Fights in school

A few days ago Mrs. D and I were sitting in her classroom, which has a door leading out into the cafeteria.

We started hearing shouts on the other side. "Probably a fight," Mrs. D shrugged.

I started to get up, and she added, "I don't want them coming in here."

I sat back down.

The terrible thing is, I understood exactly what she meant. Police patrol the hallways, and we knew that they would be in the cafeteria in a matter of moments - even if those moments seemed terribly long to us as we listened. But had the fighters seen the open door and run into the classroom, many more people could have gotten hurt in those close quarters - including us.

Apparently what had happened was that one of Mrs. D's students, a powerfully-built 9th grade girl who is a known gang member, ran unprovoked to another student and began beating her and kicking her in the face. The one who was attacked was the girlfriend of another of Mrs. D's students. He spent the entire afternoon looking shellshocked, his head in his hands.

As I was leaving for the day a few hours later, I saw the gang member being escorted out the door by a security guard. He just let her walk out of the school on her own. "See you whenever," she drawled to the guard.

Later on I heard that a police officer had gone to her home and slapped her mother with a fine, but for some reason the girl couldn't be arrested despite her unprovoked assault in front of witnesses. She had been suspended for ten days. I can't imagine what will happen when she tries to get into Mrs. D's classroom and the boyfriend of the girl she attacked is waiting for her there.

Two days later there was another fight in the cafeteria - once again, between two girls. This time neither was in one of Mrs. D's classes. I couldn't resist this time, and opened the door. We saw security guards arrive and break up the fight.

When the students came back into the classroom after lunch, the principal walked in and read them the riot act. "I don't want anyone talking about what you saw in there and what's been happening at this school this week, unless you want a three-day suspension yourself. This is intolerable. I don't want to hear a word about it, not in MY school."

I was shocked and disappointed. How are the teachers supposed to guide the way the students are thinking about these incidents if merely mentioning them will lead to a three-day suspension? Does the principal think the kids won't talk about it as soon as the dismissal bell rings? This approach is as misguided as believing that a refusal on parents' part to talk about the birds and the bees with their kids is going to ensure that the children remain virgins until their wedding night.

But I shouldn't expect anything different from this administration. Mrs. D is always complaining that they schedule meetings with less than 24-hours' notice, don't let the teachers know what happens with their referrals, and most importantly, dole out harsher punishments for being caught in the hallways without a pass than for cursing out a teacher in the middle of the classroom. The ten-day suspension that the attacker received earlier in the week would have been the same if she had been without a pass; insulting the teacher gets an in-school detention.

The district also contributes to misbehavior, by treating the students like prison inmates. Police patrol the hallways. The district-wide "dress code" - no hoodies or hats, no patterned fabrics, no t-shirts or jeans, only khaki, black, blue or green shirts allowed - is overly restrictive and creates an atmosphere of stifled self-expression without the possibility for pride in the sense of belonging that a real school uniform might bring. It is the worst of both worlds.

At least the kids are beginning to show some interest in my writing prompts. Several of them liked one that I adapted from a University of Chicago program, which involved having them write a chase scene out of a movie. They are enjoying commenting on which details they're finding the most telling, and they are responding more. They're also beginning to work a little better with their partners. I'm beginning to have a tiny bit of hope that my own evaluation, when my professor comes to see how I'm doing as a teacher, won't be a complete and utter disaster because of misbehavior.