Well said, a good and thoughtful post!
What bothers me a little are the posts that subtlety put the blame on the teacher. The first of these types is the "Why then doesn't she quit?" variety. The second type is the "If I were there, I'd make those kids behave!" variety.
Both of these types are just not grounded in the reality of the situation. This lady is a victim, period. End of story. Look elsewhere for the culprits, for there are many.
That poor teacher was scared - she felt defeated and was just hoping to keep everything from escalating. She just wanted them to tire of what they were doing and stop themselves. She knew full well if she went all authoritative on them, they’d pull out all the stops. She’s likely just got a little time left to put in and is trying to get out without too much trouble.
That teacher can use this video as supporting evidence for a permanent “disability” claim. If she is still in that classroom, I really have no sympathy for her. The sad truth is that public schools in a sh!t-hole like Chicago exist only to employ people, so the working conditions are a secondary consideration here.