This past week, there has been a story out of Kopachuck Middle School about a kid who was hazed/bullied in class while the teacher looked on. Luckily, in this modern day and age, some kids whipped out their cell phone to record it for history...which is why these folks got caught.
Now...as a former high school wrestler, sailor, and all-around degenerate...I have the very unpopular opinion(especially around my house) that there is nothing wrong with a little hazing. I have been both the hazee and the hazer...and I think there is something to be said about the team building results of hazing. The problem with hazing is the same problem as with 99% of the rest of the things in the world...some jack-ass will take it too far.
BUT...
This is not hazing. Hazing is something that occurs in a peer group among peers. When people in a position of power lose their plausible deniabilty, or actively participate, as is reported to happen in this case, then it is bullying...or heck, even Harassment. In this case, the school district found about it because kids were sharing the video...they investigated, and suspended him for 10 days.
The kids parents are upset because they don't think it was enough...I think they are wrong...if this was the first serious blemish on his record, 10 days without pay sounds about right to me. The truth is, they probably couldn't have gotten much more past the Teachers Union for a case with no permanent physical injury.
I'm also somewhat lacking in sympathy because, at least in the quick clip posted with the article...the kid didn't seem to be struggling much. If he was REALLY fighting back, like I did at that age when stuff like that happened, and the teacher was still letting it go...then bring the hammer down on him.
Now on to what really caught my eye in the article...at one point, we are told that in 2010, the teacher, Mr. Rosi, had a base salary of $64,174, with approximately $10,000 more due to his duties as a wrestling coach. My lightening quick math skills let me figure out that that is roughly $75,000 a year....which better than a sharp stick in the eye, especially when we keep hearing how underpaid our school teachers are.
Okay...he has been doing teaching 14 years, so we can figure on a few pay raises...but that's still more than I was making after 14 years of experience as a qualified nuclear operator and maintenance technician.
Actually...I change my earlier opinion about 10-days suspension being enough...high school wrestling does have quite the history as a bastion of hazing. Given his tolerance of actions like this, he might need to lose that position of influence.
UPDATE: As of Friday afternoon, the Penninsula School District has placed Mr. Rosi on paid leave until the Sheriff's Department completes an investigation to see if charges should be filed. It seems a number of parents have been placing phone calls trying to pull their kids out of Mr. Rosi's classes.
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