When the Threat is not so Empty: Safety in an Academic Setting
Monday, May 1, 2006
Critical Issues in Education
A— pushed himself away from the table, picked up his chair and yelled, “I’m going to bash your face in with this chair.”
A— was threatening another student, R—. Both were third-grade students, and this incident took place in an at-school after-school program they were both enrolled in. The after-school day was almost over and all students were engaged in some form of “choice activity.” A— and R— were making Lego structures at one of the tables towards the center of the classroom. A— was a very big kid—not overweight, but solidly built. One would have assumed that he was at least a year older than he actually was if going based on looks alone. R— was much smaller, incredibly quick, and seemed to enjoy provoking his classmates. Usually, the disruptions were minor, but if for some reason they were not caught early enough, they could quickly get blown out of proportion.