Classroom Terror

This article is written by Elena Chong and first published in The Straits Times on Mon, Apr 28, 2008.

A 15-YEAR-OLD student assaulted a teacher who tried to stop him from leaving the classroom without permission.

The juvenile, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to punching, pushing and holding onto the neck of the 34-year-old teacher at a school in the eastern part of Singapore on Feb 1.

The Juvenile Court heard that at about 11am that day, the juvenile assaulted the teacher who tried to stop him from leaving. The student used his shoulder to hit the victim's chest, and punched him a few times on the chest. When the teacher tried to break free, the boy held onto the victim's neck and pushed him to the wall, causing him to fall.

The teacher lodged a police report after seeking treatment in hospital. The court called for a probation report on May 27. Bail of $8,000 was offered.

Oh dear, I really hate seeing such stories. And they wonder why the turnover rate for teachers is so high. How to be an effective teacher when one fears for his/her life in the classroom?

I have actually felt fear several times before, breaking up a group of boys and girls provoking each other to fight, going up to boys to enforce obvious and god-knows simple discipline (hand up your work, stop sleeping, tuck in shirt, cut your nails, cut your hair...) Yes, all 155 cm of me. Facing growing boys all towering over me. Forget about the boys. Even the girls are a head taller than me!