Teachers Wonder If They Will Be The Next Target

For nearly a decade, I’ve served as an adjunct sociology instructor at various colleges in New York City, from Yeshiva University to Hostos Community College in the Bronx. I like and admire my pupils; many of them are juggling work and families along with school. And most of the time I think they like me too. But students have also gotten angry at me and blown up. I know I’m not the only teacher who, facing down an angry student, worries that he could come back firing off more than snide comments. The levels of trust and openness that are necessary for teaching are diminished every time someone opens fire in a classroom. Idle comments become vaguely menacing threats. Classrooms are no longer just about learning but also about observing — watching to see who seems upset, uninvolved, angry. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/opinion/teachers-need-trust-and-security.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120310