Were these Teachers correct?

[Saint in Paradise]

From an article in our local paper, I know it's New Zealand but what do you think?

 

Some will no doubt defend the Teachers action, what would you have done if it had been Your property?

 

"What a weak society ( in NZ ) we have become, the latest sorry example being a group of school teachers walking behind a pupil watching him smash windows.

 

Unbelievable? This is exactly what happened last week at Albany Junior High School in Auckland. A Year 10 student, after a row with his girlfriend, decided the best way to vent his anger was to smash a few windows. In an "uncontrolled rampage" through the school grounds, three "concerned" staff members followed him as he roamed from block to block causing hundreds of dollars' worth of damage. The best the three teachers could do, was to ask the little brute to leave the grounds (thus go and cause havoc elsewhere), but surprise, surprise, he refused to go. Thankfully, the story came to a justifiable end with the boy punching a steel locker and badly damaging his hand.

 

The attitude of the school principal defies belief, but is typically par for the course with today's disciplinary thinking. He applauded the action (inaction I call it) of the three teachers in ensuring that the precious young lad was "safe" and that others around him were okay. No way would the principal have expected his staff to take the initiative and "man-handle" the student. Instead he said that they did "exactly the right thing" by adopting the soft approach, hanging back - and watching.

 

Of course, every case is different and I wasn't there to see how the whole sorry story unfolded, but given the odds of three adults against one school kid - despite many of these young dudes wearing size 12 shoes - they could have done better. Surely at the right moment they could have just jumped the little monster and held him down until help arrived. Any violence, even in self-defence especially when among young students, is a bad look, but what was the opinion I wonder, towards the three teachers when they were seen to stand back and do nothing. Did these teachers really do the right thing?

[JackFrost]

Actually I think they did,

 

It sounds like the lad (probably 14/15?) either had anger management problems to do all that and/or he doesn't sound like someone who gives a toss about the law.

 

I can't see the gender specified and without wanting to sound incredibly sexist, I doubt a group of even 3 middle aged female teachers would have fancied tackling a 14 year old boy who was in a mood as violent as that.

 

Or indeed 3 male teachers who saw this outburst of violence and wondered if the kid would think twice about carrying a weapon ie. knife

 

I know this story sounds like another overly liberal 'criminal human rights' story but having been a copper for 30 years I've seen too many have-a-go-heroes get seriously or fatally hurt trying to do the right thing.

 

If they didn't they certainly should have called the police but I certainly don't think they should have jumped him no.

[anothersaintinsouthsea]

Bit difficult to say. Not sure where your writing ends and the article you quote begins and ends. Re: the article it strikes me as an opinion piece rather than factual report. Did the boy threaten the teachers? Was he a big lad? Was he using a weapon to smash the windows?

Edited 14 December, 2011 by anothersaintinsouthsea

[Joesaint]

Think they should have stoped him, called the cops and charged him. Unless his parents pay for the windows!!

[Micky]

I dispair of such stories - fairly soon people like the child in the story will be dictacting us.

 

Should have battered 3 bales of shyte out of the little tyke and sent him home to his parents with a bill for the damage.