This BLOG centers primarily around my opinions and personal experiences . . . all of which are TRUE and un-embellished – so, when I saw the incident of the Black Female Student being dragged out of the classroom by the White Police Officer, it got me thinking . . .
Some 60-Years ago, while in either grade one or grade two, I went to school in a two story old fashioned brick and mortar building, that was heated by a boiler in the basement and radiators in the class rooms, the halls, and the auditorium.
The image and story of this Black Girl being physically DRAGGED and handcuffed from class, made me think way back, and in a strange way, brought out some nostalgic and very pleasant memories – but they weren’t all pleasant then . . . STRANGE UH?
I could see the hardwood flooring, stairs, and railings. I could smell the steam heat off the radiators. And I could literally hear the words of our teachers, whose first names were never to be spoken.
To us . . . Our teachers were either – Mr, Mrs, Miss, Sir, and on the rare of occasions Mam, since Mam wasn’t a term often used in Canada.
When our teachers or any ADULT entered the room, we all stood, and didn’t sit until we were told to. And we never spoke in class, and always stood when asked to speak.
BUT LUNCH AND RECESS BELONGED TO US:
For lunch, we would eat what our mothers prepared for us, very often Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. But we also ate chopped-egg, hard-boiled egg, chicken, and whatever else that was left over from supper.
BUT NO MATTER WHAT WAS PACKED IN OUR LUNCH PAILS . . . IT WAS ALWAYS GREAT:
And during lunch, in the schoolyard, we would play really hard, playing DODGE BALL to bean each other, or RED ROVER, trying hard to tackle the person who was called to come over. And we played lots of TAG.
And occasionally, there were pushing matches and fistfights. BOYS WOULD BE BOYS.
And in the Canadian Winter, when the temperatures fell well below freezing, very often made worse with driving wind-blown snow and sleet, we bundled-up, went outside, and did the same stuff.
AND THEN THERE WERE RULES . . . MADE NOT TO BE BROKEN:
One day, a friend of mine (Patrick Gary), and I were WALKING FAST in the auditorium during recess, where there was a NO RUNNING RULE anywhere inside the school. Both of us were hauled in front of the Principal for RUNNING, which was debatable, since, as far as we were concerned we were not running. But that was irrelevant.
THE PUNISHMENT FOR RUNNING WAS THE STRAP:
My friend, who was used to getting in trouble, took it like a MAN. Me on the other hand, I cried like a baby, laid on the floor and wouldn’t give the Principal my hand, not because I was afraid of the pain . . . BUT BECAUSE I WAS TERRIFIED OF WHAT MY MOTHER WOULD DO AND SAY.
So . . . the somewhat elderly Lady Principle (Mrs Taibrith), with the very gray hair, in her wooden office with the warm and comforting steam coming from her radiator took pity on me, and instead of giving me several hard blows, she literally touched the STRAP to my hand just once.
JUST ONCE THOUGH . . . WAS MORE THAN I COULD HANDLE:
From her office, I met my friend Patrick Garry who was waiting for me, who took several hard whacks, whose hands were red, but smirked nonetheless; from where we walked back to class. So, I COW-BOYED-UP some, wiped my eyes so I wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of the class who knew of my CORPORAL punishment, and took to my desk, from where I couldn’t help myself, and put my arms on the desk-top, buried my face into my arms, and sobbed uncontrollably.
THE ONLY GOOD SIDE TO THIS . . . was that I inspired Gary to cry too, so at least I wasn’t alone in being a sissy.
WHEN I GOT HOME . . . I cried some more, in the telling of this to my mother:
SO HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED . . .
1 – My Mother read me the RIOT ACT, telling me that I deserved what I got, because the rules were the rules, and FAST WALKING was no less than giving my finger to the teachers.
2 – My Mother than went to the school, and had a meeting with the Teacher and the Principal, where she said in no uncertain terms, that if I were to act-up again, they were to call her, and she would provide whatever discipline that would be appropriate.
AND THEN MY MOTHER CONCLUDED WITH . . . if any adult in this school was ever to lay a hand on either of her children; my Mother would personally beat the hell out of the person responsible. AND SHE MEANT IT.
NOW I FAST FORWARD TO THE INCIDENT MAKING THE NEWS ALL OVER:
1 – Teachers have lost control of respect from their students.
2 – Students don’t necessarily say Mr, Sir, Miss, Mrs, or Mam when addressing a teacher.
3 – Forget about students standing when an adult walks into the room.
4 – Forget about Parents who raise their kids RIGHT and RESPECTFUL.
5 – Students know their RIGHTS, just like thugs know their RIGHTS on the streets, and are without fear or shame.
SO THIS IS HOW I SEE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE ALTERCATION:
1 – Give the cop a medal. INSTEAD HE WAS FIRED.
2 – Arrest and fine the girl with all the disrespect and serious ATTITUDE.
3 – EXPEL HER FROM SCHOOL PERMANENTLY – and make it known, that there will be ZERO tolerance using whatever tactics, physical or otherwise, that are needed to win-back the classroom, which is where the VALUES OF SOCIETY ARE CREATED AND NURTURED.
AS FOR ME . . . I LEARNED MY LESSON AND TOUGHENED UP:
I loved my MOTHER before she read me the RIOT ACT. And LOVED her far more after she went to bat-for me against the Teacher and Principal.
My Mother and Father taught my sisters and myself all about VALUES and CONSEQUENCES, which is something that is sorely lacking in today’s world, where the media (radio, music, movies, the internet, sports) teaches a VILE MESSAGE.
So . . . if parents won’t teach VALUES and RESPECT, especially single parent families, particularly in the BLACK Community with the HIGHEST Teenage Pregnancy Rate in America, don’t CRAP on the teachers and police when options are virtually non-existent.
SO AS IT STANDS NOW – THE COP HAS BEEN FIRED . . . so who in their right mind will be willing to deliver discipline, when a student acts out, and needs to be taken out?
PS – If you really want to see what our TEACHERS and COPS are up against, it’s not magic. Simply go to YouTube, and type GIRLS STREET FIGHTING, and be prepared to understand what our Teachers and Police have to deal with?
NOW THINK . . . HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH IT?
Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov
34 Comments
France just screwed Isreal once again, right on the heels of this, look at what they get.
Your blog sure brought back memories for me. Some good, some not, and that included getting the strap. I deserved it by the way. I’m afraid that our whole society has lost all direction. I agree that the Cop should get a medal!
Howard, you, like I and my family, came to America (US) from Europe (Poland in my case) for a better life. I attended Catholic Grade, Christian Brothers Prep, and a Jesuit College. Yes I am old(er) (70) but I remember those days well. If I ever got into trouble, and I did in Prep School, I was more afraid of what was waiting for me at home than what the good Brothers had for me at school. I have lost all hope for the black community because it simply does/will not play by the rules.
When a 15-year-old classmate of mine was disrespectful of our history teacher,
he was suspended, and rightly so, we all thought.
This certainly resonates with me. I, and my kids after, went to School in South Africa, where we were taught respect and good manners and discipline was strictly enforced. Caning on the backside was standard punishment until the 1980’s and parents did not interfere. ALL adults were called Sir or Mam and one stood up when an adult walked into the class or addressed you. Interesting how many S. Africans have become enormously successful world wide, partly as a result of their schooling
I went to Catholic Memorial High School in the Boston area, it was taught by the Irish Christian Brothers, (Who are ALWAYS addressed as “Brother”) Since the school was only a year old, it had no track record, BUT the immigrant nature of the greater Boston area, meant a “better than public school education”, to most parents. Look it up and check the acedemic performance, and accomplishments of it’s alumni, and their colleges. It’s old school all the way, ethics, morals, and growth.
Taught me!
Your description of the actual school made me think of the school I went to in Montreal – Strathcona Academy on Cote St. Catherine, in Outremont. I was wild in school, but good in French class – so I was noisy – me and about 6 boys. We were sent to the principal – the boys got strapped, and I was suspended for 3 days. Terror was in me, when I went home – my mom had no problem spanking the hell out of me. She was tough, but she believed in discipline, respect and values. Shame all that’s gone.
Sorry I am not with most of you on this as it looks like a Cop was being a bully; the one image we need to stop. I would liked to have seen him just slide the child, chair and all out of the class room and into the hall were she should be sent home. To me the world saw a cop beating up a little girl even though that is not what happened.
ACCOUNTABILITY, (or lack thereof) exactly what’s wrong with our youngsters today! Holding someone responsible for their actions is a lost art, always looking to place blame where it doesn’t belong is today’s answer!
I was 14 when I came to Canada and I was thought to respect my teachers in the old country. I was just learning English and I did not understand something in class, so I asked. For that I was told to go into the hallway, hold out my hand and I got whacked. It was a total shock to me because we never had anything like that in my old school in Hungary. My reaction was a kick in the shin for the teacher. Of course they called my mother who stood up for me just like yours.
FBI : Civil Rights Violation Investigation ? National News for 2 days now ? Pretty well says it all !!
Ever hear the expression You Reap What You Sow ? applies in spades here . No Rules No Values No Respect for authority or anything else “we” must be responsible for this mess , or maybe it’s just another Elitist Theory Gone Awry !!
I sincerely hope and pray the little darling’s cell phone was not damaged in the altercation , otherwise the Pres. may have to get involved !!!!!
I went to a church school. If got my rear end paddled in the hall by the teacher, I was in WAY bigger trouble when I got home. There’s a world of difference between discipline and abuse. I was never ABUSED in my view and I never got anything I didn’t have coming in spades.
You are so right Howard! Respect is non existent today. For anyone. This whole story is completely bass-ackward. That surly “student” should be the one ostracized from the classroom and the school. On her Cell phone and wouldn’t obey the Teacher. OMG! I can’t say what I would have wanted to do to the brat…and then to her parents, should she have two?
I have no problems with the police officer. It is his chief that earns my scorn. He reminds me of the chief in McKinney, TX that threw his officer under the bus long before any details of the incident were known. I doubt the school will get much support from the next officer assigned there. Who needs that kind of crap?
I didn’t get a strap, got a wooden paddle with holes in it. 3 soft or 1 hard wack. The teacher was PE and football coach. I was white, female, Soph, 15. We had to lean over desk in front of class. I chose 1 Wack, hit me so hard, I knocked the boy sitting in the desk into the aisle, desk and all. My crime, did not have my name on assignment paper ready. Left black and blue, Could not sit, w/not cry w/not tell my family would have been worse. He warned us day one should have listened.
70 years ago when I went to school it was unheard of for a police officer to be in a school. Problems were taken care of by the teachers and principal. Things certainly have changed and not for the better.
People will take advantage of you as much as you ALLOW them to! Today’s kids have been ALLOWED to “rule the roost”! The lack of adequate parenting is NOT the only reason for the decline in respect. Thanks to BHO, we have become an ENTITLEMENT society which has ALLOWED kids’ negative behaviors to be viewed as their being VICTIMS! Also, DISCIPLINE is seldom used, so people DON’T suffer the REPERCUSSIONS of their ACTIONS…so WHY behave and respect? ALLOW the cops to do their job with respect! AMEN
Bring back the Sisters, they knew how to keep order and your attention. With not enough of them to go around I had my Mother in 3-4 & 6th grades. I am sure you know how that went. Public Education has been in the tank for many years it all started in the late 50’s with NEA Union, down hill from there.
My mother raised 7 of us alone and we all learned to say sir or mam & this was in the 30s & 40s’. I blame the current problem on the Federal Government, they made it a crime to correct ones children. I raised 7 children as my mother did & I could take them to a store were they stayed with me & my wife. People would be surprised & ask if they were all ours & say they were well behaved. I said, “They know what will happen if they are not.” Can’t do that today, you would go to jail.
As much as I despise the corruption and destructiveness of the criminal organizations full of communists that are the private and public sector unions today, like teachers unions, I do have a great deal of sympathy for the individual teachers who have to deal with the primitive savagery of some people’s children on a daily basis. Maybe it’s time to revisit caning, even public stocks! What’s an effective alternative otherwise…
I too, attended Strathcona Academy in Montreal (Grades 6,7) the students referred to the strap as “The biffs”. We had to hold out our hands and the strap was applied to the palms. Only one stinging session worked for me. And my parents supported the punishment.
Correct as usual.
SO TRUE…….!!!!
I am sorry the cop lost his job… looking at the video , he did use excessive force ….but…we don’t know what was said,before he man handled her, also she refused to put her phone away when told….I think a few days off, with out pay, might have been enough …. and for her to apologize for being so disrespectful.
Great blog, Howard! I left teaching for just the reasons you state. The media is driving me NUTZ with their interpretation of this story. Even a VERY conservative talk show host today was upset with the cop. What no one in the media has said yet- the girl, er, young woman (she’s 18) disobeyed the teacher, the assistant principal, and the cop’s directions. That’s 3 strikes against her. There’s another video that shows her striking the cop in the face- seen that one? That one’s not being shown.
Amen, I posted my thought on Twitter and had the most vulgar threatening responses ever. That’s the problem…. people like the ones that responded to me like that. I pray to God they aren’t and never will be parents. By the way I told the threatening ones I would give them my address and they could come over and look at the barrel of my .357 or 12ga. No takers. Twitter cowards.
Trillions of dollars taken from working people have been used shamelessly by the left to breed and support a large, totally useless and unproductive segment of our society. They are albatrosses around the necks of decent Americans.
Ditto, Ralph. As for the article, I would NEVER have acted up as did the girl in question because I was afraid of the punishment I would have received from my parents (a spanking—horrors!) that I would have remembered the next time I wanted to be a snotty brat. For kids of my generation, breaking the rules just “wasn’t done!” Unlike too many kids today, we were brought up differently under conservative values.
The young female was wrong on all accounts, period – no excuses. She has issues that need investigation. Possibly issues in her home life. The officer did not need to use the amount of force as we witnessed. Two wrongs do not make anyone correct. Her skull could have been cracked open as she hit the floor. Love the sinner -hate the sin. Her actions were shameful, disrespectful, arrogant, unkind and grounds for an assault charge. The officer needed not to respond in such a reckless manner.
I still remember the 10 hard licks I got on the rump with a heavy stick by a Catholic school Brother for leaving my homework at home in the 50’s in Mississippi. I was humiliated in front of my classmates but didn’t yell out or tell my parents but it left a lasting impression and improved my memory
Good blog Howard but I disagree with your statement that the school is where “VALUES OF SOCIETY ARE CREATED AND NURTURED. Howard it is the home that creates the society we live in and the family is broken. I am eighty and I can’t recognize the world we live in and the school can’t fix it.
Spot on Howard, great article.
Yup, the spineless Sheriff, fired the brave officer that protects the school. The one who responds if there is a shooting, a knife fight, a hostage taken. The officer who puts his life on the line to protect the very student that he removed from class. Boo to the Sheriff, Boo Boooohhhh!
Students today have a serious belief in entitlement. They lie, cheat, blame everyone else for their failures, are undisciplined, demand good grades, plagiarize, break any simple rule because its nothing and doesn’t apply to them. This is what its like working (20+ years) with students in a university. Just imagine what unruly elementary and high school students are like today, which is where the university students learned this behaviour. Disciplinary committees won’t do anything – period.
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