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This Just In...
Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
Public school teachers are sitting ducks
By Kevin Fischer
Tuesday, Apr 29 2008, 07:51 PM
I happen to know many current and former Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) teachers.
Because I’m very involved with MPS Athletics and have been for over 30 years, I’ve been a guest inside MPS schools, have made guest appearances and speeches and have known many MPS personnel.
Those in the rank and file, those on the front lines, the day-to-day teachers, while certainly open to criticism for being whiny, definitely have a thankless, challenging, and let’s face it, dangerous job.
The number of assaults made on teachers by students at MPS every year numbers in the hundreds. Teachers have literally no defense against often larger, tougher, evil, violent students if they choose to attack.
War zone is a phrase I’ve heard used by some MPS teachers used to describe their work environment.
Hyperbole?
I don’t think so.
In May of 2007, the Journal/Sentinel did an investigation on the climate inside MPS buildings. Care to trade in your desk job anyone. Here’s what the paper found:
• Dozens of teachers, administrators and staff are getting attacked. In the first semester of this school year alone, at least 127 MPS employees reported being physically assaulted by students or outsiders coming to campus.
• Elementary school teachers are falling victim to physical or verbal assaults nearly as much as those in high schools. Close to half the teachers assaulted this year work at elementary or K-8 schools.
• Far more Milwaukee students were expelled for bringing firearms to school last year than in all of the Chicago Public Schools, a district more than four times the size of MPS. In Chicago, unlike Milwaukee, high school students walk through weapons scanners every day, and handguns have virtually disappeared from the schools.
• The number of students expelled and suspended for drugs, violence and weapons has nearly doubled in the past five years, and many are simply transferred to other schools. Total MPS expulsions have tripled in the past 15 years.
• Police are called routinely to break up fights or deal with other disturbances. Staff at each of the district's 11 large high schools called police about twice a school day on average in the past six months.
The violence is worst at a handful of schools, and is caused by a small percentage of the district's 90,000 students. But their actions are taking a toll on staff, teachers, taxpayers and students who want to learn.
Safety costs have increased at a time when some schools are forced to cut their last music teachers or librarians. The district is spending $10 million on security this year, up about $1 million from last school year.
Dozens of injured teachers are filing worker's compensation claims, adding to the overall cost of school violence.
---Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, May 5, 2007
It’s happening all across the country.
Recently while filling in on WISN, my phone lines were jammed with outraged callers when I talked about third graders in Georgia plotting to kill their teacher.
Why so much violence in the schools?
Why are kids out of control?
You want the liberal excuses?
Here they are:
1) It’s not the kid’s fault. How can it be if his father and mother were no good.
2) His self-esteem is shot.
3) It’s society’s fault. Guilty white liberals, you think that's the truth, admit it.
4) There aren’t enough jobs. That one has always been a mystery. Gee, I’m unemployed. Should I look at the want ads or blow somebody’s fool head off? Hmmm…..where’s my gun?
5) Government doesn’t spend enough money on all those wonderful programs that work so well.
Naturally, like what’s inside the head of many liberals, this is all garbage.
Why do kids attack their teachers so often?
BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT, THAT’S WHY!
One of my favorite columnists, Doug Giles writes on this very topic as to why this has escalated into an epidemic:
“Here’s your answer: Pathetic parents + kids who’ve never had their butt whipped + psychobabble BS + a whopping entitlement mentality + Johnny can do no wrong attitude from the parental unit + too much self-esteem + blowing off God for secularism + violent movies, music, and video games + educators getting their hands tied behind their backs (both figuratively and now, nearly literally) = demonic third graders who’ll plan to duct tape a teacher and slit her throat if she happens to righteously rebuke them.”
Read Giles’ entire piece.
I feel bad for teachers at MPS or anywhere else for that matter that, like police officers, have no idea when they head to work everyday what kind of punk, hood, or thug they’ll have to deal with.
It is why I have commented that I do not dismiss outright the suggestion that trained, licensed school officials be allowed to bring guns to work for protection.
When teachers moan about 6-hour workdays, 9-month work years, having to buy crayons or other supplies, being forced to work assignments at extra-curricular activities like sports, they don’t get my attention.
Having to work in a minefield day after day……..no thank you.
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