The situation with the lost jacket is rather disturbing due to the possibility of stealing in the classroom. That conflict could create an atmosphere of distrust among parents, teachers, and students. If the parent is sure that the jacket was lost during the classes, a teacher should take a series of steps to return the item to its owner, find the guilty person, and respond to that misbehavior.
Dr. Ken Shore suggests a variety of measures to be applied. First of all, a teacher could describe the missing thing to students and ask them if they know where the item is. To avoid tension, there should be an area where the guilty student could leave the required item (Shore, n.d.). Another way to solve the problem is to ask students to write if they are responsible for stealing or not and promise to keep the information in secret (Shore, n.d.). A teacher also can tell the students about the consequences of stealing to make them understand that their actions were inappropriate. If a teacher knows who is guilty, the information should stay confidential: only the principal and parents should be aware of the situation. If somebody reveals the information, a teacher should consider further actions to help the guilty student not to be rejected by the classmates (Shore, n.d.).
The case study of the South African Council for Educators introduced a problem when a teacher catches a child red-handed and considers his actions towards the revelation of the stealing. In the first place, they put the application of empathy to find out the reasons for her misbehavior and mutual work on the further solution (South African Council for Educators, 2020). The teacher should obtain a child’s trust, but be firm to explain the consequences. While informing parents, a teacher should stress the incident understanding, not possible punishment that would be in line with the existing school policy. The teacher should explain that the child needs guidance from parents and the problem should be handled without harming the parent-child relationship (South African Council for Educators, 2020). If the stated jacket could not be returned, a teacher should ask the student for a replacement or refund. To prevent the possibility of stealing in the future, it is essential to discourage students from bringing valuable things to school and inform their parents to follow that requirement.
References
Shore, K. (n. d.) Stealing in the Classroom. Education World. Web.
South African Council for Educators. (2020). Handbook for teachers’ rights, responsibilities and safety. Web.