The principal told her it was HER fault!

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0408/510097.html

As you have said before sadie, school has changed, and not for the better. When are teachers going to get combat pay as they should at this point?

There seem to be many more violent children now. The story was just out about the teen girls who beat another girl for half an hour.

Any idea why young people have turned so violent?

I think there are many reasons. They are angry about many things.

Lack of parents being there (too busy or uncaring)
Dads in prison
Parents doing drugs
The kids are doing drugs
Lack of discipline at home
Violent video games (they see so much, they think it is ok)
Violence on TV (again they are exposed to so much)
Sick of being poor and doing without
The rich kids need the entertainment (they enjoy it and parents will defend their behavior)

I could go on and on.

Our biggest challenge this year is the students bring those Monster drinks (high energy loaded with sugar and food coloring) to school and hide them in their lockers. As if middle school kids need any help with being hyper??????? They drink one before school and then bring a back up for lunch or to sneak sips through out the day. Now that HAS to be put on the parents. Can we really ask the parents NOT to let their kids drink these drinks?

Coke and Mountain Dew was bad enough - this is a whole new ballgame.

You can't shut them up and get them to sit down and LISTEN.

Oh, I am so glad I'm no longer in the public school/classroom rat race, sadie!

I totally agree with you as to what is wrong with kids today. But where I work part-time, I am teaching a few students who are on probation. Their school attendance is part of a judge's orders. They're not stupid, and they're not behavior problems in the learning lab....yet. They tell me a little about their troubles, and they always include the lack of parenting and the disrespect they have for themselves. Many of them cite uncaring teachers/principals and cruelty from other students. They all realize they made bad choices, but I don't know if they'll really make a change, although by the time they get to me, they've already hit rock bottom.