[Bronco_Buster_FweetHyagh]

"People are making moves at me like they're going to punch me, then backing off."

That student, and the student's parents, need to go to jail, immediately. Any student who physically threatens a teacher should be beaten like a dog.

[Loyal Buckeye]

I couldn't agree more with this teacher's approach. School administrations are scared to death of lawsuits being brought by parents; it's time to turn the tables and fight fire with fire. The students who want to learn have a right to not have classes disrupted by thugs.

[gore3000]

Shows pretty well what is going on in the schools - the animals are protected, the teachers who try to teach are told they are incompetent.

[stainlessbanner]

Pitone failed to fill out the proper forms to have students removed and that there was no evidence that a fight or threats had even occurred.

1. Red Tape
2. Not supporting the instructor

Any wonder our schools are failing?

[lafroste]

Pitone, who also happens to have a law degree, is a former computer engineer

Yep, that's what a bureacracy does best: beats the noble spirit of service to one's fellows and "giving back to the community" right out of you.

OTOH, this guy strikes me as someone who doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up.

[exit82]

These kids were physically threatening the teacher. The teacher doesn't have to "handle it". There's no excuse for this kind of behavior. The lack of him being backed up shows how worthless most school administrators in an urban setting truly are. They don't want the applecart, or gravy train, to be upset in any way.

This man is correct. He needs to put a video camera in the classroom, and then, when one of these clowns does the threastened punch routine, call the cops and have him arrested.

The problem is, because this man has not been backed up, the kids know they have won, and will escalated the terrorism against this man.

[laredo44]

Ted Kirsch, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said most teachers would "love" to be able to send problem students to the office on the spot.

"It's not reality in an urban setting,"

Ted Kirsh. "Exhibit One" for why urban students' achievement lags behind the rest of the country.

[Mamzelle]

re: Does anyone know where this originated from? )))

I have taught. This possibility has been toyed with before--at least in the minds of teachers with dangerous students and an indifferent admin bureaucracy.

The targets of the suit should be the students and parents, though--suing the school system just dumps on innocent taxpayers.

If a student can be tried as an adult in criminal cases, why not in civil? And upon a defaulted monetary judgement, perhaps an injunction against attending class be enforced instead. Expulsion by lawsuit...?

Incompetent parents regard the school system as a holding tank for their little thugs. Kick the punks out. What's so hard about this?

Students sure don't hesitate to sue the teachers. Turn it around.

[FreedomPoster]

Another advertizement for home schooling and private schools.

[ought-six]

The school administrator said that it is the school's function and purpose to keep students in the classroom. That says it all about our public schools. He basically admitted that public schools exist as babysitting operations, the sole purpose of which is to keep the kids together in one place. That the administrator did not say that the schools' function and purpose is to TEACH the kids, clearly explains the deplorable performance of public education in America today.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

The end result will be that they no longer invite lawyers to participate in this program.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

"We're in the business of trying to keep students in the classroom. We're not in the business of kicking them out. He's a teacher. A teacher is a very, very tough thing to be. You have to be able to manage a lot of children in different stages of development. That's his job," said Wendy Beetlestone, the district's general counsel.

What a maroon.

[Final Authority]

Last year in Raymond NH a teacher got on her cell phone and called the police to report a 19 year old student for criminal threatening. The district and the teacher's union, if my memory is correct, disciplined the teacher and then covered this up.

There is no room for behavior from students that disrupt the mission of learning, anytime in school on the public dime. Clean up the schools and throw out the problem people and get to the job of teaching/learning and the result will be cheaper and better.

[Dallas59]

They should kick these kids out. They made thier choice in the classroom. Let them try to get by on the street with no education. And NO I do not feel ANY sympathy if they get involved with drugs, prostitution, etc. I’m tired of supporting drug habits and other crappy lifestyles with my HARD earned tax dollars no matter what the age of the recipient is OF those tax dollars.

Period.

[dennisw]

Put two video cameras in his class room and eject/expel the trouble makers who prevent others from learning. Why should those with mental problems and drug problems be able to stop the students who want to learn?

If I ran a public school system the first priority would be classroom calm and discipline.

[eborys]

My wife has been teaching for over 20 years at the middle school and high school level. The school system has degenerated beyond belief. Yes, there is little support from administrators… unbelievable rampant incompetence of principals.

She maintains an orderly quiet classroom, at a great emotional strain and drain. On a daily basis she is told by students, "I ain't gonna listen to any fu**ing white bitch"… books and papers are throw on the floor… walking around the room screaming… "You can't touch me"… obscene gestures… etc. Many students won't leave the classroom when instructed to do so… a cop has to take them out in hand cuffs. Virtually without exception offenders are sent back to the class room regardless of the discipline infraction, or left to roam the halls the remainder of the day.

When my wife phones a student's "home" she is immediately accused of being a racist and not liking blacks or hispanics... whatever the circumstance. White parents echo the tried and true, "He said he didn't do that."

There are "students" in middle schools that are 15 and 16 yrs old and have not earned more than 1 or 2 credits. There are students in the high schools that are 20 years old and have earned between 0 and 2 credits.

My wife's current teaching assignment is at a high school that has 6 full time city policemen on duty and 4 "principals". 2000+ students registered, and on parent-teacher conference days about a 100 parents show up. Most of the reading levels are at 3rd grade or less. When the Pledge of Allegiance is recited at the start of the school day most students remain seated.
In this district there are 23 schools on the state watch list due to low achievement scores. No one will talk about the real reasons for this sorry state of education. The solution to all these problems inacted by the school board was changing school day starting times to later in the morning because, "Studies have shown students do better with more sleep."
My wife has tendered her notice of retirement. It appears that in the next two years there will be well be between 600 to 1000 teachers retiring, to which the school superintendent commented, "Good, we'll be getting rid of a lot of high priced salaries."

[Arpege92]

Just a few months ago, a teacher in my community was beaten up by a fourteen year old boy and his mother. Apparently the teacher had sent this young man home due to his bad behavior. As soon as the kid got home and told his mother what happened, she called the school to talk to the teacher. Well, she talked alright! She threatened to come down to the school and kick this teacher's a$$. She carried through with her threat.

Both her and her son beat this poor woman. They actually picked up chairs in the classroom and used them to hit the teacher over her head. Another student who witnessed this attack ran out of the school and called the police. Both mother and son are in the county jail right now waiting to be tried in court.

[mathluv]

"I'm the teacher. They should have another group that handles discipline," he said.

I was with him until I saw this statement. Does he expect the kids to just sit quietly to learn? - not in the real world. Does he expect someone else to sit in his classroom to control the kids? - not in any world.

[Nov3]

Pitone, who also happens to have a law degree, is a former computer engineer who is part of a special program that places professionals from other fields in teaching jobs while they get their teaching certificates.

The NEA will never let this guy teach period. It would be a threat to their dominance.

The gall this guy has - trying to maintain order in a classroom how insensitive!

[jimt]

This type of behavior is commonplace, and tolerated in our government schools. Kids that used to be sent to reform school are now classified as "developmentally diasbled". A little creep so classified can cuss out a teacher, or even become physically violent, with no consequences.

Scummy "parents" make excuses for their progeny, and actively fight any disciplinary measures, no matter how just. In the name of political correctness, the worthless administration educrats set up one roadblock after another to prevent any real discipline from happening.

At my wife's middle school there are three layers of educrats between the teacher and the principal. In a middle school ! You'd think it was a university with all the "deans" and "coordinators" and such they have running around. All highly paid, and all contributing negatively to actual education.

The poor guy in the article came from the real world where people acting like his little creeps got fired and escorted off the property, or arrested. No wonder he can't handle the fantasy world of the educrat.

My prescription for education? Fire 90% of those who aren't classroom teachers, janitors, bus drivers or cooks. Cut the budget 50% - easy, as there are at least 2.8 non-teaching employees for every classroom teacher in HISD. Send any little creep who refuses normal discipline to reform school, like the old days.

Education would improve dramatically.