Teen beats up his teacher in front of the class

NY Post ^ | August 23, 2017 | Tamar Lapin

[nicollo]

Fire the lesser half of teachers and double the pay for the rest who can actually manage a classroom. And if any of them can’t, no tolerance, you’re gone.

(Firing all but one or two of the administrators would help as well...)

[EinNYC]

Fire the lesser half of teachers and double the pay for the rest who can actually manage a classroom.

Obviously you've never taught in an inner city high school. Oh, it's sooo easy to toss simplicities through the air and nod your head, giving yourself an "amen".

Just remember---you are ONE person in a class of 30+ students, very few of which who want to be there. Hardly any of which have any idea of the true reason they are there (to learn something maybe?). And today, hardly any of which have respect for authority figures drilled into them.

Their own parent is afraid of them, so why should teachers expect any respect from them? They literally have no concept, no idea at all, of what civil and/or respective behavior looks like, let alone practice it. You can make requests, requests that seem to outsiders like you to be entirely reasonable and expected in a classroom, such as, "Please take out your notebooks", "Please be quiet", or "Please put away your cell phone". You expect an appropriate response, i.e. your request being followed. Suppose it's not? And suppose any such request is similarly ignored? Now I'm sure someone like you would shout, "That teacher can't manage a classroom!" Could you? With such noncompliant students, who won't do the slightest thing you ask them? Who refuse to put away their cell phones, preferring to spend the class texting, making phone calls, watching movies, or shopping for high dollar sneakers? Who sneak out the door all period? Who take no notes, shrug their shoulders at every request for any answer, and refuse to volunteer to write stuff on the board? Yeah, let's see YOU "manage" a class like that, which is fast becoming a typical public school class in America. Teachers are not allowed to enforce discipline, lest they be accused of corporeal punishment. They are only there as props, and forced to allow students to have at them at will.

[nicollo]

Actually, I did teach at an urban, all-black school in DC for eight years (2004-12) that had all those troubles you listed and with which I dealt with and managed just fine, including having 35 kids in a classroom with 28 seats, 6 periods and 5 preps, and all the troubles with cell phones, attitudes and socialized dysfunctions that you describe. I’ve seen and dealt with it all.

I stand behind my post: shitty teachers need to go.