[Brenda]

Yogi Yogi:

Brenda Brenda:

Different situation.

Not from the perspective that Andy is addressing. That being that 'violence isn't the answer to violence'. Sometimes it is.

Andy described an authority issue (which this is, imo). The bigger you are, the more right you have to beat the shit out of the smaller animals... I thought we humans were past that stage or Neanderthalism.

[Yogi]

Brenda Brenda:

Yogi Yogi:

Brenda Brenda:

Different situation.

Not from the perspective that Andy is addressing. That being that 'violence isn't the answer to violence'. Sometimes it is.

Andy described an authority issue (which this is, imo). The bigger you are, the more right you have to beat the shit out of the smaller animals... I thought we humans were past that stage or Neanderthalism.

That has actually been 'the nature of nature' since the beginning of time and isn't going to change anytime soon. The 'bigger', whether plant, animal or human has always weilded the power. When it comes to humans, we hope(often futiley) that 'size over another' is not abused. I always tried verbal reasoning many times over before resorting to 'physical reasoning'. And a 'second' time was never required. Having said that nothing justifies bullying from one to another for any reason!

[MacDonaill]

It would never have gotten that far if teachers were empowered to discipline students properly to begin with. Teachers crack all the time. I've seen it more than once, though never at that extreme.

Kids don't fear the consequences of their actions at school because there aren't really any.

When my parents were in school, if you acted up or mouthed off, the teacher would smack you one right upside the head.

When I was in school, if you mouthed off or acted like a little bastard in any way, the teachers couldn't do anything, but parents still would.

Now neither teachers nor the parents seem to be able to do shit. Public schools are hellholes and as long as this fluffy attitude towards discipline is allowed to continue, things will only get worse.

This society needs to stop worshipping its children and start disciplining them. I'm not talking about anything extreme, I'm just talking about common sense.

[Brenda]

$1:

This society needs to stop worshipping its children and start disciplining them. I'm not talking about anything extreme, I'm just talking about common sense.

That I totally agree with. Too bad tho, that common sense aint that common...

[andyt]

Yogi Yogi:

Brenda Brenda:

Different situation.

Not from the perspective that Andy is addressing. That being that 'violence isn't the answer to violence'. Sometimes it is.

As Brenda said, different situation. Self defense is different than an adult who's supposed to set an example waling on a kid.

[commanderkai]

Alright, so a teacher kicked the ass of a bully who was picking on a girl. At least, that's what I'm gathering.

To be honest, I'm on the fence. I'll assume, before this, the teacher tried dealing with the bully through official channels. Now, if you have ever been a victim of bullying, official channels (aka, the school administration) does jack shit. Always. Even if a teacher witnesses and attempts to deal with bullying, the worst they can do is keep the kid in for recess or send them into the hall, because if they send them to the principal, all they will get is a talking to, as long as the bully isn't physical.

I've benefited from teachers looking the other way when a bully finally crossed a line with me, and trust me, I would have been suspended or expelled with some of the things I've done to bullies. Hell, I even chased a bully through a FULL classroom, in sight of the teacher, after he crossed the line, and the teacher kicked the bully out of the class before I would have pounded him. The difference is, I was one of the tallest/biggest kids in that school.

The entire school system is a mess. Bullies get away with teasing, harassing, and abusing other students. Good teachers can't do shit against bullies, and the school administration is incompetent or too chickenshit to actually punish bullies. I had the advantage of size and strength (I was teased because of my skin disease) over my bullying. I'm grateful I had those advantages because I can't imagine how hard it would be for a smaller person to deal with a bully.

Now, in this case, a teacher, or a person in authority, is beating up a bully. Did she go overboard? No shit she did. However, unless there is blood shed, or sexual abuse, bullies are unlikely to ever be punished by those who have power in school. Teachers send bullies to the school counselor or the principal only to have the principal/counselor tell them to not do it again and the situation continues. Only until the bully physically or sexually attacks their victim, the victim attacks back, or the victim kills him/herself will the cycle end.

[Gunnair]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Alright, so a teacher kicked the ass of a bully who was picking on a girl. At least, that's what I'm gathering.

To be honest, I'm on the fence. I'll assume, before this, the teacher tried dealing with the bully through official channels. Now, if you have ever been a victim of bullying, official channels (aka, the school administration) does jack shit. Always. Even if a teacher witnesses and attempts to deal with bullying, the worst they can do is keep the kid in for recess or send them into the hall, because if they send them to the principal, all they will get is a talking to, as long as the bully isn't physical.

I've benefited from teachers looking the other way when a bully finally crossed a line with me, and trust me, I would have been suspended or expelled with some of the things I've done to bullies. Hell, I even chased a bully through a FULL classroom, in sight of the teacher, after he crossed the line, and the teacher kicked the bully out of the class before I would have pounded him. The difference is, I was one of the tallest/biggest kids in that school.

The entire school system is a mess. Bullies get away with teasing, harassing, and abusing other students. Good teachers can't do shit against bullies, and the school administration is incompetent or too chickenshit to actually punish bullies. I had the advantage of size and strength (I was teased because of my skin disease) over my bullying. I'm grateful I had those advantages because I can't imagine how hard it would be for a smaller person to deal with a bully.

Now, in this case, a teacher, or a person in authority, is beating up a bully. Did she go overboard? No shit she did. However, unless there is blood shed, or sexual abuse, bullies are unlikely to ever be punished by those who have power in school. Teachers send bullies to the school counselor or the principal only to have the principal/counselor tell them to not do it again and the situation continues. Only until the bully physically or sexually attacks their victim, the victim attacks back, or the victim kills him/herself will the cycle end.

Agreed. My son has had issues with bullies, and he has been frustrated by the lack of response by the school. Fortunately, though he is very small, he has five years of TKD, which has allowed him to defend himself. But he has gotten into trouble for it. I've explained to the school that if they are unable/unwilling to end the bullying, he has my blessing to do it for them.

[Yogi]

HOUSTON - A teacher who was recorded on cell phone video beating a student apologized Friday, saying she was "without excuse" for the attack on the 13-year-old.

Science teacher Sheri Lynn Davis, who was fired by the charter school this week over the attack, said she regrets what happened and would act much differently if given the opportunity.

"I apologize for the pain that the result of this situation has brought," she said in a brief appearance at her lawyer's office. "I apologize for this particular incident."

Davis took no questions about her attack on Isaiah Reagins at Jamie's House Charter School, a Houston-area alternative school.

Reagins suffered a black eye and other bruises in the attack. His mother, Alesha Johnson, filed a lawsuit Thursday against Davis and the school.

Davis' attorney, Chip Lewis, said he believed the lawsuit would bring to light problems at the school that led to the confrontation. He said she was forced to become "not only an educator but also a bouncer, an enforcement officer."

"There is a fundamental lack of security, of support and staffing for the teachers to provide a safe environment for these kids to learn in," he said. "And there's going to be a lot said about that."

Davis, 40, was fired Monday night after the recording of the April 29 beating became public. It shows Davis dragging the boy by his feet and flailing him, repeatedly slapping him as he is on the floor and tries to cover up.

"There's no way around this," Lewis said of the video. "But sometimes there is."

He said he was reluctant to provide details pending a sheriff's department investigation. The Texas Education Agency has also said it is planning to look into the case.

Brant Stogner, Johnson's lawyer, said Davis' apology Friday was "a good first step for her ... accepting responsibility for what she's done."

"Obviously, she agrees what she did was wrong, uncalled for and inexcusable," he said.

Sue Davis, a spokeswoman for the school who is not related to the teacher, said she had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment on it.

"We do believe we handled the situation completely appropriately, in an appropriate time and we stand by our actions," she said.

Lewis said a fight in the hallway that was not related to Davis' duties started the sequence of events.

"She saw no one was addressing the fight, she went with another teacher to break it up," Lewis said. While she was in the hall, she heard her classroom door "not only shut, but lock."

"And that's when a sense of panic came over Miss Davis," Lewis said, adding that among the students behind the locked door was a female "special needs child."

He said Davis became shook the door until she caught the attention of a student who opened it. Lewis said that is when the recorded incident begins.

"We don't have an excuse; we have an explanation as to what was going on -- months, weeks, days," he said. "The cumulative effect of these teachers dealing with this is so untenable and contrary to a learning environment. It weighed on her.

"It doesn't excuse. There's no way Sheri would ever say it excuses her ultimate reaction."

Lewis said Davis had also met with Johnson, the child's mother, and apologized.

Johnson said Thursday she was upset the teacher had put her hands on her son.

"I don't even beat on my son, so what makes you think you can?" she said.

Johnson said she has taken her son out of the school. Lewis said he wasn't seeking to place any blame on the boy, but noted he had been expelled earlier and was allowed to return.

"I'm sad because I didn't think she was going to hit me like that," the boy said Thursday.

Court records show Davis, who has sons aged 14 and 4, is facing an unrelated criminal charge in which she is accused of slashing the tires of another woman's car with a knife in January 2009.

Lewis described that as the result of a "personal relationship" and said Davis was unaware of the charge until he began investigating her background. She turned herself in on that charge, posted a $1,000 bond Tuesday and faces a court hearing next week.

[Brenda]

It is a school for children with "disciplinary problems"...