Teacher sacked for putting a student in a head lock despite being punched by the youth

[nero_bolt]

Teacher sacked for putting a student in a head lock despite being punched by the youth says staff are powerless 

 TEACHER who was sacked for misconduct including putting a student in a headlock after the youth punched him said the NSW education system left teachers "powerless to discipline kids".

Science and agriculture teacher Stephen Krix was fired from Riverstone High School when he fought back against a year-10 student who refused to work and punched him in the face during a class.

Mr Krix - a "squarely built" 51-year-old who had worked in various public and private teaching roles since 1989 - told The Sunday Telegraph he acted in self-defence when he put the "slight" student in a headlock during a science class in May 2011.

The incident came after the student refused to take off his headphones, told Mr Krix to f*** off several times and punched the teacher when he stood close to him with a worksheet and refused to move

.

The incident was outlined in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission last Wednesday where Mr Krix lost an appeal against the sacking he claimed was "harsh, unreasonable and unjust".

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Krix, who now works in the security industry, said the public system was failing kids because teachers feared being sacked if they disciplined students.

He said students were leaving public schools without the self-restraint required to cope with post-school life.

It's a joke - that's why people are running to private schools," Mr Krix said.

"Eighty per cent of kids are screwed over by the state system because of a lack of discipline given to a minority of bad kids who disrupt classes," he said.

"You have to have zero tolerance … if a kid is behaving badly in the classroom he needs to be extracted and all the kids that are behaving themselves need to be able to get educated."

In relation to the student, Mr Krix said: "It's not like he's some sort of pathological killer … he's just a kid who needed discipline and wasn't getting it. If he's given the guidelines then he knows where the boundary is".

A NSW Department of Education and Communities representative told the commission Mr Krix should have stood down from any physical confrontation.

The representative said the Teaching Service Act meant that teachers had to respond to situations with the safety of students being the top priority.

more here http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/teacher-sacked-for-putting-a-student-in-a-head-lock-despit...

A very true comment from a poster on that page....

The day will come when no one will want to become a high school teacher...it has been getting worse for years now.

Education will be  via the internet for a teacher's safety .T

he students hold the power .  

Has anyone got the guts to swing this around...I doubt it.

Then again, anyone who wants to become a secondary teacher in the public system ,I guess, deserves all that is coming their way if they haven't heeded the warning signals by now to AVOID this once great profession! 

[lakeland27]

''Mr Krix, who now works in the security industry''
where he belongs. his choice of a new career says it all.. 

[bluecat*dancing]

I hope the student was charged with assault. Corporal punishment is not the answer. Using violence as a punishment for violence smacks of double standards.

Discipline does begin at home but violence often does beget violence.

[lind9650]

LL, I would like to see your immediate reactiion when a 15 -16yo punches you in the face in return to a civil request?

It's easy tto stand on the sideline and say; I would do this and that. Nobody is prepared for a sudden, unprovoked attack and does not know how they would react.

Erica

[i-need-a-martini]

There must be more to the story.

A teacher wouldn't be sacked for an incident like this. Particularly given the alleged situation. They might be disciplined. They might be moved to another role in the education system. But they wouldn't be sacked.

I suspect the teacher had a history of doubtful behaviour and a long line of disciplinary reports.

[*mrgrizz*]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

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@lind9650 wrote:

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@*mrgrizz* wrote:

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@lakeland27 wrote:

the boy would be excluded usually . if the teacher was sacked its as a result of going too far, he needs to be sacked. if a teacher had my son in a headlock he'd be dealing with me.

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and if your son punched me, you would be dealing with me

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Me too!

If my son would have punched a teacher because he wanted hom to take the earplugs out , my son would have gotten more than just a headlock from me.

Discipline and respect has to be taught at home, and if that fails, I blame the parent.

Erica

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you aren't a teacher , and if you were you'd be sacked too. the method is kicking him out, not headlocks.

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and how do you remove them without touching them?

a headlock is a form of restraint

[*crikey*mate*]

In Qld at least, they are allowed to use adequate measures, including restraint to keep themselves, the child and other children safe. (From a principal of a public school in Mt Isa).

I'm wondering if there is more to this story.

[bluecat*dancing]

That's a good point, Martini. I was thinking about what I would want to happen to the teacher if it was my kid who was involved.

1. I would be shocked because my kids were raised to be respectful.

2. My child would be punished appropriately

3. I would want the teacher held to account and recieve relevant conflict  resolution training.

4. If the teacher had a history of manhandling students then I would want him to be fired.

[bluecat*dancing]

The high school that I went to was rough. It was commonplace for certain teachers to slam students into lockers etc and not unknown for a teacher to be beaten up by a student although it was rare. It was an out of control school with discipline that was biased. Certain students were victimised while others were given free reign. It was a **bleep**py school.

[lakeland27]

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@*mrgrizz* wrote:

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@lakeland27 wrote:

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@lind9650 wrote:

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@*mrgrizz* wrote:

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@lakeland27 wrote:

the boy would be excluded usually . if the teacher was sacked its as a result of going too far, he needs to be sacked. if a teacher had my son in a headlock he'd be dealing with me.

---

and if your son punched me, you would be dealing with me

---

Me too!

If my son would have punched a teacher because he wanted hom to take the earplugs out , my son would have gotten more than just a headlock from me.

Discipline and respect has to be taught at home, and if that fails, I blame the parent.

Erica

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you aren't a teacher , and if you were you'd be sacked too. the method is kicking him out, not headlocks.

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and how do you remove them without touching them?

a headlock is a form of restraint

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it appears those details are missing. if the teacher acted properly he wouldn't be sacked i know that much .. this guy appears to have gone too far, if he hadn't the review proccess would have cleared him and he would have kept his job. so one can safely assume he's not equipped for this job, thats why he went into security work i'd guess. the article says the student is 'slight' and the teacher is built .

the ex-teacher is obviously a thug better suited to handling drunks not teenagers. good riddance.

[just_me_karen]

It's from a populist magazine, not a newspaper with reputable journalists...and this means the story is skewed towards popularity and readership income, ie the facts are missing but the drama and scandal remains.