I hope this link still works. Please let me know if it doesn't. A teacher in Nashville was filmed (undoubtedly on a cell-phone camera) essentially losing his cool. The footage starts out where the teacher is trying to regain control of an already-gone class, and the footage ends with the teacher throwing a desk. According to news reports, the tirade escalated to his actually throwing a desk out a window (Hmm. Intentionally damaging state property. Felony?) and being taken from the school in handcuffs.
I can't say I defend this teacher, and I wish the footage continued so we could all see a little more of what unfolded, and how. I'd also like to know how the class got to this point of unruly-ness as the class period went on.
But I also can't say I haven't felt like this before, and certainly can understand how a problematic class can go from sunshine to storms in a millisecond. I have had classes like this, and those classes have certainly and regularly had days like this, and in those instances I've called our school police officer. In fact, in the beginning of the video I'd argue the teacher is actually trying to reason with the students, and perhaps going off the deep end -- at least a little -- in an effort to shock them into listening for at least a half a second. They don't seem to want to do that, and his efforts backfired. But that's my hypothesis, and I don't know that I am right.
As I can see it, the difference between me-in-my-experiences and the gentleman here, is that I called the resource officer and sat down at my desk. (Did I want to quit? Sure. Was the chronic, unpunished behavior a systemic problem big enough for me to not want to come back? Sure. Did I quit? No.)
(Note: There is a not-insignificant difference between thinking to yourself, "I am angry and frustrated enough to throw a desk!" and actually throwing said desk. I have infrequently been the former, and never done the latter.)
This story, sadly, was familiar to me. I never was in a classroom where the teacher threw anything, but I was a part of a class that was well-known for testing teachers' limits.
ReplyDeleteIt started in 5th grade. My class became known for sub cruelty and teacher issues. As I look back, I realize a very high number of teachers either retired or quit after teaching our class and although it is probably not all related to our class, I can't say it wasn't, either.
In 7th and 8th grade we routinely had a band teacher who we pushed to the limit and who would end up yelling and screaming and slamming his office door during class. Sometimes, he would just throw in the towel and leave us there.
In 10th grade we got a new band instructor who was straight out of college and we sensed that weakness. He left after a few outbursts and door slammings. He may have tossed up his sheet music once, but never at a kid.
I guess, what I am trying to say, is that this teacher shouldn't have thrown things and damaged property, but as a student in the classrooms where the kids were intentionally trying to get this kind of reaction, I can see how it got to that point.
I'm not proud of the things our class did, but when you mention a story like this I think it's worth mentioning that some classes intentionally and visciously prey on any weakness they see in a teacher.