Interview with Second Grade Students

I interviewed two second grade girls to hear their thoughts on the safe seat.

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Do you remember how I am still studying about how to be a teacher? I want to learn more about the safe seat, so I wanted to ask you questions to learn what students think about it.

A: When you are sitting at the safe seat, you have to think about what you did that was wrong.

C: It doesn’t mean that you are in trouble. It means you need to calm down because you were being silly and not doing what you were supposed to. Sometimes people cry because they think they are in trouble.

A: But you’re not!

C: You can go there so that nobody distracts you.

The girls told me about three different safe seats in their classroom - two skinny tables in the room and one right outside of the room in the hallway.

Have you ever been to the safe seat?

A: Just once

C: Twice because I was talking when I was doing a test and because I was playing around with someone and giggling.

Do you ever go there by yourself? A: Yeah so that others won’t distract me.

C: Once I was there because Student E was bugging me so I was distracted so I went there and I got complimented by Mrs. Z.

How do you feel when Mrs. Z send you there? C: Kinda sad. (C was called to leave for dismissal at this point)

A: Mad and sad.

Why?

A: Sad because it wasn’t my fault because people are talking to me but Mrs. Z thought that it was me.