Teacher musings

On the subject of teaching kids to fight...
To each his own. My father taught me not to take crap, and to always stand up for what I believe. And if I'd have been a boy, he likely would have taught me how to throw a punch in case I ever needed to. However, he would have FIRST taught me to follow the appropriate steps, such as verbal communication and asking for help, before resorting to physical violence as a last resort, to be used only if all else had failed. I don't think there is anything wrong with teaching kids to stand up for themselves. I do, however, think it's wrong to teach a kid that they can whine and cry behind closed doors, never approach authority for help, and then punch somebody in the face and be patted on the back for it. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

On the subject of 'what'...
I know we here in the south are oddballs, and the only ones left in the free world who think it's necessary to use yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir and no sir. However, I would like for parents to at the very least teach their kids that the following are not appropriate responses to give the teacher, or anyone else for that matter... What? Huh? Why? Why not? Do I have to? No.
I can't count the number of times in a day I call a student's name, only to be retorted to with, "Whuut?" I'd prefer, under almost any circumstance, that when I ask a question, call a student's name, give a set of instructions, or ask for a favor, that the students would simply and to the point say, "Yes ma'am" or even just a simple "Yes" would do fine. Yes ma'am it would.

On the subject of whole class punishments, for those who are against it...
Compare it to team sports. During a football game, when there is a foul resulting from the actions of one player, the entire team is penalized with lost yards.  Nobody seems to mind when they're watching the Super Bowl.  Just sayin'...