There is no doubt that teachers have a responsibility to maintain their calm and not give in to difficult and challenging students. Whilst this is harder than it sounds, teachers cannot afford to vent at their students.
When people ask me what are some of the most important skills required to be a good teacher, I always mention patience. To me, patience is an essential skill for every teacher. But patience doesn’t come straight away. It often requires years of practise and hard work.
That is why I think it is important to note that the teacher that wrote the word “stupid” on the child’s forehead was in his first year. Yes, he wrong to do what he did. Yes, he deserves to be sacked. But I hope he is not lost to teaching permanently just because of what he did.
A Tennessee teacher’s first year on the job could be his last. He could lose his job for something he did in the classroom.
It’s a simple school supply, but when a teacher, Alex Boles, used a permanent marker to write the word “stupid” on a student’s forehead, the director of Overton County Schools took immediate action.
“One word can break a child I mean I’ve got three children and I wouldn’t want it done to mine,” said Matt Eldridge, Director of Schools.
It happened last week at Allons Elementary. The K-8 school only has a few hundred students just outside Livingston, Tennessee.
One student had a question, and Boles responded and wrote the word on the student’s forehead in front of his classmates.
“The teacher said I was trying to joke with him and of course I’ve tried to talk to him and told him that’s not the way you joke with anyone,” said Eldridge.
Until last week, Boles taught math at Allons Elementary. He was new to the job, he just started this fall, and what many consider his lapse in judgment could cost him in the long haul.
“It’s kind of one of those mistakes that’s hard to correct,” said Eldridge.
The district will allow the teacher due process, but the director said he will insist that Boles lose his job. A big price to pay for a single significant mistake.
I still hold out hope that Mr. Boles has potential to be a very good teacher. It would be great if he was given the support to learn from his mistakes and is given a second chance in another school. I also hope he apologises profusely to the child involved, as well as the child’s parents.
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