This Week In Education: Thompson: Lessons that Videos of School Violence Can Teach

This Week In Education: Thompson: Lessons that Videos of School Violence Can Teach:

Thompson: Lessons that Videos of School Violence Can Teach

by john thompson

A first rule of teaching is that the best way to help students is to avoid unforced errors, especially those that provoke negative reactions by students or adults.  So, this risk-adverse teacher has been reluctant to address the controversial video in the Daily News of a teacher using excessive force.  Those of us who see videotapes as a powerful tool for improving instruction, however, should be willing to discuss the lessons that can be learned from videos of the unnecessary use of force.
It is unfair to make a judgment about the video's first fifteen seconds before the altercation, and it was early in the morning and late in the year but, for what its worth, I saw no smiles, laughter, or greetings of students.  Then, the aggressive teacher ignored another first principle of dealing with problems - educators should use their feet, not their hands, when addressing disciplinary issues.  Being in the proper position is crucial. When the teacher rushed up to the student who