THIS WAY OF TEACHING IS REALLY DISCONCERTING, BUT MIGHT WORK. I'M NOT SAYING OVERALL, I'M SAYING IN TERMS OF, WILL THEY GET THE NUMBERS RIGHT? IF YOU TREAT THEM WITH THIS AMOUNT OF STRESS THEY MIGHT, THEY MIGHT ALSO CRACK UNDER THAT PRESSURE, THEY ARE FIRST-GRADERS, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT OVERALL. YOU MIGHT GET GOOD RESULTS THEY COULD SHOW ADMINISTRATORS, OR THAT YOU CAN SHOW STATE CONTRACTORS, IF IT IS A CHARTER SCHOOL, BUT WE ALSO CARE ABOUT OTHER THINGS, ESPECIALLY

WHEN THEY ARE FIRST-GRADERS. THEY ARE SIX YEARS OLD. I HAD EXPERIENCES LIKE THAT, NOT IN PUBLIC SCHOOL, BUT I DID GO TO ARMENIAN SCHOOL ON SATURDAYS GROWING UP, AND YOU DO COME ACROSS TEACHERS WHO ARE INCREDIBLE EFFECT AND EMBARRASS STUDENTS LIKE THAT. IT MADE ME NOT WANT TO GO, IT MADE ME NOT WANT TO LEARN ANYTHING, IT DISCOURAGED ME, AND YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT TO STUDENTS. HAVING SOMEONE THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO TRUST HUMILIATING YOU AND YOUR CLASSMATES. EVERYBODY REACTS DIFFERENTLY. FIRST OF ALL, I WENT TO TURKISH SCHOOL FOR ONE DAY AND MY TEACHER KICKS ME OUT, AND NEVER LET ME BACK IN, WHICH I WAS THRILLED WITH.

BUT IN REAL SCHOOL, I REMEMBER MY FIRST GRADE TEACHER SAYING, THESE THREE KIDS ALREADY KNEW HOW TO READ, AND THEY WERE BETTER THAN US, AND MAN, THAT MADE ME MAD. I WAS LIKE, IT IS YOUR JOB TO TEACH US TO READ. BUT FOR ME, IT GOT MY COMPETITIVE DANDER UP, EVEN AT THE AGE OF SIX. I THOUGHT, THOSE THREE? I AM COMING FOR YOU. I HAD THAT EXPERIENCE AS WELL IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE BEST STUDENT, AND THAT BEING A SCIENTIST, MY ENTIRE GRADE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE I WAS TRYING TO DO BETTER THAN HIM. I THINK THAT IS HEALTHY. BUT HAVING THAT SARCASTIC TONE AND BREAKING A STUDENT LIKE THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. THEY ARE SIX-YEAR-OLDS.

IF MY KID IS IN A CLASS, I AM PISSED. YOU DON'T TALK TO MY KID LIKE THAT. I WANT YOU TO BE DEMANDING, BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO RIP UP HIS PAPER AND SHAME HIM IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. THE SCHOOL SAYS IT IS A ONE-TIME THING, AND MAYBE SHE WAS HAVING A BAD DAY. THEY KEEP CALLING HER A MODEL TEACHER, BUT THERE IS A REASON WHY THE ASSISTANT TEACHER TAPED IT. SHE TAPED IT BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE SAW IT HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND SHE COULD NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE. THAT IS NOT THE ONLY STORY COMING OUT OF THIS SCHOOL. THERE ARE A COUNTLESS NUMBER OF STORIES OF COUNTLESS TEACHERS DOING IT, AND THE PERSON IN CHARGE SEEMS SO DISMISSIVE OF IT.

IF I GOT THAT REACTION AS A PARENT, AFTER I SAW THE VIDEO AND MY KID WAS IN THAT CLASS, I WOULD BE FURIOUS. YOU ARE RIGHT, A NUMBER OF FORMER TEACHERS FROM THIS NETWORK OF SCHOOLS DID SPEAK TO THE NICK ñ NEW YORK TIMES. ONE OF THEM WORKED AT THE SUCCESS ACADEMY HARLEM 1, AND THE SUCCESS ACADEMY HARLEM 2. SHE SAID, EMBARRASSING CHILDREN FOR WORK SEEN AS SLIPSHOD WAS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE, AND IN SOME CASES ENCOURAGED BY NETWORK LEADERS. IT IS THIS CULTURE OF, IF YOU HAVE MADE THEM CRY, YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING YOUR POINT ACROSS. THERE IS NO QUESTION, IT IS PERVASIVE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOLS. THE FACT THAT THEY SEEM TO HAVE A CALLOUS REACTION TO IT,

WHATEVER KIDS CRY, IT IS ALMOST LIKE THEY ARE YELLING AT THE PARENTS THE SAME WAY THEY YELLED AT THE STUDENTS. SO, NO, WE CANNOT HAVE IT. THERE IS BEING TOUGH AND THEN THERE'S BEING RIDICULOUS. THIS IS CLEARLY ACROSS THE LINE.

Teacher Caught Berating First Grader (VIDEO)

The Young Turks

Controversy Surrounding Success Academy's Teaching Methods

Charlotte Dial, a teacher at the Success Academy, faced reprimand for violating school guidelines by yelling at students and using sarcastic tones.

Despite a brief suspension, she returned to the classroom, highlighting the challenging nature of teaching.

Former teachers from the network have reported a culture of embarrassing and shaming students, with some leaders encouraging such behavior, leading to a pervasive and callous reaction throughout the schools.

The Impact of Competition in Early Education

The speaker recalls feeling competitive with classmates who already knew how to read, which motivated them to strive for better.

They believe that a demanding teaching style can be disconcerting for young students, but it may also yield good results.

However, the speaker emphasizes the importance of considering the overall well-being of the children, rather than just focusing on academic performance.

A parent is upset about a teacher's harsh treatment of their child, including ripping up papers and shaming students.

The school claims it's a one-time incident, but the assistant teacher's repeated recordings suggest otherwise.

The parent shares their own negative experiences with intimidating teachers, highlighting the lasting impact on students' motivation to learn.

A charter school teacher in New York is criticized for her harsh treatment of a first-grade student, resembling her previous interactions with students.

The teacher's aggressive approach, including yelling and demanding perfection, has raised concerns about crossing the line between being tough and being ridiculous.

The incident has sparked outrage and disappointment, highlighting the need for a more compassionate approach to teaching.