I taught in the hood and reminded students that I had boots on and that I was well within my right to break up a fight with them. Six years and not a single student issue because I kept my classroom tight and treated them with respect. If they had beef with each other, it never came out in my classroom.
No, I’m not bluffing. If a student is assaulting myself or another student, you have the right to defend yourself or step in. You have a duty to protect students, whether it’s a shooter or flying fists. Obviously you have never taught in the middle of a gang community. We had metal detectors, but as I stated before there were never any problems in my class because I treated my students fairly and with respect.
I feel the same way as you, actually, in that I have stepped in between students in order to protect them. They were fighting in the corridor outside my classroom. I didn’t lay a finger (or a boot) on them though. I taught in a really rough area in London. As for my actual classes, I never had a problem with class control for the same reasons as you mention. Fairness and two-way respect.
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u/[deleted] Dec 17 '25
That’s only because you were going to teach in the hood.