Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
2008-05-09 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

BALTIMORE -

Teachers throughout Maryland complain of students and parents attacking them. Unfortunately, the violence against teachers persists worldwide, says Derek Randel, a former middle school math teacher from Illinois who wrote the new book “Attacking Our Educators.”

What was your experience as a teacher?

I got into it with a few parents who wanted to fight me, the school covered it up and it didn’t make the newspaper. Students threatened my co-workers. It’s happening more and more.

Why do students attack teachers?

What they are learning at home is a lack of trust for educators. Often there is a parent missing, and they don’t look up to teachers. We are not holding students responsible for their actions, and they are learning they can get away with it. Teachers and parents are working against each other, and administrators aren’t supporting the teachers. There are a lack of quality adult role models.

Is this happening just in the United States?

England is the worst. And 40 percent of teachers in Ontario reported that they were bullied by students. It’s happening in South Korea, France, Australia, New Zealand.

What are the solutions?

In-school suspensions. When I used to get suspended, I called it a holiday. You are out of school, roaming the streets and playing video games. In-school suspension is no fun. We need alternative schools so kids who act up are bounced out immediately and need to work their way back to school. We need to include the child in parent-teacher conferences. Teachers should give students more choices, like blue or black ink. Let students sit on the floor. Those desks are brutal. It just makes for a more fun atmosphere.