It seems obvious that he knew the student’s habits — he pointed out two things the student had done that demonstrated so — and was not willing to give a slacker an extra chance to pull up from an F to a D. But I also know Adams’ writing style, which is often sarcastic and humorous and frequently uses paper tiger Everymen to make his point.
It is NEVER a teacher's job to humiliate a student. It is a teacher's job to teach, period. If Kyle did something wrong, it is the teacher's job to explain why it was wrong. The explanation can be done with kindness, or it can be done very sternly. Depends on the situation.
But humiliating "explanations" never work. All they do is make the student confused, then angry. Humiliation is a tactic used by weak teachers.
Please note I'm discussing civilian teachers here, when no crime was involved. And I am not including military instructors. That's a different situation entirely.
And Albion, this rant was not directed at you. It was directed at Adams.