Spare the rod and spoil the (1st grade) child... U.S. school violence gets really outta hand!

June 15, 2002 6:00 PM

Spare the rod and spoil the (1st grade) child... U.S. school violence gets really outta hand! Twenty first-grade students went to a hospital yesterday after their substitute teacher went berserk in their Washington Heights classroom, smacking them with a broomstick, pulling their hair and twisting their ears, police said. To paraphrase David Letterman, "what was he thinking of??"
posted by dash_slot- (12 comments total)

"The injured children were treated at Columbia Presbyterian Center, police said. Of those, 11 had visible injuries, such as black eyes and bruises to the neck, back and shoulders, police said."

omigod... i'm absolutely sure this type of thing is a rare event, but... he's gonna do jail time after this, right? Is 'Newsday' a reputable source of news? and is the implication that the injuries described above are all his responsibility, or did it turn into a Wayne/ Mitchum-type western barroom brawl? ::shudder::
posted by dash_slot- at 6:05 PM on June 15, 2002

It was on the news Wednesday night, I think. For reference purposes, Newsday is a major NYC daily popular mostly on Long Island.

It appears that the guy took leave of his senses and "went medieval" on the kids... I sure hope he is never allowed within 100ft of a classroom again.
posted by clevershark at 6:16 PM on June 15, 2002

I can't help but wonder what was the final straw? Not that he would be justified in what he did, but you know one of those kids must have pulled some kind of shit, said the wrong thing, etc... When I was in elementary school, we were all terrors. But I went to catholic school, so the teachers (nuns) just punched us anyway, lol...
posted by stifford at 8:57 PM on June 15, 2002

Because of course the best way to teach children not to hit, is to hit them.
posted by Jubey at 9:24 PM on June 15, 2002

that's why I'll never teach, I can see that happening, I'm going to sound like an old fart, but in my time it wasn't so bad. now that I've seen 'those' loose in action, I would not simply come home and cry like my sister does, violence doesn't solve anything right? well the strap was a pretty good pacifier if I remember correctly... 'medieval'? no more than it's chemical modern pc version (ritalin)
posted by kush at 1:08 AM on June 16, 2002

'medieval'? no more than it's chemical modern pc version (ritalin)

We need a new version of Godwin's Law governing children and the mention of Ritalin. My childhood would have been a lot less medieval if I'd gotten the medication I desperately needed, kush. Put your jerking knee back down.
posted by swerve at 2:09 AM on June 16, 2002

Beside a teacher hitting a kid, it was shitty all around. Two of the little bastards were fighting to begin with, and when the teacher couldn't get them to stop, lost his temper, and smacked one with a stick, the rest of the class turned into a little gang (first graders!) ready to take on the man instead of, for example, trotting out the door for help. And that's when they got hurt, when they jumped into the fight.

Everyone is too weird, from the kids to the parents to the teachers. Put digital cameras in classrooms and record exactly what happens. Make highlight tapes for the parents to watch. "Here's Emily sticking a pencil in Jeremy's back. We never want to see her again. Find another school. Screw your lawyers." Likewise for teachers: "Well, Mr. Nuñez, here's the tape we'll forward to any school that asks us about your performance. We'll tell them about everything else, of course, but they'll also see this. We'll leave you to explain it. Goodbye."
posted by pracowity at 4:38 AM on June 16, 2002

Tapes or no tapes, it's pretty clear that after a performance like that, and according to the article, he won't be permitted to work as a teacher again.

Teaching is a very stressful career. Unfortunately, given the low status of the profession, not to mention the low pay, the career doesn't always attract those who are most suited to the demands of the job.
posted by lucien at 5:52 AM on June 16, 2002

Wasn't it Jay Leno that said "What were you thinking?" to Hugh Grant, after he got caught with the hooker?

(Not David Letterman.)

Okay, back to your regularly programmed MetaFilter.
posted by Fofer at 6:58 AM on June 16, 2002

Who wants to bet that this teacher winds up suing the school board for firing him and walks off with a couple of million dollars?
posted by mikegre at 7:16 AM on June 16, 2002

fofer: Actually, the quote originates from me saying "What the hell were you thinking?" to my friend after I found out he slept with my girlfriend.

Damn Leno and Letterman. You'd think they'd come up with some original material.
posted by ODiV at 4:14 PM on June 16, 2002

oh, and mikegre, can you cover 100 USD?
posted by ODiV at 4:15 PM on June 16, 2002