Schram: Teacher in bullying incident needs a new career
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The lawyer laughs when asked if his client is a bully.
The Peninsula School Board shrugs and says the public shouldn't rush to judgment.
The teacher is being paid not to teach.
The student is in counseling and has had to change schools.
Such are the circumstances surrounding a Gig Harbor middle school kid who was videotaped being tormented in his classroom by a swarm of classmates who, among other things, pulled the kid's underwear up into a wedgie; stuffed socks in his mouth; forced him to the ground and covered him with chairs as they sat on him, all as the teacher watched and laughed.
Oh yeah, said teacher - whose lawyer giggled when asked if his client was a bully - took part in the ‘merriment’, at one point posing with his butt above the kid's head and expressed the sentiment that he felt "gassy."
The teacher was initially suspended for 10 days and sent off to another school.
The parents of the victim have since filed a criminal complaint and the teacher is now on paid administrative leave.
If criminal charges should be brought against the teacher, let the justice system sort it out.
But the fact is, with what is known, the teacher should have his gassy butt kicked to the curb.
He can't be trusted with children.
He is a bully.
And that's something that neither he, or his lawyer, can just laugh off.
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Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also hook up with Ken on Facebook.
The Peninsula School Board shrugs and says the public shouldn't rush to judgment.
The teacher is being paid not to teach.
The student is in counseling and has had to change schools.
Such are the circumstances surrounding a Gig Harbor middle school kid who was videotaped being tormented in his classroom by a swarm of classmates who, among other things, pulled the kid's underwear up into a wedgie; stuffed socks in his mouth; forced him to the ground and covered him with chairs as they sat on him, all as the teacher watched and laughed.
Oh yeah, said teacher - whose lawyer giggled when asked if his client was a bully - took part in the ‘merriment’, at one point posing with his butt above the kid's head and expressed the sentiment that he felt "gassy."
The teacher was initially suspended for 10 days and sent off to another school.
The parents of the victim have since filed a criminal complaint and the teacher is now on paid administrative leave.
If criminal charges should be brought against the teacher, let the justice system sort it out.
But the fact is, with what is known, the teacher should have his gassy butt kicked to the curb.
He can't be trusted with children.
He is a bully.
And that's something that neither he, or his lawyer, can just laugh off.
-----
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also hook up with Ken on Facebook.
Perhaps we should install web cam in classrooms so parents can see what's going on in their kids' school life.
Fire him! Bullying kids has finally come out of the closet because of a number of well publicized teen suicide. Schools should have an enforced "No Bully" policy. Bullying should be grounds for expulsion if kids are involved and for dismissal if a staff member is involved. I'm sure most of us remember being tormented by a school bully. Let it end now,
Well I am usually one to side with teachers but this one has no place in a school. If the parents end up suing I for sure hope they sue the teacher and not the district as that teacher should have put a stop to that behaivor and not PARTICIAPTED ... sheesh and they wonder why people are begining to favor homeschooling their children. Based on how this district fails to prevent bullying it really makes it hard for me to want to subject my children to this. Private school or homeschool is lookign VERY good about now!Â
If some knuckle-dragging jerk teacher did that to one of my kids I would be the one going to jail...
Olympia School District fires coach over conduct of students on a field trip while he was NOT PRESENT AT ALL. Peninsula School District refuses to fire teacher who actually TOOK PART in equally egregious conduct IN HIS OWN CLASSROOM.
Time for a new school board in Peninsula SD!
The teacher should be fired. It's obvious by his actions that he should no longer be a teacher. Children go to school with the belief that if something bad happens, the teachers, counselors, etc. will be there to help them; to protect them. This teacher is part of the problem. This child was being tormented and he couldn't go to his teacher for help because this teacher was part of the torture. Teachers are not being paid to be our children's friends. They are there to teach our children and watch out for them while they are there. I wouldn't trust this man with any children ever again. I had an experience in middle school where a teacher of mine made fun of me in front of the kids that bullied me on a daily basis. It is so disheartening when you feel you have no where to go and once that happened I had trouble trusting that anyone cared what happened to me. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had taken it up with the principal because what that teacher did was very inappropriate. Obviously by letting this man continue to be a teacher, the school board is saying that they have lowered their standards for our teachers and that the children's safety doesn't matter.
I have a "sorta" friend who is a high school English teacher. She is my age (45); dyes her hair pink; left her husband and two boys nine years ago to "pursue happiness"; admits to telling her female students "all men suck"; and has extremely poor grammar and spelling skills to boot. I would remove my children from the school if I even ran into one teacher who dyes his/her hair pink. As a teacher, one should uphold the ideals of the epitome of society.
 @Star96 Not so troubled by the pink hair, but the "all men suck" statement may constitute sexual harassment and/or sex discrimination in context.
As my sister (retired school teacher) noted once, most public school teachers have never known any other environment: they went through school, went to college (school) became teachers and went to work in a school. Many have never really grown up from their own teen or even pre-teen years: they think school is how the world works. A few manage to become administrators (principals and such) and then they KNOW that school is how the whole world works or should work! :-\
My word....the teacher should be fired!! Pure and simple. No matter what the circumstances in terms of behavior of a child, you NEVER should do that as an adult, and most certainly not as a teacher. How disgusting.
40 years ago, I got a very well deserved hack from the VP. No one would have contested it.
Today he would be in prison.
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I'm not saying what this guy did deserves a pass. But things have changed.
In my day, I was responsible. Not the instructor of the class.
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Yes, he should be held accountable. But to what extent?
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@bobalouie To what degree? He is 100% accountable! He was the adult in charge of a group of children...the fact that he not only did nothing to stop them but participated as well makes him just as guilty of assault as the kids involved.
I wonder what would be happening to that teacher if that child had died during the 'horseplay'? I've witnessed teachers with anger problems cause physical harm to students and get fired. I've never seen a teacher engage in something like this. A teacher and an adult should not be doing this kind of crap with students. No wonder kids today are sick of school.
Just remember, our public dollars are used to pay him to do this to our kids.Â
This teacher is a disgrace. The fact that he not only allowed but participated in this behavior tells me that he does not have the mentality or maturity to be able to handle this position. His teaching license should be revoked. There is no excuse for what he did. I know some people think he should go through training, etc., but when it comes down to it, integrity and common sense can't be taught. You either have it or you don't.
 @The WA Mama He should go through training - for a new career field.Â
Said it before and will say it again. It was criminal of the teacher and the school board is complicate.
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@codetalker um, you mean complicit?
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 @bagsofdirt  @codetalker Shhhhh! It's code! :-D
Depends on what started the whole affair. Was the kid being a bully? Being disruptive in class? Having his fellow students mock him is how its done in the military. The teacher pulling his pants down though crosses the line. The teacher should be reprimanded for that.
Schools need more structure for the kids to learn. If a kid is continually being disruptive kick him out so the other kids have a chance to learn.
 @Blindman Depends on who started the affair? Tell us that you're kidding please. He is a paid state employee, and should be setting an example as a teacher to other students. He is an adult for God sakes! He needs to act like one. The school board if they had any balls at all would have fired him after a hearing. When you have video tape of it though, not much to argue about. The teacher obviously has some issues and should not be allowed to teach again anywhere - end of story.
@Blindman No, the teacher should be FIRED for his un-professional and harmful behavior. No ifs, ands or but(t) s.
We, . send our children to school to get an education and expect our teachers to protect the children. this was not done . We tell our kids if someone is bullying you go to your teacher. To have an educated (man) What do we do? Demand that teacher be fired. To give him paid leave is an insult to the education system. they have proof this scum was bullying this kid, come on school board, grow a pair. fire that pervert immediately. show our children they can be safe in thier classrooms. If he gets away with it shame on the school board and shame on us as a country letting this happen. sending him to another teaches this (man) nothing but hey I got away with it. fire him now. show us you can do the RIGHT thing.
For once I agree with Ken! Kicked that bullying "teacher" arse to the curb!
I had a teacher that use to beat kids with a paddle everyday at school. They made him a Senator for this state. He was a strong advocate for corporal punishment. Were does that put him in today's terms? I guess he would be a criminal...
 @Grumpa Yeah, I knew one of those guys also. Had a closet full of paddles with various names, which all the major bullies in the school both respected and salivated over. Teacher ended up quitting teaching (at least of 6th grade) to do something for the Seattle Police Department.
The holes in the paddles mentioned below, BTW, help prevent an air cushion from forming just as the paddle meets the skin. They also permit the skin to deform into the holes, causing internal tearing and additional pain. Pretty much goes along with waterboarding and high-decibel noise torture, IMHO.
Gym teacher I had in 7th & 8th grade kept athletic shoe soles (i.e. sans the canvas uppers) for very much the same purpose. Applied through thin gym shorts, the flexible rubber was pretty much like any whip.
Some percentage of teachers - perhaps as many as 10%-20% - are simply frustrated old bullies training up the next generation of bullies.
@Grumpa Politician - criminal - aren't they the same word? ;)
@Grumpa Tacoma, 1975-1979. Jason Lee Junior high. Doug Neese, gym teacher had two paddles, routinely built for him by shop teacher Mr. Long. For various infractions you were given a "half hack" w/ the small paddle or a "full hack" with the large paddle. You could trade a full hack for two half hacks. All this done in full view of your peers. If you chose the full hack, your name was carved in that paddle and hung up in the gym office. Shop teacher Long promptly built a replacement. I guess the entire school staff would go to prison these days.
@bagsofdirt - samething when I went to school - we had several teachers and assistant principles who did the paddle and name carving - became a 'badge of honor' among some of the boys at school. Not sure if this would be bullying however? I still don't believe in a teacher paddling students however - too many people with anger issues.
 @bagsofdirt  @Grumpa Yes, Jacks paddles were special also. He had holes drilled in them to reduce drag. Usually the student went to gym class with holes clearly visible on their rear-ends.
@bagsofdirt There is a reason that paddling isn't allowed in schools anymore. NO ONE has the right to physically punish a child except for their parents. PERIOD.
@Tattooed_Angel ....prolly why we've got so many gangbangers floating around. No one ever disciplined much less cared about them.Â
 @Tattooed_Angel  @bagsofdirt That may be true but the parents were not around at the time of the infractions. And I have to say, that for the few that got the paddling, the rest of us got the message. You did not mess around in class like they do now, you gave full attention to the goal at hand.  Â
 @Grumpa Please name him.
 @Furd No problem. He was the schools disciplinarian. Senator Jack Metcalf.
 @Grumpa Thank you, I have no problem in believing that about Metcalf. He was pretty much a nutcase in many other areas as well.
His new career can be making fresh new licsence plates....in prison. That is where he belongs. I used to hae a teacher that was a bully long long ago, and I was one of his many victims. This teacher ended up going to prison for having inappropriate relations with a 14 year old, and was caught in a major sting operation (no, it was not "To Catch a Predator")
time to toss him, his lawer and the union keeping him in his job out of state. Remember this incadent and the others like it in November.....
He's union, they are above the law. He won't get fired.Â
 @GeorgeG. Union members are NOT above the law.
Um gee, I went to school once. I also went to school with John Rosi. He's not a friend of mine. What happened to that kid is what happens to kids that are popular and well liked. Yup, it's horseplay and probably shouldn't have happened in this day and age. When Rosi and I went to school together, this sort of thing went on quite often, mostly with male teachers who were either gym teachers, or coaches in other sports.
This kid in Gig Harbor (the land of the prima donnas) wasn't a victim until his parents made him one. They're in it for the bucks now. They've cried wolf and can't back down. Separating him by placing him in a private school and continuing to draw attention to this ridiculously frivolous, insignificant occurence is what's going to end up damaging this kid for life.
OMG listen to you. you sound like a bully too. you must not have ever been bullied, but yes that kid was a victem horseplay and what they all did to that kid was bullying and that teacher should have stopped it instantly
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@beverly covell Yes, the teacher SHOULD have stopped it instantly, but instead chose to join it. He should not be a teacher, period.
 @bagsofdirt Yeah, I went to school once (actually for 180 days a year for twelve full years) and I was also the brunt of bullying at times. But what happened fifty years ago was WRONG just as it is WRONG today. At least today most people are more cognizant of the dangers of bullying.
@bagsofdirt Have you seen the video of what other students and this POS teacher did to this kid? THEY STUFFED A SOCK IN HIS MOUTH AND PUT A PILLOW OVER HIS FACE. He could have accidently died. Fact is, what those students and teacher did is NOT horseplay. It is out right bullying and there should be ZERO tolerance.
 @bagsofdirt So I guess you (or Rosi) had been a target of everyone else's "horseplay" before since this sort of thing went on quite often? Of did it ONLY happen to those other kids? To me a bunch of kids playing rough together is horseplay, when all kids are targeting a single kid cease to be that. We horseplayed with our children (and among themselves) a lot, but we never even thought about taking off someone else's sock and stuff it in his mouth.
@1000 ...This is the type of thing that happens to a kid on his birthday etc..I don't know Rosi very well. I do know him well enough to know that if he felt a kid was being victimized or in a physical fight, he would intervene, and physically if necessary. In this day and age, most teachers would merely "observe and report", citing the fact that the police should intervene in a fight amongst kids. This whole thing has gotten ridiculous and everyone screaming to hang him by his nuts are a bunch of bleating sheep.Â
@MythAlpha @1000 ....Observe and report is what's wrong with our society, formerly known as the "I don't want to get involved" syndrome. Perps are allowed to complete their heinous act w/o fear of intervention. The officials, school administrators, government, police are only their to mop up. Rosi didn't join in on abuse. He joined in on horseplay. He was most certainly wrong but he doesn't deserve to be eviscerated.
 @bagsofdirt  @1000 Observe and report is a better policy than joining in on the abuse.
Ken, you should have added " behind bars."
this teacher is a giant DB and i can assure you if my kid came home and told me about something like this it would not be the justice system the teacher would have to worry about