Authority at school

Gilda is a very fuzzy 13 year old Mauritanian girl with a fiery temper whose difficult behaviour is sometimes difficult to control in the classroom like in the playground. Her teachers have already given her several warnings for lateness, provoking people and insults.

She is going through difficult times: the boy she was in love with prefers another girl in the class. With the accessory of her friends, she violently attacks this girl in a corridor of the secondary school before a supervisor jumps in. This incident leads to a disciplinary board, after which she is summoned with her parents.

When they meet the educational team, the parents recognise that they out of their depth with the behaviour of their daughter. They ask the teachers to severely punish her, including with corporal punishment.

What can the parents do to find an appropriate response to the behaviour of their daughter?

The French State forbids all violent punishment of children, at school or at home.

An educational sanction should normally allow the pupil to understand the consequences of their acts and give them to opportunity to positively evolve their attitude. It is generally the case for “accountability measures” that require the pupil to perform community hours outside of class hours.

If the parents have difficulties with the behaviour of their child, they can also contact the Listening, Support and Accompanying Network for Parents (REAAP - Réseaux d’écoute, d'appui et d'accompagnement des parents) https://www.caf.fr/allocataires/caf-de-la-mayenne/offre-de-service/vie-personnelle/parentalite. These networks gather parents, volunteers and professionals and help the parents to define a structural framework for their child to help them grow and be fulfill themselves.