Attacked by my student

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Readyrod

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I was teaching (English) at one of my high school jobs and one of my students was sleeping so I told the student next to him to wake him up. He didn't get up so I went over and shook his shoulder and he swung his elbow at me. This got me angry (It should have been a heads up/warning) so I nudged him again and yelled at him to sit up. He then got up and grabbed me by the shirt and we struggled. I was so surprised that he got me to the door before I realized he was planning to get me out of the classroom and into the corridor. I quickly put a stop to that. He may have just been trying to throw me out of the classroom but he also might have been trying to get me somewhere where there were no witnesses and he could hit me.
As it is I just got a call from the vice principle and the student is claiming that I grabbed him first. I can see this situation quickly going downhill. Luckily it never got to swinging, tho it came close. Now I'm wondering what to do. At least there was another teacher in the classroom so I should get some support from her.
I need to go over there tomorrow so we can sort this out. Any tips about what I should do would be much appreciated.
I also decided that I need to take up some martial arts. I don't want to hurt anyone but I have a wife and two young kids that depend on me and I can't afford to get hurt or lose a job.(one swing and a broken jaw and all the jobs are gone) The one thought that hit me while it was happening was that I could have ended it very fast by getting him on the ground fast. Maybe I should take up judo.
Gotta go to work. Another job.
 
The lesson you take from this is you don't try to help people who don't want to be helped. If a student wants to sleep through class not learn anything and spend his life employed at a menial job that slowly kills him (damn I need a beer) you should be more than obliging.

posted via tapatalk using android.
 
The lesson you take from this is you don't try to help people who don't want to be helped. If a student wants to sleep through class not learn anything and spend his life employed at a menial job that slowly kills him (damn I need a beer) you should be more than obliging.
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And then the populace blames the teacher because 'lil johnny' didn't learn anything in school.
 
Kaeto said:
And then the populace blames the teacher because 'lil johnny' didn't learn anything in school.
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Society will always need it's share of ditch diggers, trash pickup and food preparation. The populace doesn't always know what's best for itself as evidenced by the last .....

posted via tapatalk using android.
 
If that were me, and not saying that it's right, but I would have swung on him. That was an unnecessary attack on you. I think you handled it fine, just be honest, tell your side to the very best of your ability, and have your witness there to defend you. They're more likely to take your word over his, as you are a figure of authority.
 
My wife is a teacher, we've been round and round on this more than once.

It's a no win situation, for you.

Defend yourself, loose your job. Don't defend yourself, get injured so you can't work, loose your job.

Little sleeping thuggie ends up in the same place no matter what you do. Every second you waste on him is time you didn't spend with someone else that will appreciate and benefit from your time.

Want to know how many jail cells to build in 10 years? Count how many 8th graders read at a 3rd grade or lower level.
 
Must have been one boring lecture........especially for what your gettin' paid plus benefits.
It's gonna look bad for you whenever you put your hands on any student.....bad call there, IMO....kid might claim self-defense.
Good thing you have a second job...........
 
Readyrod said:
I was teaching (English) at one of my high school jobs and one of my students was sleeping so I told the student next to him to wake him up. He didn't get up so I went over and shook his shoulder and he swung his elbow at me. This got me angry (It should have been a heads up/warning) so I nudged him again and yelled at him to sit up. He then got up and grabbed me by the shirt and we struggled. I was so surprised that he got me to the door before I realized he was planning to get me out of the classroom and into the corridor. I quickly put a stop to that. He may have just been trying to throw me out of the classroom but he also might have been trying to get me somewhere where there were no witnesses and he could hit me.
As it is I just got a call from the vice principle and the student is claiming that I grabbed him first. I can see this situation quickly going downhill. Luckily it never got to swinging, tho it came close. Now I'm wondering what to do. At least there was another teacher in the classroom so I should get some support from her.
I need to go over there tomorrow so we can sort this out. Any tips about what I should do would be much appreciated.
I also decided that I need to take up some martial arts. I don't want to hurt anyone but I have a wife and two young kids that depend on me and I can't afford to get hurt or lose a job.(one swing and a broken jaw and all the jobs are gone) The one thought that hit me while it was happening was that I could have ended it very fast by getting him on the ground fast. Maybe I should take up judo.
Gotta go to work. Another job.
Click to expand...

1. Don't touch the students.
2. Don't touch the students.

(presuming you are/if you were in US) Self defense is not going to fly necessarily in a school setting as it would on the street if you are the teacher. You knowing judo or Martial arts will get you sued. As stated above, at that point if they refuse to listen or act right leave them be. Yelling is one thing but touching them is another. It's going to be your word verses his.
 
The lesson you take from this is you don't try to help people who don't want to be helped.
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Yep. Let him sleep and make a note of it if/when the school board wants to know why his grades are in the the tank.

Like the man said:

"Ya can't make a horse drink water, but you can sure get wet tryin' to."
 
1. Don't touch the students.
2. Don't touch the students.
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Yea, no kidding. I learned that one good.

You knowing judo or Martial arts will get you sued
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I know but if it keeps me from getting seriously damaged I'll go for door #2, a closet full of lawyers. Also I have another job in the area and I often see my students when out for a walk. I don't know where this kids headspace is (well I do, he is capable of assault, he just did it today) but I don't want him to do the same thing on the street.

Defend yourself, loose your job. Don't defend yourself, get injured so you can't work, loose your job.
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That's the bottom line.
 
Lots of bad advice here.

Do you want to keep your job? If the answer is yes, swallow hard and apologize to the student, parents, and all involved. Divert their attention by talking about the importance of paying attention in class. A bit of well-placed humor might even help to smooth things over a bit.

Then never touch a student again unless it involves loss of life or limb. Don't even speak harshly to them. There are other ways of getting your point across.

This is the cold, hard truth of the matter.
 
As for the martial art, well you might want to consider either Judo or Brazilian jujitsu. Both emphasize take-downs / taking the fight to the ground
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Even as we were struggling I knew I couldn't hit him. I bet he knew it too. I figure he wanted to drag me out of the classroom and start hitting me an if I defended myself he could claim I hit him first. His story is that I told him to stand up and then grabbed him, so he grabbed me back. I don't know how he is going to explain why he had to then drag/push me to the door. Anyways a quick takedown would have ended it all very fast and I think that would have been the best thing.

Must have been one boring lecture........especially for what your gettin' paid plus benefits.
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I didn't make the lesson plan, the other teacher did. My plans are purposely active to keep them on their toes. And unfortunately there ain't no benefits. I'm paid by the lesson.
 
get a written statement from the other teacher and also maybe announce to the other students that if they want write down what happened. Good luck.
 
get a written statement from the other teacher and also maybe announce to the other students that if they want write down what happened
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I agree but remember this is Japan so it's not as easy as it seems. It being Japan tho gives me a bit of a break as a teacher. I'll try to get everything down on paper at the meeting tomorrow. I think I can already prove he is lying so I have to get it down.

I just didn't think this could happen. (yea I know, famous last words. I said the same thing about nuclear meltdowns after the quake in March, I bugged out on that one. Now I check the radiation hotspot map before I go anywhere new) Anyways I got complacent. If I had been ready he never would have been able to grab me in the first place. After the quake I realized that if you are only ready for one thing, you aren't ready. I don't know how to fight unarmed so I better learn before something happens again.
And I really need to work on my situational awareness.
 
I like some of the advice given above, particularly the part about "don't touch the student" and the part given by Sleazyrider on how to keep your job...

Now for the stuff no one has talked about that directly involves possible confrontations...

Any time you wake up someone who's sleeping when they're not supposed to (whether in school, church/synagogue, in a car or anywhere else...) you may be starting a confrontation whether you intended one or not. In police work long hard experience taught that you never, never wake up a potential problem without backup present.... In my career there was one awful example that cost two officers their lives in the seventies (an FHP trooper and a visiting Canadian constable) down here in south Florida. I learned the hard way that you might actually have to outrun one or two of them to get to a defensible position before going to war.... You're only intending to wake them, the other side of the equation may take it as a direct assault and come up swinging (or reaching for whatever weapon is closest).

This is not something I ever saw taught in any police academy but it's the kind of stuff that every rookie will be taught on the job - hopefully by a first rate field training officer before it gets them in a kill or be killed situation.... Can't stress too much how dangerous it can be to wake up some individuals.... I wouldn't poke a sleeping bear with a stick... some two-leggeds are more dangerous, particularly up close.
 
A class room full of kids and you can find no one to back you up? Sad!
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I'll find out tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that the other teacher will back me up. If the kid keeps on babbling nonsense he'll just get in more trouble, I hope. I just don't know the behind the scenes stuff. This is a high level music school. Some of these kids do concerts all over the world. It may be easier to ditch the English teacher and forget the whole thing. On the other hand I have a feeling that the other teachers might not want the kid around. It might be scary for them.
 
If these are Japanese students in a Japanese school, then I would expect the school to side with you. The students may or may not support you, but the school administrators will want to maintain order. They will be reluctant to encourage future bad behavior by this student or his classmates by punishing you in any way discernible to the class.

Now, American students in an American school...different story.
 
If these are Japanese students in a Japanese school, then I would expect the school to side with you. The students may or may not support you, but the school administrators will want to maintain order. They will be reluctant to encourage future bad behavior by this student or his classmates by punishing you in any way discernible to the class.
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Yup, Japanese students in a Japanese school. And I hope you're right.
 
Then never touch a student again unless it involves loss of life or limb

A family member who is a teacher (in the US) got suspended for a few days not long ago for dragging a student who was hanging out of a window back into a moving schoolbus ... just before a large truck passed them on the same side. I'd say that situation involved danger to life/limb, but it didn't matter.
 
SleazyRider said:
Lots of bad advice here.

Do you want to keep your job? If the answer is yes, swallow hard and apologize to the student, parents, and all involved. Divert their attention by talking about the importance of paying attention in class. A bit of well-placed humor might even help to smooth things over a bit.

Then never touch a student again unless it involves loss of life or limb. Don't even speak harshly to them. There are other ways of getting your point across.

This is the cold, hard truth of the matter.
Click to expand...
I know this. I would NEVER make it as a teacher if I had a slow leak in my class. Most of our societal problems come from the lack of restraint and control from people that SHOULD command respect. ex: parents, teachers, police. No one can touch these little brats and they are left to go wild, knowing that they can do almost anything and get away with it. I'm not that old and I remember when our neighbors, businesses, schools and darn near EVERYONE could get me in trouble and subject to a whoopin'. Nowadays...they don't worry about it!
 
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