Email From An Albuquerque Teacher




I can't tell you how many times I've been told by a 7 or 8 year old that they're going to "tell on me" to the superintendent or their lawyer, etc.  It's amazing.  And, indeed, we cannot touch a child.  Just this spring one of our teachers is being sued because he pulled a child out from under the table, where he was screaming and yelling and refusing to follow the teacher's directions.  We have a "de-escalation team" that must be called when a child is being violent or so disruptive the teacher can't deal by her/himself.  That means 3 or 4 teachers must leave their own classrooms to help, without of course touching the child.   In extreme cases, this specially trained team can apparently apply physical restraints--only when the violence is physically threatening. 

Children, of course, are not disciplined at home either and certainly aren't afraid of any wimpy teacher!