New teachers in rough schools always get the advice to not write principal referrals. The advice is well-meaning but new teachers commonly misconstrue the advice. Many new teachers just elect to NEVER write referrals. Some teachers, even veterans, write too many. Principals don't want to tell when exactly to write them because they fear we will write even more! This post is my best attempt to tell you when it is appropriate to refer your students to the principal. This is based only on my experience with 2 schools in my school district.
Breaking the law: If a student skips your class or leaves your class, call the parent and on the second infraction write the referral. This also applies to verbal assault. If a student says %$@# you, then write it up. However, in this district, we tolerate %$#@ this, man! Obviously, if they threaten harm to you or fight then you need to write one.
Disrespect to school personnel: If a student is in defiance of your authority and you might want to write a referral, especially if it is ruining his/her education or that of the rest of the class. If a student refuses to do their work in your class, call the parent, tell his or her coach, have a hallway conference, tell his/her counselor, document ALL of that and THEN write a referral. No Child Left Behind means we cannot let a student sit there and fail. We have to make him/her do the work!
Good cop/Bad cop: Sometimes you get nasty in the room and you can't back down. Sometimes you need help; you need a principal or a counselor to talk to the student in a friendly, supporting demeanor that you simply don't have time to do during class. In cases like these, the principal will simply talk to them but not punish them in any way. Do not get mad at principals for doing this. You dealt with the problem and made an example of him. You won; move on!
When not to write a referral: Here are some quotes I've seen on referrals written over the years. Julio came in with a really bad attitude. She was disrespectful. He did not have a pencil or paper. She had an IPod in her pocket.
In summary, you write a referral to 1. make an example of someone with the intention of getting them in some kind of trouble. 2. to document an issue that could cause problems (like or refusal to do work).
