Job Discussion Forums

[cheryl]

Hi everyone,

I know I probably should post this in the Japan section since i'm in Japan but I wanted to get as much feedback as possible. Here's my question: In a team teaching situation, have you ever experienced violence in the classroom? Have you seen a teacher hit a student or vice versa? If so, how did you handle it? Did you tell the principles?

[guty]

I should imagine the principles are that violence never pays, couldnt you tell?

[cheryl]

Sorry Guty, I made a typo there...I meant to ask if you told the Principals...not the the principles.

[Gordon]

When I was young and teaching in Korea, I had a young Korean teacher (20 yr old) there who used to hit kids in the arm with a wooden stick if they did something wrong. I used to tell her to stop to no avail. Then one day I had enough, grabbed the stick from her hand and threatened to hit her with it if she did it again. I wouldn't do that now, I'm a little more diplomatic. But it was effective, the teacher-girl never hit the kids again.

[dduck]

I think phsycologists would have a field day with that one. I assume you, Gordon, threatend your young teacher in front of all the students. I might seem that you've solved the problem but you also reinforced the idea that violence solves problems. On the other hand, if we are hierarchical animals then you taught the students that you're the alpha-male and they'd better not mess with you.

I know you said you wouldn't do it again, what exactly would you do if it happened again?

To answer the question, I teach adults - mainly women, so I have absolutely no need for violence in the classroom. I have trouble getting them to stop laughing sometimes.

Iain

[october]

sometimes kids who use violence in the class, see this kind of behavior at home situations first, so under no circumstances do you want to report violent behavior to his parents (not at first anyway), not until you know for sure that it's not from home. I hardly have any violence in my classes, it's just not acceptibale to me, and the kids know it, but since i know the nervous types already, i know when they are about to explode and try to stop the "explosion" before it happens.
BUT a teacher hitting a student???? first of all she would be out flat on her face that same day (fired) and second she would defenetly have a criminal record.
Telling the principal? it depends on the principal. If she has a backbone and the students know this so it will help to tell her about a situation that can be dangerous to teacher and other students.
violence is a tricky business. I would never raise a hand on a student, i hardly ever raise my voice either.

[The Darn]

I saw a news story this morning on cnn.com about a teacher in Morroco that had thrown 2 students out the first floor window. They were talking and she told them to be quiet or she would throw them out, they didn't shut up, so she threw them out. One of the students was injured. They didn't say whether the teacher would be discaplined or not.

[Gordon]

dduck asked me