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Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:24 am
by MacTheWolf (imported)
The last public high school I taught at was filled with toughs. One day there was a fight between two males about 25 feet from my classroom. Since I was only a substitute teacher, I waited a minute to see if the teachers broke it up. Nobody did so I intervened by stepping between them. Naturally I was clobbered a few times but it stopped the fight. FINALLY, a lone teacher showed up in all his magnificence...he was only 5' 1" tall. He grabbed each of the toughs by the arm and proceeded to escort them to the Vice Principal's office.
I saw him later on that day. He thanked me for intervening saying few of his fellow teachers ever try to stop fights. I was apparently the first substitute teacher to stop one.
I asked him if the two toughs gave him any trouble on the way to the Vice Principal's office. He just laughed and said, "they wouldn't dare." It was then I found out he moonlighted on the weekends. He taught Korean style karate at a local dojo. Apparently the walls of his dojo are covered with awards he won after getting his 7th dan.
I'm convinced now that we need a martial artist instructor in every Middle School and High School. Coundn't hurt.
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:00 pm
by Blaise (imported)
Whoosh! What a great story.
MacTheWolf (imported) wrote: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:24 am
The last public high school I taught at was filled with toughs. One day there was a fight between two males about 25 feet from my classroom. Since I was only a substitute teacher, I waited a minute to see if the teachers broke it up. Nobody did so I intervened by stepping between them. Naturally I was clobbered a few times but it stopped the fight. FINALLY, a lone teacher showed up in all his magnificence...he was only 5' 1" tall. He grabbed each of the toughs by the arm and proceeded to escort them to the Vice Principal's office.
I saw him later on that day. He thanked me for intervening saying few of his fellow teachers ever try to stop fights. I was apparently the first substitute teacher to stop one.
I asked him if the two toughs gave him any trouble on the way to the Vice Principal's office. He just laughed and said, "they wouldn't dare." It was then I found out he moonlighted on the weekends. He taught Korean style karate at a local dojo. Apparently the walls of his dojo are covered with awards he won after getting his 7th dan.
I'm convinced now that we need a martial artist instructor in every Middle School and High School. Coundn't hurt.
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:39 pm
by jab (imported)
Paolo wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:27 pm
My 15 yo. Nephew just called to say that he has been suspended from school for 1 week for fighting.
I agree completely with every last bit of your posting, but think that you should fight the suspension itself because it's a longer-term infraction that might hurt the nephew.
I think I'd ask the family lawyer about this. A letter from the family lawyer to the state credentialing board, laying it all out (including the requests for assistance and the assault that followed three such requests and the suspension resulting from self-defense), would be most colorful.
And it might cost the principal his credential. (It should.)
The board of education should be horrified, at the the financial exposure that is there: "if you're bullied and complain, the principal will ignore it, and you'll get beaten up - and you cannot defend yourself without being punished." That's a tort waiting to happen.
The Oprah angle is a fun one.
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 8:13 am
by Phole (imported)
Congradualations to "C" for standing up for himself. I was bullied all through school. I was a skinny, weak, kid with no father (he died, not his fault) and no decent male influence until my mother re-married a great guy when I was about sixteen. By then I was the biggest coward around. I even got bullied by some of the girls. If I could go back in time and tell myself something it would be that old nugget " a coward dies a thousand deaths". I lived in fear for a long time. I did have a couple of small victorys. One time the biggest bully in school had my friend on the ground with a knee on each shoulder. His crotch right near my friend's face and he was whispering what he wanted my friend to do before he would let him up. I just snapped and made like I was going to kick him. There was a teacher nearby that did nothing to help. He looked at me like he was going to kill me, but I didn't care. We had enough of his BS. The bell rang and we ran to class and nothing ever came of it.
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 8:27 am
by n3rf (imported)
Amazing story.
This statement is truly PROFOUND. Thanks Blaise.
By the way our children, kids and grownups shoud "learn" to deal with
the stuff using their Brains and then there is no need for using Fisticuffs.
What about that ??? Regards Johan N3RF
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:11 am
by Riverwind (imported)
My youngest son P was only in three fights at school, all lasted about 4 seconds, kids watching, word gets out, dont F with P. The last one was different, he and his best friend were jumped. The friend ended in the hospital, the other two after a short breef period of time were cuffed and stuffed by the Sherif who was watching. The Sherif also happened to be my sons Scout Master.
Yes, there is justice - I agree its best not to fight if at all possible but if you must, hurt the other person that way he wont try it again.
River
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 11:40 am
by genderless (imported)
Good for him! I learned a bit late about fighting till I was much older. Not that I condone much violence, but in this life sometimes you're stuck with defending yourself. Better adversary bruised than me.
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:24 pm
by jemagirl (imported)
n3rf (imported) wrote: Mon May 01, 2006 8:27 am
This statement is truly PROFOUND. Thanks Blaise.
By the way our children, kids and grownups shoud "learn" to deal with
the stuff using their Brains and then there is no need for using Fisticuffs.
What about that ??? Regards Johan N3RF
I agree that brains beat braun in a debate. I'm the youngest of four sibs, so I have always had to use my brain and wit to succeed. However in the world outside our living room I haven't always been given the opportunity to resolve the conflict verbally. Many times kids older than my self and bigger than my self insisted on engaging me physically. Some times running was not an option either.
Paolo's son did every thing he could to avoid the fight, and only defended himself physically as a last resort. I am happy he was able to do so, and appalled that he is being punished for it. To my mind the principal is the one who should be punished for failing to address the situation properly before it got out of hand. I think Paolo should be proud that he has raised a son who not only shows the good judgment of self restraint but has the where withal to defend himself if the need arises.
Like Paolo's son, I too approached the teachers and principals, and they basically told me I needed to toughen up. I felt they were basically abdicating their authority to fate at that point, and so I knew I could not count on them to intervene. It is sad that more people don't feel as you do about violence, but it is better to be physically and mentally prepared to deal with bullies in the event they choose you as their victim, rather than to rely only on what you can say or who you may hope will intervene on your behalf. Diplomacy is best, but not always sufficient to resolve the conflict.
Re: Feelings to Share; I'm Proud
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 2:05 pm
by mrt (imported)
Paolo wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:27 pm
My 15 yo. Nephew just called to say that he has been suspended from school for 1 week for fighting.
THREE times he complained to the Principal about being bullied. The Principal did NOTHING about this same kid. Yesterday, the kid - in the presence of several buses loaded with witnesses - and a video camera - attacked my boy.
And "C" mopped the floor with him!
This kid started it, "C" finished it. Bigtime. According to several friends, there was blood all over. "C" walked away from it. The other kid needed help.
I think a brand new $100 bill is in order as a reward - as well as some beer, cigars, and a hooker
.
Now do I take satisfaction in this? Yes I do. Am I proud? Yes, I am. I'm proud for several reasons.
1. Last year, "C" got sent to the ER by the same kind of neglect at his old school. Even with video, and a teacher present, the school did nothing and we ended up having to sue them and the attacking kid's parents to get anywhere. I call that a lesson well learned for all parties. Especially since the kid that attacked him last year goes to "baby jail" until he's 18 if he screws up again. Maybe HE learned something.
2. This kid more than likely won't do it again, since he's got a reputation and just got the shit kicked out of him by a smaller kid, thus ruining said reputation. Perhaps he'll learn from this and not end up in more serious trouble later on in life. And if he doesn't well, we've explained all the legalities as to just how and when to beat the shit out of someone who really really needs it and NOT get sued over it.
3. It also shows the other kids that have had problems with this kid that there IS something that can be done about him.
And next, "I" start bullying the Principal with a call to the State about his negligence. Maybe I can get him fired.
But if I can't, there's always the old Dodge Ram bumpers that chew through Cadillacs really well. As the lady on the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" said, "I'm older and I have better insurance!"
Well, that's it for sharing my feelings tonight.
I hope you all had a nice day, too.
Thats a sign that the schools are even dumber then they were 30 years ago and I thought there were idiotic then. How a kid defending himself can get into trouble is beyond me. And as for the tough kid that was handed his head... I hope and pray that the next time he doesn't confront your nephew with 6 or 8 of his closest friends. That was the scenario in the school I went to. I remember trying to be very "cool" when told I was being invited to fight and being shown the large group I was to punch it out with. I asked "who is first" and they laughed. Why fight a kid one at a time and maybe get hurt when they could gang up and not have the slightest chance of injury. I was so embaressed to return home beaten and terrified of what my father would do. I thought he would surely drive to the school yard and mangle or murder several of the cowards and then I would have to visit him in prison.
As to the comment about not "needing" to fight and using your brains. With all due respect what school did you go to where that had ANY chance of working? You could run and hide or get the shit kicked out of you where I grew up. Or you could fight back and gain a little bit of dignity and probably a few broken teeth.
All high school girls should learn Martial Arts and be taught how to shoot. Hurt my girls? DIE mother "F"er.
Boxing for boys? Great! They should have supervised matches every friday at the schools so kids with a "beef" can beat it out of each other in a ring with an umpire and an Ambulance nearby. Better that then all this unworkable PC crap that pushes the fights out into the parking lot with guns, knives and pipes.
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