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.
I wish more teachers were like this.
Some folks rank moralizing above everything that makes God who He is. I would say this holds true for the Christianized Adams.
So I'm on Team Adams, having taught college students myself and having listened to some of the lamest excuses imaginable from slackers. Once in awhile, if the student actually had talent and potential, I went ahead and gave a D, and more than one of those gals then brought their performance up. If others left the program, good riddance and more time and energy available to the motivated students. In colleges, a lot of kids are taking up space on their parent's dime, wasting the opportunity and lowering the tone for the kids who are working two jobs to stay there. I have no patience for hand-holding with those sorts. And as I earlier noted, it sounds like Adams knew exactly what type of student he was dealing with.
It I also the students responsibility to show up to class on time prepared to learn, to find a way to get out of work or avoid responsibility.
Two years ago I taught an AutoCAD class at one of the local colleges. I had a student that showed up 15-20 minutes late 3 classes in a row. He expected me to then repeat my lecture to him on a one on one basis. I did it the first two times. The third time I explained to him that he had exactly two choices. Either show up on time like everyone else, or take his chances because I would no longer provide him with an individual lecture.
He told me he was going to contact he dean. I told him to make sure he spelled my name correctly. I contacted the dean the next morning.
When he contacted her she listened very patiently and then handed him a drop form.
He was never late again.