Child's afterschool tantrum thwarts officer

St. Petersburg Times ^ | September 17, 2005 | ALEX LEARY and THOMAS C. TOBIN

[squirt-gun]

Again..true about the hard science gap.

Yes the fault for this is a shared one.

I live in a place where there is a terrible shortage of competent teachers in these science fields....math in particular. A retired person and successful lady who worked as a mathmetician for a major corporation and was interested in helping out in the local middle school for no pay was told she didn't meet the teaching criteria....This lady has a masters degree in math from Princeton....The children are being taught by people with no formal education in math.....this isn't ebonics or social studies where education can be faked.

I don't see how America can put this humpty dumpty of a once great public school system together again. Humpty is broken....Hopefully someone can find a way.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

It would be difficult to differentiate between the children and the judges?

[Amelia]

In my state (Georgia), if you have a degree in a subject such as math or science but no educational credentials, you can be provisionally certified to teach, and there is a "shortcut" path to certification.

I know several people who've become teachers this way.

[jwpjr]

Isn't it wonderful how we remember those teachers who were not our favorites at the time, but whose tactics have really stuck with us for over half a century? I kid about Mrs. Link, but she is the one I remember! Along Carol Norton, Mrs. Newell, Mr. Shaughnessey and Mrs. Raulerson. It's hard to believe it's been over fifty years and I still remember those teachers! God bless 'em.

[From many - one.]

There aren't any. It's a school for mentally or physically handicapped kids.

[Amelia]

Actually, the student attended a school for handicapped or mentally ill children, but the afterschool program appears to have been open to all.

That does suggest a pretty good question, actually. I'm not sure about Florida, but where I am, even emotionally disturbed students are served in the regular school environment unless their disability is so severe that they pose a danger to themselves or others.

Perhaps the little girl shouldn't have been in that program to begin with.

[From many - one.]

"...Perhaps the little girl shouldn't have been in that program to begin with...."

That's my thought.

[Ol' Sparky]

What's next? A drug-induced timeout since her parents and school officials can't or won't spank and use physical force to stop this kid of behavior? Or maybe an increased dose of Ritalin?

[spinestein]

[I considered going because I figured that at 100 years old I could probably take her now.]


Now that's funny!

[spinestein]

[I believe that an adult should have picked up the girl wrapped their arms around her and sat her on his/her lap until Daddy arrived. Let her scream until then and from there on she's Daddy's problem. But what do I know, I am just an old Grampa, who has 4 adult children and 12 grand children.]



You know a LOT.

When I was about 12 years old, we went to a thanksgiving dinner at the relatives' house and one of the boys (about 9 years old) was being a monster, running around breaking things and harassing everyone else despite the feeble whining of her mother to get him to stop. The boy's dad didn't seem to notice.

At one point, the boy started to annoy my father (not a smart thing to try on a former army officer, and Vietnam veteran) I guess to see how far he could push this new guy, and my father just picked him up, then turned him around and put him face down on the couch and SAT ON HIM.

The kid got scared and started yelling and squirming, but my dad only laughed as if it were a game and got everyone else in the room to laugh along with it. The boy didn't know what to do because he knew he wasn't being hurt, or even made uncomfortable, only that he couldn't move and that everyone kept laughing as if it were some fun game. The boy's parents looked uncomfortable but didn't say anything, as I assume my dad knew they wouldn't.

After about 10 minutes, the kid stopped hollering and tried the "I'll be good, I promise" thing but my father wouldn't let him up until he could stay still and behave for about 10 more minutes. After he was finally allowed to get up, the boy acted like an angel for the rest of the day.

That lesson has stayed with me, and I've used that same technique on 3 other boys (two of them relatives, and one of them a neighbor) since then. I've noticed that after doing this, the kid really respects you for a long time, because he is shown that some adult is absolutely in charge and the kid is completely powerless.

I know that doing this with a stranger's child, or with children in your care as a teacher is not an option today, but I can't help but think we'd all be better off if it were.

[aumrl]

Most states provide exceptions from the mandatory attendance statutes for severe illness or handicaps. Most schools and states did not accept severely handicapped or mentally ill students until the courts forced them to do so.

There are a number of students for whom the school is essentially a very expensive day care system.
THANK YOU - I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT NEARLY AS WELL!

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Great story.

Parents who do not teach the limits of behavior to a young child are quite likely to someday have to identify the child's body in the morgue.

Human beings are born sinful and selfish and have to be TAUGHT, by loving parents, to behave properly. An undisciplined child will not naturally "swerve" toward the good.

A newborn is inherently focused on himself and must be taught he has a serious responsibility to adhere to family rules and to society's rules.

It is not LOVE to allow a child to maintain complete selfishness throughout childhood. This is a condemnation of a child to a horrible experience in relating to the world where the world will ultimately teach a harsh and perhaps fatal lesson to the undisciplined.

[Porterville]

Kids act this way because they do not have good parents or they have one parent that is exceedingly well at being an A-hole.

The good thing is this child is now recognized as being a member of a family that should be closely scrutinized. If the family is neglectful then the child can be removed.... good. If the child has emotional or chemical imbalances... the kid can be helped.

The cops need to relax. Take the child to another room. Move the child to an office where there is nothing to break.

[spinestein]

Excellent post, 100% correct, and well said.

[Bellows]

Once again a child discipline story get mostly responses advocating spanking. Sorry, but you folks really lack imagination. Corporal punishment is the act of a frustrated adult. If you can't effectively discipline a child without inflicting pain, you just aren't trying very hard.