Get ready to call all your childhood teachers and congratulate them on escaping the field unscathed. Because we've had a lot of crazy news about teachers who may or may not have been doing something totally up and up lately. But what you're about to read proves schools are no longer being run by educators. They've got the parents . . . and the kids in charge.
A high school teacher in California has been suspended from his job because he . . . wait for it . . . rattled a table to get his students' attention. Full on shook that baby! It startled an eighth grade student, so the teen decided to call 911 (on a cell phone that I'm going to bet she shouldn't have had in math class anyway).
Now the teacher is on administrative leave. Because a spoiled brat couldn't believe that she should have to pay attention in math class. That's the reason folks. In fact, an administrator told the press that they only reason he's been suspended is because the police were called . . . by that bratty teenager. And the cops said no one in the class was bothered except that student.
So who is in charge here? Not the teacher. Not the administrator.
I wish I could call my ninth grade history teacher. He'd love to know that the day he saw my book cover in tatters, walked over, ripped it off and asked me "now will you get a new book cover?" should have landed him in hot water. Of course when I went home I didn't even tell my parents because I knew what would happen. They would hand me a paper bag and say, "Go make yourself a new book cover."
And then there's the teacher who caught my friend Andrew sleeping, just zonked out on the desk, right in front of his podium. Mr. S. tried to just call his name. Nothing. So he (gasp) rattled the podium. Again, nothing more than a big gust of air out of Andrew's open mouth. So Mr. S. grabbed a giant book (probably the dictionary) and dropped it, right on the ground, right between our desks. Oh, Andrew was startled alright. He sat up, turned bright red, and paid attention for the rest of class.
I'd put both of those teachers from my high school on par with the guy in California. So what's the difference? Andrew and I knew we screwed up. We knew our parents would know we screwed up. And we knew that we weren't going to get any sympathy from anyone for screwing up.
Children and parents are both part of the educational process, and important parts. But if they can't follow the basic rules (no cell phones in math class?), there needs to be someone left to reign things in. That means teachers, and it means administrators who will back up their teachers.
Who should be suspended here? The teacher? Or the teenager who called 911 for a desk rattling?
Image via mecredis/Flickr