Hi Lori,
I am sorry you are going through such an uncertain time.
In the ECE profession what you used would be considered physical
violence. You purposely placed your hands on and forced a child to move
from a specific spot without his/her consent.
When disciplining our students we must remember why we are disciplining. Every moment should be a learning opportunity.
Why did you need the child to move?
Could the situation been handled differently?
Could you have moved closer to the child? Instead of he/she sitting next to you, could you have sat next to him?
As a "lead" teacher we set the tone for the classroom. Your assistant probably wasn't reprimanded because you are the one who should be responsible for her actions while in your classroom.
~Teresa,
Student, mom, wife