An assistant principal at Collins Intermediate School in Corsicana, Texas  was injured when a student threw desks and a wooden coat hanger at her. She caught the first desk in mid-air and used it to fend off two others thrown by the student. He then threw a coat hanger which hit her in the eye, knocking it out of the socket. She's been left permanently blind in that eye. At last report, the student had not been charged.

A teacher in Pines Lakes Elementary School in Florida was beaten and hospitalized by a five-year-old special needs student who pounced on her so that she fell backwards and hit her head, resulting in a concussion. She sustained further injuries when he subsequently jumped on her, kicking, punching, and biting her causing wounds that will require surgery. For what it's worth, while most five-year-olds weigh roughly 40 lbs., this child reportedly weighed 50-60 lbs. (that’s a topic for a whole separate article)

Another Florida teacher was pummeled by a 17-year-old 6'7", 270 lb. special needs student. She suffered five broken ribs, a concussion, and lasting psychological effects after he knocked her down and then struck her over a dozen more times with punches and kicks. The attack was captured on video and has been viewed more than 10 million times. I believe what he did to her is referred to in the MMA as "ground and pound." The student was upset because the teacher had indicated that his gaming device was a distraction. 

These attacks are symptomatic of a disturbing pattern of violence against teachers and other students in our K-12 public schools. In two surveys conducted by the American Psychological Association educators were polled both during the pandemic and again when schools reopened. They were asked to describe their encounters with verbal harassment, threats, cyberbullying, and physical violence from students, parents, and guardians and other school personnel.

65% of teachers reported being the victim of threatening behavior or verbal harassment before the pandemic, and then 80% responded being victimized post-COVID 19. 42% responded that they were victims of physical violence before the pandemic and that number increased to 56% when schools reopened.

These events have an impact. The COVID lockdowns exacerbated a horrible situation in America’s public schools. Despite ever-increasing amounts of taxpayer dollars being pumped into our public schools, student academic proficiency has been dropping for years. Districts in some states (we’re looking at you, Chicago and Baltimore!) show no students performing at grade level. Add student misbehavior to the mix and you’ve got real problems, one being faculty retention.

Teachers are leaving the profession in numbers that are raising eyebrows. Washington State had more teachers leave at the end of the last school year than at any time in the last thirty years, and Maryland had more teachers leave than at any time in the last ten. Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina also saw more teachers than usual leaving the profession. High turnover among teachers destabilizes schools and has obvious deleterious effects on students. They lose trusted adults who are often replaced with new teachers or substitutes who may not be as skilled or experienced in the classroom, especially when they’re faced with students who may scream threats at them, flip over the furniture, or assault them.

As someone who has spent almost 40 years teaching math and science to students in grades 6-10, I can tell you that one of the best feelings teachers have is when we see a student’s face light up when he or she suddenly grasps a concept that had been eluding them. Before we teach for the first time, we naively imagine ourselves standing in front of a room full of students who are hanging on our next words. The reality is quite different. Some students may be eager to learn but others are bored while some may be hostile.

I don’t remember seeing or hearing about this level of hostility of students towards teachers when I began my teaching career in the 1980s. It seemed to rise to the surface in the last ten years or so. Yes, we had Columbine and other horrific events, but not at the rate we’re seeing now. Where’s it coming from?

More than a few places, of course. These include congenital factors such as ADDHD, autism and other special needs, dysfunctional home lives, chemical dependency, and more. I’d like to focus on one.

Screen time.

Kids are spending more time staring into screens than ever before, and when they play video games or engage with their friends on social media they get surge of dopamine, a “feel-good” chemical. It’s a short-term phenomenon and we can become accustomed to it, such that we require greater amounts or more long-term exposure to derive the same degree of satisfaction. In one survey, 30% of teens reported using social media “almost constantly” while almost half of adolescents between the ages of 11 and 12 reported losing track of how much time they were using their cell phones.

While some use of computers, tablets, and cell phones can certainly be educational and otherwise beneficial, there is a point of diminishing marginal returns which then transforms into impairment and even addiction. When the source of stimulation is removed, people can experience depression, anxiety, and hostility. It could be argued that listening to a teacher doesn’t provide the same sort of a dopamine “high” as playing Halo or Fortnite, and we all naturally prefer engaging in activities that are fun rather than those that require effort.

Excessive use of electronics for gaming and socializing is certainly not the only reason why students attack their teachers, but it is likely a contributing factor, and it’s worthwhile for parents to take a few common-sense steps to mitigate the problem. I suggest using the “5W1H Approach,” otherwise known as the “What Who When Where Why How Template.” Parents could work through these five steps in order to get a handle on the situation and begin to implement steps to manage it:

• What-describe the problem and its conditions
• Who-identify the individuals involved
• When-the time/duration including dates, deadlines, etc.
• Where-the location and processes of the problem
• Why-reasons for the problem and the needs for addressing it
• How-the mechanics of how something occurred

In conclusion: Kids need to socialize with other kids in their age group. They need to get outside and play. They need to learn how to manage conflicts with others who are older and younger than themselves. They also need to discover the infinite pleasures and benefits that can be found on the printed page. Kids who read for pleasure tend to be better learners.

One of the quickest ways to achieve these goals is to limit their daily screen time. Perhaps begin by limiting it to under one hour for children under 12 years of age, and 1 ½ to 2 hours for those between 12 and 18. Parents should also model proper use of technology by not staring into their own electronic devices for hours at a time.

When we dialogue with our kids they learn how to carry on conversations and how to handle verbal disagreements. When we show our kids how to cook, clean, perform ordinary household maintenance, and so on we teach them to be more self-sufficient.

The successful completion of these small tasks brings a small dopamine rush that’s ultimately more beneficial than the one we get from reaching the next level of Fortnite.

Image: David Lisbona