EXAMINING
Narrative, Challenge Points, Choices and Review

Scene 3 – Insight Informs Action

Janet Peters met with Mr. and Mrs. Foxhall and Mrs. Byron at Eagle School. Trying to put them at ease, Janet began the discussion by asking them several questions about their home life.

They appeared rather uncomfortable with the line of questioning. The Foxhalls reported that they lived on a small farm in a remote area. And, yes, they thought that the isolation resulted in few opportunities for Jay to interact with other children after school. Instead, they said, he typically played by himself, but occasionally spent time with his older brother, Robin.

The Foxhalls said that Robin had displayed behavior similar to Jay's when he was a second grader. Now in the sixth grade, they reluctantly reported that Robin received special education services due to significant emotional and behavioral difficulties. He was a challenge, they admitted. He often skipped school and didn’t come home directly after school.

When asked about Jay's favorite things to do, Mr. and Mrs. Foxhall reported that he enjoyed riding his bike and playing video games. When at home together, Robin and Jay wandered around the farm, the surrounding woods, and the small town nearby to their farm.

The Foxhalls agreed with Mrs. Byron that Jay sometimes had difficulty getting along with other children. Yes, they owned up, he occasionally threw temper tantrums when he didn’t get his own way. However, Jay's parents didn’t want to accept Mrs. Byron and Ms. Peters reports to them about Jay’s aggressive outbursts.

"Jay just doesn't act that way at home!" insisted Mrs. Foxhall. "It's just Jay, Robin and us. It could be that he's not comfortable being around a lot of other children. He's used to a quiet environment."

While Jay's parents appeared to be concerned with his behavior, they didn’t see a pattern developing. Generally speaking, they said, whatever problem the school might be having with Jay was exactly that—the school's problem, not Jay's, nor theirs.

Mr. Foxhall added that as long as Jay was doing OK with his schoolwork, he, James Foxhall, didn’t see any reason to be summoned to school and made to answer personal family questions! As he spoke, James Foxhall became more and more perturbed, and the couple left quickly after it was over.

After the conference ended, Janet Peters and Jeannie Byron sat alone, considering Jay's situation and their options. Janet had learned about a school-wide, student self-discipline program called ‘Cooperative Discipline’ at a conference the previous fall, and she outlined the program’s structure and approach to Jeannie.

The program, she said, involved parent meetings as part of a school-wide initiative to improve children's social skills. Children were encouraged to determine their own consequences for inappropriate behavior. Teachers held class meetings to encourage positive student interaction and help them participate in important classroom decisions.

After considering the details, both Mrs. Byron and Ms. Peters thought that the Cooperative Discipline program might help involve Jay's parents in addressing their son's behavioral problems both at school and at home. Additionally, Ms. Peters knew that Dr. Rogers was fond of the program. After last autumn’s conference, Janet had introduced Elaine to the idea.

And, since there had been a greater number of behavior outbursts from students in the cafeteria, Janet Peters saw this as an opportune time to re-acquaint Dr. Rogers with the Cooperative Discipline program.