A Louisiana school board member is calling for tougher measures against students who hit teachers. Ricky Pitre, who serves on the Terrebone Parish school board, wants the school board to hold hearings before students expelled for hitting teachers can return to class. Sounds reasonable.
When I was punched by a 4th grader last year, the student was back in his classroom within minutes. When I had the temerity to question her judgement, I was lectured by my AP for being insensitive to the difficult lives of the children in my South Bronx elementary school.
Neither was any action taken against the parent who hit me during our school’s 5th grade “moving up” ceremony several years ago. Of course, in that case, I was clearly out of line and deserved to be smacked. I had, after all, told the woman’s son to tuck in his shirt.
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Please excuse the dual post.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been hit. I took two punches to the face just before clocking in on my first day on the job last year. When I was knocked semi-conscious by a 300 pound gang leader last year, I didn’t bother with a referral. I didn’t see the punch coming. it would have put students in the hot seat to get them to testify. Besides, the kids didn’t know I was out on my feet (after regaining my feet) and I didn’t want them to know.
But we’re not doing the kids any favors by granting them amnesty for assaults on teachers. When a student lost it at graduation last week, he was embarrassing the big wigs (and doing so Downtown where the police don’t allow anything that interferes with the gentrification ambiance). The kid instantly learned a lesson that he’s not in high school anymore.
At the risk of repeating myself, I have two recent memories of the difference between the artificial world of no consequences, and the outside world. I was outnumbered dealing with mothers who were taking command of the mass fight/riot when the special police unit arrived. I’m 240 pounds but they dwarfed me. They instantly pulled out tasers!
Next month, a student was disregarding instructions, as if she was disobeying a teacher, so the cop grabbed her by the throat, arrested her and pulled her out of the gym. The scene was witnessed by hundreds of Black parents who were effusive in their support of the cop.
In both cases I just asked myself, am I nuts or are they? Which is wierder, the world inside the school or the no tolerance approach of the outside.
2 john thompson
Jun 3rd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I meant to comment on the Hit for Teacher post. I also meant to say that I was punched twice before I clocked in during my FIRST day on the job. I blame my bifocals for the mistakes. My students say that my brain has been rattled too many times. If this post passes the moderation step, does that mean you accept my explantion, not my students?