And He Was Such A Good Boy Before The Incident.

I haven't had a good teaching story lately. Yesterday they warned me the children would be amped up on Halloween sugar and little hellions. Instead of going to the school I'm at most of the time (and I become almost a regular teacher with them) I get sent somewhere they don't really know me as I've only been there twice. Subs are nothing but a big target.

Not only that, but they were 8th graders. Every grade is a unique critter. 6th graders are energetic, but impossible to keep on task. 8th graders are rebellious and want to stick it to the man. 7th graders are a mixture of the two. 8th graders act worse than 3rd graders in many ways. They talk, won't sit still, won't stay in their seats, they absolutely don't care about the assignment, they ask stupid questions knowing full well what the answer is. They do it just to be a smartass.

The day teachers weren't allowed to use corporal punishment is the day America went to hell. I think I'm on the 6th level today. Let me explain it to the touchy-feely types: children get stuck on stupid all the time sometimes. Children don't know consequences exist. Getting my fingers whacked with a ruler reminded me of consequences. The pain from my knuckle cleared up my brain of those stupid thoughts. It was such a simple system back then. Those touchy-feely types will counter that children shouldn't live in fear and that hitting them is disrespectful. One: fear can be an excellent motivator and attitude adjuster. Two: by performing the actions that bring disrespect you learn the actions that promote respect. You always learn both sides of the coin. Besides I'm talking about a limited, proportional response not the wholesale slaughter of an entire class except for today.

Anyway two kids decided to resolve their argument the old fashioned way: by beating the crap out each other. One class is leaving as another is entering and greetings of hostility seem normal these days. I'm filling out the paperwork saying one kid did fine in my class just as he throws a punch. Now I'm trying to get between two 8th graders throwing punches as thirty kids want to watch, and I'm trying to get help at the same time. Do you remember that school fights don't end when one walks away? Oh no, out in the hallway was round 2! I'm trying to figure out how to get both into another classroom with a teacher when I lose one of them.

The difference between fights now and when we were in school is they're treated more seriously now. The sheriff had my lost one on concrete by the entrance as I'm trying to draw the blinds shut so my next class doesn't watch.

Since so many parents have abandoned their parental duties they shouldn't complain if I'm forced to shove my loafer up a kid's butt to prevent even bigger problems. I'm sorry sir/madam that you've elected to have no rules in your house, but a classroom has rules and your child learned the hard way that rules shouldn't be broken when I adjusted his attitude for him.

The last time I got involved in a fight the 13 year old was as physically large as me as I'm making sure the orchestra teacher wasn't flattened by accident. I'm a temporary teacher, not a drill instructor trained in unarmed combat. I need a real job soon please.