All Comments on 'Some People Are Cancerous Tumors'

You approached the problem in an impersonal fashion, and in doing so, you lost any credibility you could have cultivated with the student. You talked to his father, your peers, yelled at him and disciplined him, but you never once mentioned pulling him aside to talk to him. By handling the situation the way you did, you removed any and all chance that he would grow as a person. His actions were not those of a healthy, well-balanced individual, but of someone who wanted attention.

Did it ever occur to you to build a report with him? Did it ever occur to you to look into his home-life? Did it ever occur to you to take 15-20 minutes during a lunch period to sort his ass out? FFS, reread what you've written, then reflect upon why it is wrong. This is one of the most selfish things I've ever read.

this child in teenage form, was destroying the lives of the other students in the class, his parents were enablers, removal in a more restrictive environment is called for and necessary. There are people like this in all aspects of life, the most effective way it can the handled is for all others to simply ignore them, totally and completely, short of removal. If this type of behavior was done in court the individual would receive a jail term, its antisocial behavior.

That you can't fix cruel. I change what I can, handle what I can't, and have the wisdom to know the difference.

When I was in high school there was a little school, with a huge parking lot, called Tomas Hub. It's were all the school buses for the district parked during the day. Now Tomas hub only had about four teachers, and it had probably less than 50 students at best.

It's where guys like this kid would be sent. (that and the horror of horrors here in the south, girls that got pregnant.Probably from dancing.)

It was not a school where you learned. (Well the mothers to be did, with a teacher that truly cared about them and what they were about to go through.) It was a school where you did your time. Kinda getting these kids ready for what was to come, as it where.

It wasn't easy to get sent to Tomas Hub, it took effort. But by the same token once you were there, it took effort to get out, but the ones that did...when they came back they were golden children.

Why? This was the days of paddles in every class room, and a harder paddle in the advisers office. Why were they changed? Because at Tomas hub if you acted out, you were put in a room, with blank walls, no windows,and a single desk. A text book as your only distraction. All day, every day, till you begged the teacher to let you come back to their class.

Harsh? Yes. Did it work? You bet.Cruel? Only when you look at the fact that those kids were heading towards that same kind of thing, but in a far tougher school, with far tougher teachers.

Very good work, got me to remembering.

MST

Luckily he fell off a mountain in the middle of the school year & things went back to normal after that. Hated the bastard

"You approached the problem in an impersonal fashion, and in doing so, you lost any credibility you could have cultivated with the student. You talked to his father, your peers, yelled at him and disciplined him, but you never once mentioned pulling him aside to talk to him. By handling the situation the way you did, you removed any and all chance that he would grow as a person. His actions were not those of a healthy, well-balanced individual, but of someone who wanted attention."

Our hero used the word "you" seven times.I thought that was interesting. He never did tell us how HE dealt with this type of classroom criminal. The view from the cheap seats is always pretty good. Sj

Having gone to Catholic school for 12 years I didn't see this type of student. The priests and the nuns were nuts. They wouldn't tolerate this shit. So the "Adam" wound up in public school where he would rule. I used to feel bad for kids I knew who went to public school. They didn't seem to learn anything. Shame.

First and foremost, "Did it ever occur to you to build a report with him?" I will build a rapport with him, and maybe ask him to write a report. But I cannot "build a report with him." Get it?

Secondly, maybe that commenter has attended or has taught in a secluded ivory tower type institution where a student's misbehavior is a passing transgression and can be cured by guiding the him/her into deep introspection and hence all ills are healed.

I enjoyed reading your piece. I am not a teacher and as you stated the cancer can occur anywhere.