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07 May 2008

Teacher/Bouncer? →[More:]

So yesterday I had the privilege of breaking up a fight in my classroom. It took place during our silent reading. Apparently, the first girl, M.B., had been flicking bits of paper at the second girl, M.A., who, fed up, chucked an empty plastic Coke bottle at her, which I failed to see, because all I saw was M.B. making a bee-line for M.A.

I couldn't get to M.B. quick enough, and before I knew it, she had M.A. on the floor and was hitting and kicking her. I managed to get M.B. around the waist from behind and pulled her away from M.A. and got her to the door and out into the hall, where a school aide helped out. I outweighed her three to one, I think, so it wasn't a huge challenge, but I was still lucky she didn't turn and take a swing at me. She'd been a "challenging" student since the beginning of the year, but we'd developed a certain rapport, and I'd grown fond of her. I felt bad for M.A., however, who was completely outmatched and taken by surprise. She wasn't hurt, more shaken up, but she was in tears afterwards.

This was only the second fight I've had in my classroom in six years. I have a strict rule about not leaving one's seat without permission, and usually a sharp-toned warning shuts things down, but damn, M.B. just moved so bloody fast and didn't seem to even hear me when I called her name. Ah, well. At least no one was seriously hurt.

Technically, we're not supposed to break up fights (we're not covered for it under our insurance if we get hurt), and if it had been two equally matched guys, I might have just called for security (which I also did), but I wasn't about to let M.B. go on attacking M.A. like that. M.A. could have been really injured. The Dean smiled when she read my statement, commenting about me doing exactly what I'm not supposed to do, but she also understood. Both students are now suspended, M.B. for a longer period of time, I imagine. (School policy calls for anyone involved in a fight to be suspended, no matter who started it.)

One of my students admiringly commented to me afterwards, "Boy, miss, you can move." Oddly, they were all very well-behaved today. I'm considering moonlighting as a bouncer on weekends.

It's not all craziness, truly. We're on about our twelfth book for the year (Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God) in my junior classes, and my seniors are taking their AP English Literature & Composition exam tomorrow. So really, this was an aberration. I guess it left me a bit shaken, too.

At least my two-day migraine is finally gone.

post by: Pips at: 18:07 | 16 comments

Ah, Pips. Good for you. I think you know The Husband is a high school teacher, and though he is a little-ish guy - 5'7", 170-ish, he's got a rep for being first in the bathroom or on the bus or in the hall if a fight breaks out. Yes, your students will respect you more. I understand the shakies, too. Good for you. I know you're a great teacher.

posted by rainbaby 07 May | 18:12

we're not covered for it under our insurance if we get hurt

Actually, the insurance will cover just fine. They just want to avoid a Workman's Comp claim. But still, rules is rules.

Mrs. Doohickie has had a few incidents like that as well. The kids at the high school where she teaches are always surprised when she (a 5-5, pasty-white woman) gets in between a couple of large, often African-American teenage boys to break them up. But they always stop anyway when she jumps in. The rumor goes around among the students that she's perhaps just a bit crazy and it's best to just do what she says, 'cause, well, you never know what she might do.

Heh.

posted by Doohickie 07 May | 18:22

It's true. Doohickie. You have to be a bit crazy to do the self defense / step in thing. And people are scared of that. I've avoided my most potential attack situations in my life by letting my crazy out. Go Teachers!

posted by rainbaby 07 May | 18:26

Nice one, Pips.

rainbaby's got it. I've heard a lot of guys say that it's the crazy ones you don't wanna mess with.

I was bullied a lot in middle school - for some reason 2 much larger, older girls had it in for me. One day they'd been hassling me so much that when someone tapped me on the shoulder, I snapped, turned around and flat-out decked the kid. Turns out it was one of the boys, and completely unrelated to them. He passed out cold and I got suspended for 3 days and harangued by the principal for fighting.

Funny thing about that, no one ever fucked with me afterwards. The kid I decked ironically wound up being a good friend of mine, maybe because my abject apologies were the first time any girl in class had actually talked to him. So in the end, it was worth it.

Tho I don't know much about the situation, and you likely already know this, I'd suspect your instigator is a bully; it's common enough with girls. They're often just as physical as the boys, just smarter about getting caught (usually). And ten times nastier.

posted by lonefrontranger 07 May | 18:47

Yeah, I used to get bullied a lot too. Until one afternoon when I was about 14, I somehow got mixed up in a brawl of about 10 kids and got so enraged that I managed to pull off a lucky punch and floor the ringleader of the main gang of tough kids that instigated a lot of the bullying. The fight stopped, everyone looked from the tough kid sprawled out on the ground in a daze to me standing over him with my fists up waiting to hit him again if he got up and took off as fast as their feet could carry them. They left me alone after that, for some reason.

In general, though, I win all my fights by at least 100 metres.

posted by dg 07 May | 19:20

When I was teaching we had a bunch of training on how to approach breaking up a fight. The big thing was the first approach which was a really loud identification, and three "STOP FIGHTING!" The notion is that when most people cut loose, they get so narrow focused that they hardly hear anymore and it takes 10x the effort to break through that.

You did the right thing - separation/isolation.

The real worry in a teacher breaking up a fight is restraint. We were forbidden to use it in any form without certified training. Restraint, done incorrectly can lead to injury and if the teacher in question is also on an adrenaline rush (likely) can be overdone and the injury will be permanent or fatal. *That* is what the school can't afford. Yelling out "I'm a teacher! Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Stop fighting!" is supposedly an effective technique, but also a HUGE CYA. Chances are you will have a room and a hallway full of witnesses that can attest that you followed the training and hence the policy to the letter.

I never had to break up a fight - and I'm very glad for that.

posted by plinth 07 May | 19:24

Wow. I think I'd rather break up the puppy and the cat. I dont' think I could maintain that kind of composure with people. Y'all are impressive!

posted by chewatadistance 07 May | 20:17

I saw the title of this post on the front page and thought it was somehow about me - I used to teach high school, and bounce on the weekends! The two jobs are not dissimilar.

posted by jtron 07 May | 21:28

Ah pips, this is a little bit heartbreaking. I feel for both girls involved. I'm glad you weren't injured.

My sister is trained to restrain kids. Little kids, though. I imagine it would be very emotional and difficult to restrain any child that was out of control.

posted by LoriFLA 07 May | 21:54

i've known a few bouncer teachers, but they were guys.
i did know of a female physics teacher who own and ran a pool place.

posted by ethylene 07 May | 22:03

I had an English teacher my senior year of high school who used to be a professional boxer. Short girl, though. I wouldn't mess with her.

Pips, friggin congrats. I've seen my share of fights in high school, and to step in like that takes a fair amount of moxy.

I hate the school's suspension policy, though, that kind of thing always ticked me off. What if you get a bully who truly doesn't give a shit about how often he's suspended, and whats to make life hell for another kid? What better way than to beat him up! That way he gets hurt AND suspended. And then when you both get back, do it again! But I digress. Heckuva job, pips. :)

posted by CitrusFreak12 07 May | 23:00

Good on ya Pips! You kept your head and your cool, which is usually the hardest part in such situations. I've had to restrain people before - the most difficult was a 25-stone autistic guy who regularly assaulted staff with knives (I'm 5'4" and 115lb) - and keeping yourself calm is not easy.

Do you get any sort of training to deal with these situations? I'm a Professional Assault Response Training (PART) instructor, and find it an excellent system of techniques and strategies, and I credit it with saving my life on a number of occasions.

Anyway, good luck to your AP seniors for their exam today!

posted by goo 08 May | 05:19

Wow, what a day!

I'm thankful that I grew up way back when fights weren't a regular thing in school and the teachers didn't have to worry about proper logistics and CYA business so much. Just makes your job that much harder, as if being a teacher isn't already difficult....

posted by mightshould 08 May | 07:46

Gah. I taught high school (and junior high) for 3 months, replacing a guy who got fired. I was considering teaching as a career, but that 3 months ended that idea, for sure.

I had one particularly unruly kid who just got up and started to walk out of class one day. I was really frustrated at that point--I was unprepared, had taught college, but had no real prep for that age. I sorta snapped--I walked up behind the guy, picked him up, slung him under my arm, and deposited him back in his seat. I'm 6'5", he was a scrawny 5'6", I'd guess.

In retrospect, not the best way to have dealt with the situation. It certainly did get his (and the rest of the class') attention!

posted by mrmoonpie 08 May | 10:01

Yeah, I used to get bullied a lot too. Until one afternoon when I was about 14, I somehow got mixed up in a brawl of about 10 kids and got so enraged that I managed to pull off a lucky punch and floor the ringleader

The same thing happened to me when I was about ten. Jessica Sowter was her name, and she was a horrible bully. Her gang used to fight Georgina Redfearn's gang, and both gangs used to beat up the nerdy fat kids like me. But, oh! that day, when I hit back! It was such a victory that - and this is the God's honest truth - the other nerdy kids hoisted me up on their shoulders and did a lap of honour round the playground.

The next week it was back to "Oi! Fatgut!" BAM!

And yeah, you rock, Pips.

posted by essexjan 08 May | 11:56

Thanks for all the comments and shared stories, folks. The last couple of days have been much more peaceful, I must say. Hopefully it'll be at least another five years (or never, I could live with never) before there's another fight.

Interestingly, goo, I did once-upon-a-time receive some training in crisis response, including safe one-man and two-man take-downs. I'd taken a job right out of college at an in-patient facility/compound of sorts for adolescents (it looked like a small college campus), and the training was part of the two week orientation. The place seemed very understaffed, however, with two staff for thirty to forty troubled kids stacked four to six in a room with bunk beds. These kids were far beyond anything I generally face on a daily basis (one was there for setting his little sister on fire). I left not long after the training. It was just too much for me then. I think it would be now, too. I wonder if the place still exists.

posted by Pips 08 May | 18:54

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