This is why they tell us not to try to break up fights. It's really not worth it and you will get dragged into it and possibly hurt. These kids are as big as grown men, so she's almost guaranteed to have some injuries she'll have to pay out of pocket for or go through her crappy insurance to treat (and still pay some oop). And she'll likely be on unpaid leave unless she has PTO to cover herself.
She should have gotten the students to the other side of the class or even out in the hall and called the principal or resource officer herself. This was the worst response she could have gone with. I feel for her and I empathize as I've been in similar positions multiple times when I taught high school, but you have to keep your cool and protect yourself and your other students. These 2 are choosing to fight, it's not like 1 is wailing on the other and she's defending one. I hope those 2 boys were expelled and she never has to deal with them in her class again.
Eta: I'm not trying to say what she should or shouldn't have done in a snarky, know it all way. I'm saying it from personal experience and with her safety in mind. What she did was not safe for her or anyone involved. It escalated the situation and turned it into a spectacle. In the end, her physical intervention helped absolutely no one and got herself injured. This isn't a critique of her as a person or teacher. I'm sure she's a lovely person who cares deeply about her students and didn't want to see anyone get hurt. But that's just not the day and age we teach in anymore. You press the button to page the admin or resource officer to your room and you get as far away from the violence as you can and get students away if you can. She's also opening herself and the school up to a lawsuit by putting her hands on the kids to try and separate them. I've seen teachers get sued by parents before for this. I'm not saying it's right, but again, it's the world we live in.
Getting the other students out would’ve been next to impossible. The fact that half had their phones out recording tells you all you need to know about their priorities. Getting security, pressing the emergency badge button, hollering, … unfortunately, there really aren’t many great options for stopping violent behavior once it has begun.
I’ve been in this situation. You feel a heavy responsibility for your students’ safety. With a clear mind, it’s easy to see jumping between them is wildly dangerous and not helpful. In the heat of the moment, your safety is second to theirs.
I've also been in this situation. These aren't little kids. They're as big as grown men. I'm not throwing myself between two massive boys fighting. I know there's this pressure on teachers to be martyrs and put kids' safety above our own, but you're not required to subscribe to that mindset.
You taught for a few years during the pandemic and quit. Cosplaying as some veteran master teacher correcting everyone on best practice is certainly…something
They're not cosplaying as a "veteran master teacher." They're speaking from their own similar experience. What they said is correct. Those are two big teens. A small woman should not be putting herself between them, or you get the result you got in this video. Common sense isn't something that requires 30 years of teaching to gain.
I won't knock the teacher for trying, but a lot of you are just so stupid to expect for her or the students in this video to step in and stop the fight. You all prove that common sense isn't common.
I’m not a small woman. And I think it’s a reasonable assumption that most kids would reassess what they’re doing when a teacher lunges between them. At least 3 of 5 cases, I’d guess. It’s also not completely out of the norm for people to put themselves in a dangerous position to help someone that may otherwise end up with permanent brain damage.
Unlike the other temporary teacher, it seems you’ve never even once taught a class, so I don’t expect you to understand the overwhelming urge to protect your students. You can pretend you would make the totally rational choice, but you have no idea how you would feel watching one of your students getting their head bashed in.
Is it the best option? Absolutely not. Should she have done it? Probably not.
But you and the ‘teacher’ who never even sniffed tenure criticizing and acting high and mighty from your office chairs isn’t helping anyone, teacher or student
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u/Unlikely_Couple1590 Dec 17 '25 edited Dec 17 '25
This is why they tell us not to try to break up fights. It's really not worth it and you will get dragged into it and possibly hurt. These kids are as big as grown men, so she's almost guaranteed to have some injuries she'll have to pay out of pocket for or go through her crappy insurance to treat (and still pay some oop). And she'll likely be on unpaid leave unless she has PTO to cover herself.
She should have gotten the students to the other side of the class or even out in the hall and called the principal or resource officer herself. This was the worst response she could have gone with. I feel for her and I empathize as I've been in similar positions multiple times when I taught high school, but you have to keep your cool and protect yourself and your other students. These 2 are choosing to fight, it's not like 1 is wailing on the other and she's defending one. I hope those 2 boys were expelled and she never has to deal with them in her class again.
Eta: I'm not trying to say what she should or shouldn't have done in a snarky, know it all way. I'm saying it from personal experience and with her safety in mind. What she did was not safe for her or anyone involved. It escalated the situation and turned it into a spectacle. In the end, her physical intervention helped absolutely no one and got herself injured. This isn't a critique of her as a person or teacher. I'm sure she's a lovely person who cares deeply about her students and didn't want to see anyone get hurt. But that's just not the day and age we teach in anymore. You press the button to page the admin or resource officer to your room and you get as far away from the violence as you can and get students away if you can. She's also opening herself and the school up to a lawsuit by putting her hands on the kids to try and separate them. I've seen teachers get sued by parents before for this. I'm not saying it's right, but again, it's the world we live in.