Dangerous Schools: What We Can Do about the Physical and Emotional Abuse of Our Children

Many parents, students and educators would agree that school can be a very dangerous place. But according to Dr. Hyman, a Temple University education professor, educators are more likely to be the perpetrators of violence than students. Hyman, who began studying school violence in the 1970s, cites exaggerated media reports as the cause for public misperception about the problem. Though he insists that his aim is not to bash teachers, he clearly points the finger at educators for creating an environment that both provokes students to be violent and renders them helpless at the hands of excessively punitive educators. Admitting that ""during their careers, the majority of teachers do not intentionally or maliciously maltreat children,"" Hyman applies the word ""abuse"" with a broad brush, ranging from obvious physical punishments like paddling to such psychological mistreatment as when a teacher does not acknowledge a student with his hand raised. Other potentially dangerous situations include employing undercover police officers, excessive prescribing of Ritalin and other such drugs, strip searches, drug searches, drug testing and suspension. The majority of ""brutalized"" students, Hyman asserts, are from poor or working-class families. While his recognition of the inequities in the administration of corporal punishment and emphasis on seeking effective alternatives are undoubtedly laudable, Hyman fails to acknowledge the deleterious effects that chronic student misbehavior can have on the educational process. (Aug.)