Sticky Situations for Beginning Teachers Think about each situation and how you might handle it!

Situation #1-THE GROCERY STORE You are shopping in a grocery store and pick up a six-pack of beer as your last item. On the way to the check-out counter, one of your students spots you and walks up to say hello. Immediately they begin noticing the contents of your cart. How do you handle this?

Situation #2-PUSHY PARENT You are meeting with a parent who insists that your assignments have not been worth their student’s time. As a result, the student has not turned in any assignments and has a failing grade in your class. The parent demands you change the grade, as they see this as a failure on your part. How do you handle the situation?

Situation #3-LACK of OBSERVATIONS It is March. You have not been observed by an administrator yet. How do you handle the situation?

Situation #4-LEGAL ISSUE You are at a party on a Saturday night and have to much to drink. On the way home you get pulled and receive a DUI. How should you handle the situation?

Situation #5-Extra Cash A current student’s mom calls and asks if you would tutor their child after school. They want to know how much you would charge and where you would like to hold the tutoring sessions. How do you respond?

Situation #6-Texting Troubles You only have a cell phone so you don’t have to pay for a land line. You have given students and parents the number for homework questions. One day you get an inappropriate text message from a student that has sexual innuendos. How do you respond to the situation?

Situation #7-Extra Credit A few students are really struggling in your class. They want to know if you will give anyone in the class who attends the football game on Friday night extra credit. They try to tell you that this will help you boost school spirit. How do you respond?

Situation #8-Confidential Matters At the Fall Festival, a parent comes up to you and asks how things are going in your first year. They want to know how their child is doing for you and in the course of conversation, they start talking about other students who are friends of their child. The question comes, “Isn’t he in the Special Ed program?”, about a friend of their child. How do you respond?

Situation #9-Confidential Matters 2 Two students get in trouble during your class. A parents comes in and demands to know what consequences were given to the other student involved. How do you handle the situation?

Situation #10-My own time Ladies-You have a date on Friday night and want to wear a dress that is fairly revealing. You get to the restaurant and some of your students are there. Gentlemen-You are out with your buddies Friday night, cutting up in a restaurant and you let several cuss words fly, unaware that students are a couple tables away. On Monday, your principal lets you know there were concerns about your behavior. Is he/she right to correct you?

Situation #11-Money A student comes in to pay a fee. You know you are not going to have time to get it to the office before the deadline. How should you handle the situation?

Situation #12- Co-worker Unprofessionalism You are having issues with a co-worker because they are showing up late to work or leaving early and leaving students unattended. In addition, you see that they are consistently not enforcing school rules. How do you handle the situation?

Situation #13-It’s Not Fair Your friend who teaches in another WCS is so excited about the classroom money that their principal gave them to spend. You don’t think it’s fair because your principal hasn’t given you any classroom money. What is the best way to handle the situation?

Situation #14-I didn’t mean to upset them! You get a phone call from an angry parent. Their child has come home in tears because of something you said in a joking manner to them. The child took it in a way you didn’t intend and went home upset. How do you handle the situation?

Situation #15-Facebook Fun #1-Several of your students ask to Friend you on Facebook and then ask in class why you haven’t accepted their request. What do you say? #2-Several of your parents ask to be your Friend on Facebook. Do you or don’t you? #3-You see a few groups criticizing parts of WCS and state educational policies. Do you join or not?