Job Discussion Forums

kungfuman

Today I walked into a grade 7 class and a student was brandishing a knife. Not a little knife but one with a 6 inch blade.

I told him to give it to me and he did. Put in it my pocket and kept it. At the end of the class the student asked me for it back!

Showed it to the Chinese homeroom (head) teacher but she didn't really seem to care ( this is the worst class of the grade and no one cares about it - most of the boys act like juvenile delinquents and all the fts hate teaching it as do the Chinese teachers).

So I asked around about what the school's policy is for weapons.

The response I got... Policy? Umm what policy?

I hate to start shit with my bosses but I wonder if I need to bring this up.

Take a look at the knife:

[img]http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt242/mikefriend2009/IMG_1694_zpsa4a6343a.jpg[/img]

http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt242/mikefriend2009/IMG_1694_zpsa4a6343a.jpg

Not sure what works here for photos but I uploaded it to photobucket

BleedingBlue · Joined: 22 Oct 2014 Posts: 87

We can, of course, assume you also confiscated the pencils, mechanical pencils, pens, scissors, chopsticks, etc.? No, I thought not.

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Oh, come on T. A half-foot long knife and the other things he listed are apples and oranges. Sure, most anything could be used as a weapon in the right situation ("Guns don't kill people; people kill people!").

With all the school knifing incidents in the past few years, you'd think something like this would be a high priority. Our security has really tightened up since those happened. Sadly, I've also taught those kinds of classes you are describing. Keep us posted if you get any results from this.

kungfuman · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 1:42 pm Post subject:

Listerine · Joined: 15 Jun 2014 Posts: 340

Some of my students have breath that smells like they tossed the salad of a month old corpse. Truly weapons grade mouth reek. I think I'd take my chances with the 6 inch blade rather than an individual speaking test sitting 3 feet from *that*.
Having been said I did do a "show and tell" with my vo-tech kids a couple of years ago, and the creepy one, "Silver Bullet" with the Ted Bundy stare brought along his butterfly knife to show the class. I was already giving his corner of the classroom a wide berth, but after that I barely left my "pulpit" beyond running for the door at bell time.

kungfuman · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:46 pm Post subject:

Another teaching told me today that I would probably get in trouble with the school for taking the knife away

jm21 · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 406

It's a pretty crap looking knife. Maybe find out if it's some sort of family heirloom and if so give it back. Otherwise the kid lost a couple yuan..not that big of a deal. Maybe hold it until the end of the semester or school year?

kungfuman · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 3:18 pm Post subject:

His class went on a field trip and he bought it at the park for maybe 20y

I won't return it

It's not Walking Dead quality at all

Shanghai Noon · Joined: 18 Aug 2013 Posts: 589 Location: Shanghai, China

At my old school I took knives from students. These kids were some of the worst students in Shanghai at one of the worst Gaokao-dodge programs. The issue was reported to the headmaster, but as usual the issue was left to the teachers to sort out. The students never admitted to owning the knives in question, and at the end of my tenure I had quite a collection.

Now I work at one of the best Gaokao-dodge programs in Shanghai with some of the best students. There have been no incidents of weapon possession, but some very stupid behavior. One student received a package full of food items. She took a box-cutter, extended the blade as far as it could go, and tried to saw at the tape. I did not reprimand the student, but I did educate her in proper box-opening methods and equipment discipline Very Happy

asiannationmc · Joined: 13 Aug 2014 Posts: 1342

That knife is illegal in china to carry. Any gesture of attack can earn the person 4 years.

wangdaning · Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 3154

I teach uni, but did have a student a few years ago who carried a similar size knife, straight blade though. I saw he had it a few times. He busted it out one day during class to clean his nails Rolling Eyes

and I just told him to put it away. He never pulled it out in class again.

Interestingly, this student got arrested a few months later for stabbing someone at the road side shaokao near campus Shocked

Funny, cause in one of the classes a few weeks before he had refused to leave when I told him too (no book, no homework). I picked up his things and threw them outside the classroom and told him to go (this is after telling him he needed to go for a few minutes and him refusing). I see him around campus sometimes and he still says hi to me Smile

He is now in the army apparently.

litterascriptor · Joined: 17 Jan 2013 Posts: 360

Is he a game of thrones fan?

kungfuman · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:01 am Post subject:

Today in a different class I took this away from one of the wanna be thugs:

BRASS KNUCKLES.

What's in store for tomorrow = an RPG?

http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt242/mikefriend2009/1471107_10152912119589924_2277450208658783344_n_zps7e1a91ff.jpg

water rat · Joined: 30 Aug 2014 Posts: 1098 Location: North Antarctica

In the shop near my place, a ma & pa grocer's with school supplies because it's just outside the high school, they sell knives and knuckle dusters. Yes, there with the pencil boxes and notepads. Take a stand if you want, but it must be every school in China has such items readily available for sale nearby if they sel them near my school and some of your boys have them. (I likely live hundreds of miles from you).

Benjamin Spock (the American pediatrician, not the Vulcan star fleet officer) gives some advice in his famous book. If you see your kid playing guns, tell him you don't approve of playing with guns, but don't stop him. If you see him at it again, tell him again. If you stop him, he will only do it in secret and keep his activity hidden from you. Every time you see him playing guns, mention your feelings, or just give him a look, but do not forbid him. He may never stop, Dr. Spock warns. However, when he grows up and he sees his boy playing guns, he will say, " I don't like you playing with guns, not even pretend ones."

I doubt your students intend to harm any one with their weapons. They just want to feel powerful. It's a guy thing, right? Have you ever heard of any serious fights at your school, or any school in this country? Chinese people yell at one anther more than Americans, but they are far less likely to come to blows.

jm21 · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 406

I remember being quite proud when I went to boy scouts and I was the only one with a big knife, so I somewhat understand the feeling, but showing off weapons in the classroom is a bit much. Was it on a break or during the class?

Do you have a larger, better weapon available so you can show him that what he has is a crap little boy knife and toy knuckles, while you have a fallkniven double-bladed 14-inch mine clearing knife? Made from aircraft grade steel and laser-honed to perfection? Or something of that nature? Just stab it into his desk and see how he reacts. Put on your best Aussie accent and tell him "now this is a knife!"

Just spit balling. I'm going to teach rich middle school kids next year and the school has already asked me about disciplining spoiled kids with behavior problems.