Baltimore teachers, including Jolita Berry, claim they are under attack by their students and the school system does nothing to stop it.
When I see videos and read stores like these I just think there HAS to be something done to bring values back into our society.
(CNN) — Two teachers at a Baltimore, Maryland, high school say they were attacked by students, and one says such assaults are commonplace, according to CNN affiliate WBAL.
The school district says it is investigating and will take appropriate action, but both art teacher Jolita Berry and English teacher Marc Standish say the administration has failed to protect and support them.
“I looked over, and her friends were cheering her on. And before I knew it, she hit me in the face,” Berry told WBAL after cell-phone video depicting what she said was a student beating her last Friday appeared on the social networking Web site MySpace.com.
This particular incident happened at Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore. Unfortunately, its not isolated to that one area.
Jolita Berry goes on to talk about how frustrating it is to her that she can’t teach her students. She says that no place of learning should be that violent. She’s absolutely right.
At some point, some time down the road, we are going to have to come back to old fashioned ideas like ‘honor’, ‘integrity’, ‘honesty’. Meanwhile, our society is going down the toilet.
These kids actually get rewarded for this behavior. They videotape it, put it on YouTube or MySpace and get a lot of fans. The more outrageous their behavior, the more attention they get. They might even get to be on Oprah or some other television show and get to be really famous. There are NO consequences for bad behavior that really matter to these people!!
The last few decades seem to have been more about entitlements and not ever expecting anyone to suffer the consequences of their own behavior. We avoid testing so that students don’t feel bad if they aren’t as successful as another kid in their classroom. We avoid scores in sports because we want all the kids to be exactly equal in all things. The problem is that holds back kids who DO excel and doesn’t challenge anyone to try harder or do better. It also excuses VERY bad behavior.
Time to start having consequences for behavior. And consequences that actually MEAN something. If it doesn’t hurt there is no motivation to change. I have to live by the rules, you should too.
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Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, Maggie’s Notebook, Adam’s Blog, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, Adeline and Hazel, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Allie is Wired, Nuke Gingrich, McCain Blogs, Woman Honor Thyself, A Newt One- Coverage of Vets on the hill!, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Celebrity Smack, A Newt One, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Recent history offers us Columbine, Virginia Tech, and now this. Is there any reason left why Teachers shouldn’t be armed? The behavior of students indicate that violence is escalating, and there will soon be another tragedy if left unchecked.
The question to ask is ‘would this have happened it the teacher was carrying a concealed weapon’? Even the stupidest kids understand firepower.
‘King of Battle’ still reigns…
The Redleg Soldiers of Howitzer Battery are busy at work in Iraq. They use their cannons for 2 reasons: Indirect fire up to 30k away or illuminating the enemy. They have a very proud tradition, and they carry it out well……
I honestly think nothing will get done until the Teacher’s Unions change their focus, (and curriculum).
We certainly know we cannot count on many parents.
Maggie
Maggie’s Notebook
Maggie, That is so sad to me. I think its the parents that need to take control of their children. Its sad to me that so many leave it up to the school system, and later to the judicial system to control them.
JOLITA BERRY: SHE HAS LIBERALISM TO THANK…
You can’t discipline kids in school anymore… this is what you get.
You can’t discipline kids at home anymore… this is what you get.
Children have access to the courts to use as a weapon against adults… this is what …
There needs to be a twist on the compulsory attendance laws. Violent kids are denying other students a quality education and basic safety. If kids can’t behave decently, then out they should go. Why should the State and taxpayers pay for wasted education for perpetual violent offenders? If certain kids don’t want to be there, then they aren’t going to do the work anyway and constantly disrupt students and staff. School becomes a bodywatcher for them - nothing more. Other countries don’t have compulsory attendance laws past a certain age and they have no where near the problems we do in America. The kids there know they’ll either fly right and work or they can look forward to a life of menial labor - like toilet cleaning or burger flipping. We don’t need illegal immigrants to do unwanted jobs. We have plenty of kids with no desire or will to do anything with their lives that can fill that void. Change requirements from required attendance to required work and civil obedience. There is an absurd sense of entitlement in America today and it needs to be nipped in the bud. People need to be responsible for their own actions and they need to be taught it from childhood. Nothing is free. Nothing is working for school violence. It’s time for tough love and zero tolerance — for real
Olympic Protesters Need History Lesson…
If you need proof that many people who go out to protest whatever they are protesting on any given week, don’t really understand what it is they are protesting, then please, just read the above sign.
I have long believed that protesters who take…
wow, Ms. Berry i am so proud of you for bring this issue into the spot light. As a baltimroe city elementary school teacher presently, I had a very similr incident occur during school hours as well. I will leave my name anonymous for now, but in January I was hit with a chair in my head by a 2nd grade studnet. The administration repsonded in the very same manner as yours. The minnimized the serverety and made it seen like I was trying to get out of working. I have a masters degree in educatiuon and 2 years experience in the field., My passion is in teaching but I was resentful after this incident. I made the decesion to go the hospital (i drive myself) where I was diagnosed wiht a concusion. The studnet was not removed from the class immediately, I was asked to continue teaching until a sub was found and come to find out the studnet was only suspended for 3 days. This is less time then the doctor’s had me off for my injury. MY union reperesentative ignored my phone calls nad was of absolutey no help. He gave me the “all you want is time off” attitude and directed me to workman’s comp for furthur help. I was infuriated wiht the lack of support and saught an attorney, but never followed through. I am so proud that you followed through and will change the unbelievableable state of our Baltimore city schools. It breaks my heart to see those that really want to learn turn to violence in the school, because they must defend themselves and its appears to be the acceptable thing to do.
Gee whiz H.S.
You’re just pretending to be a school teacher, right? Baltimore public schools have huge problems besides violence if they’re hiring people to teach that can’t even spell, especially a word as basic to teaching as “student.” But I feel pretty sure that you aren’t really a teacher, but you’re just jumping on a bandwagon here.