There used to be a time when the teacher would suspend misbehaving students and send them home to face the consequences of their actions with their parents. Society, however, has turned the tables. Teachers can get in trouble from parents for disciplining students.
The Cook County School Board, of Valdosta, Ga. is buzzing after a high school teacher put a 17-year-old in a storage room after classmates told the teacher that the student shot a bird at her behind her back. When Stacy Brown, mother of the 17-year-old, heard of the incident from her daughter, she said the punishment was “un-called for.” She believes the incident only gives students another reason to pick on her child.
The teacher could have given the teen a referral, resulting in two days of in-school suspension. Instead, she showed leniency on her and removed her from the class. Mary Poppins she wasn’t, but, under the circumstances, her behavior was more than fair. An investigation was performed by the Cook County School Board and principal of the school and found the teacher was following proper protocol.
It’s disturbing that schools aren’t being allowed to properly punish students who refuse to abide by a set of established rules. The incident is a prime example of how little power schools have in managing student behavior.
If I had ever tried something like that with a teacher, the threat of punishment from my parents would be enough to deter me. When I was in third grade, I had a problem with talking too much. One day, after being warned numerous times by my teacher to stop talking, my teacher took matters into her own hands. Class was interrupted by a knock at the door, and in came my father. I looked at the teacher in shock and was then escorted by my father into the reading center, where he spanked me for my actions. After he left, let’s just say the teacher never had another problem with me.