So jonsie,
What do you, or can you, do when a student tells you "shut up"?? Genuinely curious.
I send the student out of class and place a referral on the online referral and then the admin. tells me that don't you know the student has home problems and let's just let it slide because the student didn't know better. However, in the meantime other students think she was allowed to get away with it so why can't I.
I'm wondering about this too. I guess you tell the student to go to the principal's office now and that you will be there immediately after class to meet with the student and principal to determine the appropriate punishment.
The question is, though, what do you do if the student refuses to exit the class? Call security? Laying hands on the student may result in an expensive lawsuit and unemployment.
Pick up the desk -- with them in it -- and throw it 10ft across the room. Then ask the rest of the class, "Anyone ELSE have any smart-aleck remarks they'd like to pop off with?"
NOTE: This technique only works if you teach in a private, Catholic school, AND you're a nun more than 45 years of age. Public school teachers utilizing this technique may achieve less-than-satisfactory results.