The Things I Learned From Having a Difficult Class: Documentation

This is the sixth post in my Things I Learned from Having a Difficult Class Series. Today I'm focusing on documentation. In the upcoming weeks I'll discuss communicating with parents and administration and seeing the bigger picture.  How do you manage the necessary evil that is documenting every single thing that you do and say?

Oh. My. Goodness.


Where do I even begin with documentation?


I always heard that you should save everything... because "you just never know". Now that I've had a personal experience with this I can say that this is even more important!


I had a difficult class this past year.. hence this blog series. Without divulging personal information about my students, I can say that I had a SEVERE problem come from what started as a normal student. Not perfect by any means, but worlds away from the problem that eventually blossomed from this situation.


I saved progress reports, report cards, Habits for Success, notes sent from myself to the parent and vice versa, district assessments, work samples, etc. This was just for a "normal" student!


Oh, I had no idea that I would desperately need this information. Once the behaviors became so apparent that they were on everyone at schools' radar, I began taking more drastic measures of documentation.


I really need to stress that what I'm about to describe is not something that can or should be done for every student. This is for only those EXTREME cases where you're pulled out of class for meetings 7 times over the course of 2 months for ONE child. Where the district behavior team comes out multiple times to your classroom for ONE child. Where you have to email administration, and everyone else involved, an account of what happened during the day (every day) for one student. In my opinion, this is a "once in a career" kind of student. At least, I hope that I've done my time and exempt from this again!


Top 5 tips for documentation:
(Well, in addition to saving the things I listed above.)

1. Behavior and academic interventions. Did you move the child to the front of the room? The back? Near positive role models? Write it all down - date initiated, the duration, and the results. Try to do each intervention for at least a week, but preferably longer. Here are some examples of interventions you could try:

• Preferential seating - front of room, back of room, with others and alone, near positive role models, near not so positive role models (give the child an opportunity to be a leader), near teacher, etc. 
• Visual model of reward system - sticker chart, fill buckets (see here), super improvers, etc. 
• Any pull out or push in program for literacy and math
• Small group instruction 
• One on one instruction
• Positive notes home

These are certainly not the only interventions you can try. I had some success with these interventions (even if it was short lived).

2. Journal entry about how the day went. This will be valuable information for meetings regarding the student. You could include:

• positives about this student - if you only focus on the negative they'll think that your biased. 
• negatives - don't gloss over this
• consequences - each time one was given and the result
• interventions tried - academic and behavioral
• your response to outbursts/misbehavior
• the amount of times a misbehavior occurred
• the time of day misbehaviors/outbursts occurred - looking for patterns
• conflicts with peers at recess

This is not easy to do. It is time consuming, but if the child needs help this will be great data and information to present in a meeting. I recommend making a checklist of common behaviors so that you could just put a mark next to the child's name. Also, you may want to carry around a clip board so you can jot something down quickly when it happens. 

3. Parent communication. Even if it is just a copy of what you've sent home. I would save emails, positive notes home, and short notes about phone or in person conversations.


4. Concerns other parents have expressed. While you can't give out information about other students, it is important to note that other parents are concerned about their child's education or safety because of this student. The academic team will need to know that it is noticeable and that in addition to dealing with that child's parent - you are dealing with other parents and their concerns, too.


5. Data with progress toward grade level benchmarks. If no progress is being made and the behavior is affecting the child's education it needs to be noted. Could it be because of a behavior, or is a learning disability causing the behavior? On the other hand, if progress is being made then those interventions should be capitalized on.


P.S. - If you have done everything that you can, and still are worried about any legal ramifications down the line look into a "Refusal to Admit". After months of trying my hardest to get this child the help she needed, and being met with only hostility from higher up, I eventually completed this form. This was not an easy choice, but I had to draw the line at my being responsible for this child when the child ran out of my room, off campus, and out into the neighborhood multiple times. Make sure you take care of yourself!

What other tips do you have regarding documentation? Leave your answers in the comments!




BTW... Check back on Monday 7/11 for something you won't want to miss! I don't want to spoil the surprise... but you definitely want to be in on the fun then!