In the Nick of Time

Jolita Berry might never become a household name, but she should become a symbol for what's wrong in public education. Now that I'm thoroughly ensconced in the ivory towers of higher education, I seem to be the token representative of the "American education system in public schools." I get asked all the time which candidate for president will do the best to reform the public education system, and I have to say that they all think they can, but I'll bet they won't. Understand, while I was educated in private schools until college, I have been a part of the system of public education for more than 30 years...a direct, involved, front-line part. Not so the candidates. Talk is cheap..."Help people like Jolita" is my first response to them.
Is throwing money at the problem the answer? No. Merit pay? Not really. "No Child Left Behind"? A joke. Help people like Jolita and hundreds if not thousands of others like her in the system.
Jolita was attacked by a high school student this week, and the video, taken with a cellphone camera by cheering classmates, made its way to YouTube (as everything seems to). The issue? Jolita Berry is a high school art teacher in Baltimore, and she was attacked by a student who was egged on by classmates. Reporting the incident to the principal, Berry was told that she "...brought it on herself by asserting that she would defend herself if the student attacked." That is a QUOTE from the principal. It became the TEACHER'S fault for getting attacked. That's like saying women invite rape. Freakin' idiot! One might expect such a comment from an under-involved school board member, but from a principal? I thought the principal was supposed to be my "pal."
Oh yeah, this is Baltimore, not your school? We had a similar incident last year in the small school in which I taught. A student swore at and began shoving around a 65-yr. old teacher before other students hauled him off. The worst? Nobody was really surprised that it happened! Though, to our credit, the student WAS expelled.
Usually, though, in schools the violence is kids on kid as many will attest.
Eight girls in Florida face life imprisonment for a video beating of another girl last year. They were anxious to get the video on YouTube and were so nonchalant about it that one girls said, "I guess we won't get to cheerleading practice." "Are you kidding?" you ask. Uh, no. According to statistics, in 2003, more than 25% of all teen girls ahd been involved in a fist fight, according to CNN. Boys weighed in at a hefty 40.5%. Even worse, by 2006, girls who had reached age 17 were asked to report how many of them had assaulted another girl with the intent to cause serious bodily damage: 21% indicated that they had engaged in such an act.
Need more proof? Search "girl fight" on YouTube, and you will get more than a thousand videos of such violence, and that's just girls pounding on girls...there are other girl vs boy fights, etc. In fact, I believe there's a web site set up JUST to show such acts of violence.
Why do we need to see ourselves posted on the internet universe being total jackasses? I don't know, but it is of epidemic proportion, apparently.
Thus, I posit that I left teaching just in time. I feel sorry for all my teaching brethern who are left in the trenches. They don't get enough...no, not money...they do not get enough support and protection. They get thrown under the bus at every opportunity. I sympathize but breathe a relieved sigh that it is no longer my responsibility to protect myself (condoms notwithstanding).
If a student challenged me to a physical battle? I would have to let him or her know that I have won every fight I've had by at least five blocks.