Quantcast

Teacher Beating Student Caught On Video: Schools' Hiring Standards Too Lax?

SodaHead Living 2010/05/13 22:10:57
Sherri Davis, a teacher at Jamie’s House Charter School in Texas, was caught on videotape brutally beating a 13 year-old student.

The science teacher attacked Isaiah Johnson after he and some other classmates were watching, and laughing at, a mentally challenged girl dancing in the classroom. The attack was captured on a classmate’s cell phone. The video clearly shows Davis cornering the 13 year-old, who cowers into a crouch. She then grabs his legs, splays him on the ground, and begins punching and slapping his across the face and head, then kicking him in the abdomen. She also slams Johnson’s head against the wall. The attack continues for nearly a minute.

“I’m horrified,” said Alesha Johnson, the boy’s mother, “ I just can’t believe something like that would happened to my child. He’s had a knot on his head for a week. He had a black eye, bruises on his cheek.” Isaiah adds, “I was on the wall like this trying to get away from her and she started hitting me, banging my head to the wall and kicking me.”

David Jones, the principal of the school, released this statement: “There is no excuse for a teacher to behave this way with a child. Although we had already removed the teacher from the classroom and put her on administrative duty, we now plan to terminate the teacher and make an apology to the student and his mother.”

Alesha Johnson has filed criminal charges with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, submitting the cell phone tape as evidence against the teacher. Davis taught at the charter school for more than a year while a warrant was out for her arrest, stemming from an alleged tire slashing that occurred in January of 2009. The whole ordeal is prompting lawmakers to re-examine screening practices for charter schoolteachers in Texas. Currently, certification for charter school teachers in Texas is only required for bilingual and special education teachers. All others teachers need nothing more than a high school diploma and a demonstration of subject matter competency. State Rep. Scott Hochberg, a Democrat from Houston, said all charter school teachers should be certified, just like their public school counterparts. Hochberg states, "There are so many avenues available to become certified that I don't think we should be allowing non-certified teachers to teach."

Are the standards for hiring teachers too lax? If we paid teachers a better salary, and made the job requirements more stringent, would this type of incident be occurring?

WATCH
You!
Add Photos & Videos

Top Opinion

  • LeAnn 2010/05/14 05:07:04
    LeAnn
    +4
    I don't agree with the fact that she beat the boy up, but I'm trying to look at it from her view too. Teaching can be stressful, especially when you have evil little children like this boy apparently was...I mean, there are no excuses to make fun of a mentally challenged girl. That's sad and pathetic. The teacher has probably had issues with him before and just snapped under the anger.

    But as a teacher, she should have known better and no matter how much she wanted to beat that kid, she needed to restrain herself, as tough as it might be!

Sort By
  • Most Raves
  • Least Raves
  • Oldest
  • Newest
Opinions

  • Lady GaGa 2010/05/26 01:09:15
    Lady GaGa
    +2
    that is just wrong
  • Cameron`s Baby Girl 2010/05/20 19:54:58
    Cameron`s Baby Girl
    That`s f uped yall....
  • Saki♥Bill'sSweetHeart♥ 2010/05/17 05:27:03
    Saki♥Bill'sSweetHeart♥
    He didn't deserve to get the crap beaten out of him...if she had slapped him once, then okay. But she went all out on him...
    Yes, he was making fun of the girl, but beating him up isn't going to teach him a lesson. He makes fun of a girl, so you beat the stuffing out of him?

    Real smart.
  • socokid 2010/05/14 16:34:52
    socokid
    Well, what do you expect when we keep cutting education budgets, while being scared of raising taxes.
  • Jeni 2010/05/14 15:58:59
  • joe59 2010/05/14 15:28:56
    joe59
    Ha this is nothing compared to the crazy teachers I once had.Back when corporal punishment was around I saw all kind of crazy stuff teachers and principals did. ha compared crazy teachers corporal punishment crazy teachers principals
  • Starvingartist 2010/05/14 15:20:05
    Starvingartist
    Jesus Christ. He maybe deserved a slap in the face or something, but not a full-on beating like that... I'm scared. D:
  • Leah 2010/05/14 14:16:13
    Leah
    +1
    Wow! I think she just snapped! But this didn't happen because of just one incident. If she was feeling the level of stress and frustration that led up to this, she should have taken some time off or something.
    I don't thing certification would have prevented this teacher from having her meltdown!
  • stahlnacht 2010/05/14 06:51:19
    stahlnacht
    Don't teachers also need some sort of psychological exam too?
  • LeAnn 2010/05/14 05:07:04
    LeAnn
    +4
    I don't agree with the fact that she beat the boy up, but I'm trying to look at it from her view too. Teaching can be stressful, especially when you have evil little children like this boy apparently was...I mean, there are no excuses to make fun of a mentally challenged girl. That's sad and pathetic. The teacher has probably had issues with him before and just snapped under the anger.

    But as a teacher, she should have known better and no matter how much she wanted to beat that kid, she needed to restrain herself, as tough as it might be!
  • Jon BN-0 2010/05/14 04:40:51
    Jon BN-0
    This is crazy! Unfortunately not every teacher out there is a good teacher, my high school math teacher for example. She was never happy. NEVER. I don't think she can even smile in school. Learning form her was her scolding math into our brains like it was a lecture to a misbehaving child. *shudder*
  • cнιвι cυρcαқєs ~*Λℓιcє*~ ♥♥
    +1
    Jeez. PMS much.
  • xoxobaby143 2010/05/14 02:28:27
    xoxobaby143
    +2
    Well In my opinion they are a little bit relaxed on hiring teachers, and I have experience. And I'm not saying that teachers should ever use violence, especially to this extreme, but its one little incident with one teacher and in any job it happens for example there just so happen to be some muslims (ik , not a job) and most are peaceful and there just so happens to be a couple people who go a little insane and get involved in terrorism even though most muslims are very peaceful people.get what im saying? But their are other examples in which i have experience with bad teachers. My science teacher (Im in high school) is probably the worst teacher ive ever had. Not saying hes strict or mean, but we dont learn a thing. I can't recall the last time we've done much science. This year. We have to do all of our science work at home and have a test every 2 weeks. In class we just sit and listen to his lectures that are completely unrelated to science. He says he is preparing us for the real world, but really hes only preparing us to fail next years science class becuase of our lack of knowledge of this years curriculum. And i've had many other teachers similar to this. It seems like the school is looking for the cheapest people to hire not the ones that will properly and thouroughly educate their students.
  • Nomad58 xoxobab... 2012/05/22 20:13:58
    Nomad58
    I feel for you xoxobaby. Teacher certification used to be more strenuous when I attended in the '60s-'70s. Then Carter really got the Federal Government involved and with the Teachers Unions really coming into stride it became more about meeting parameters and protecting members than education.

    Now, the U.S. is falling behind the rest of the World in Education, because the Government and School Boards won't admit the problem is not the Student, but the Teachers who they keep excusing.

    When I first went for a MA in Education in 1985 the GRE requirement was 1000, now it's 600. You don't get a good output by lowering input quality. I'm glad I switched to an Engineering discipline.

    Try to find some help for your Science subjects online. There are a lot of free educational tutor sources out there. Best of luck!
  • Der Haifisch 2010/05/14 02:26:38 (edited)
  • Nimara 2010/05/14 01:56:33
    Nimara
    +2
    That's not a teacher! That is an ex convict...what the heck? Anyway, the kids are laughing....and the kid on the ground thought it was a joke but realized..."Oh man, I am getting beat up here..." What the? WTF?
  • Maria 2010/05/14 01:36:01
    Maria
    that why online school prettyl safe to say far better than this kind of this sight...
  • MrsLovett 2010/05/14 01:19:26
  • Kalamazoo MrsLovett 2010/05/14 12:17:15
    Kalamazoo
    +2
    Yeah he made fun of someone, most people in life do. Doesn't call for them getting beat and kicked for it. There is no dang excuse whatsoever for this woman's actions. NONE
  • andieboo 2010/05/14 00:59:14
    andieboo
    +4
    C'mon, I'm not the only one who is just a TAD bit happy on the inside that he got what he deserved... am I?
  • Kalamazoo andieboo 2010/05/14 12:20:24 (edited)
    Kalamazoo
    +2
    No, your not the only one who feels happy inside about this horrid event. You got 4 raves, other people agree with you. So, next time you belittle or put someone down, is that what you would like to happen to you. Sure sounds like it.

    Come back in a few years after your child has been treated that way, and give a new comment.
  • andieboo Kalamazoo 2010/05/14 18:49:09
    andieboo
    I would raise my child better than to make fun of someone with disabilities. I am pretty sure you would also have a different comment if your little sister (or brother, in my case) was made fun of day after day through school by ass holes like that kid. No, teachers shouldn't behave like this but I can't help how I feel on the inside.
  • Kalamazoo andieboo 2010/05/14 18:52:40 (edited)
    Kalamazoo
    +1
    I would raise my child better than to beat someone down because of a comment they made, especially if my child was a grown up beating on a child. No I wouldn't have a different comment than the one I gave, words are words, nasty as many can be, you and no one else has the right to hit a child for a comment they made. They are children, we mold their minds on what is right and wrong. There could be others ways to discipline this child for what he did.

    Keep on laughing and smirking.
  • andieboo Kalamazoo 2010/05/14 19:10:41
    andieboo
    I'm not laughing or smirking, I am just able to see it from the other side.
  • Kalamazoo andieboo 2010/05/14 22:24:53 (edited)
    Kalamazoo
    There is no other side. A child made offensive comments to another child, and he was beat down for it. Not a hit, not a slap, a beating with punches and kicking. He or no other child deserved this.
  • andieboo Kalamazoo 2010/05/15 04:15:16
    andieboo
    Well that's your opinion and mine is that their is another side. I never said it was right what the teacher did or that she shouldn't be punished, I was just saying how I felt and I won't apologize for that.
  • Kalamazoo andieboo 2010/05/15 13:12:10
    Kalamazoo
    Of course it's my opinion. I could care less if you apologize, I didn't expect you to, or did it even occur to me that you would. Personally your comments on this mean nothing to me, I just thought I would point out the lack of empathy that you have been instilled with.
  • andieboo Kalamazoo 2010/05/15 17:38:37
    andieboo
    Lack of empathy? I'm sorry, but you don't even know me.
  • Kalamazoo andieboo 2010/05/15 17:43:00
    Kalamazoo
    I'm glad.
  • andieboo Kalamazoo 2010/05/15 20:20:42
    andieboo
    Because of one thing I have said? And you think I'm horrible.
  • Kalamazoo andieboo 2010/05/15 20:26:30
    Kalamazoo
    I don't think you are horrible, not at all. Sorry, just got in a no good mood, and if I hurt your feelings then I am sorry.
  • socokid andieboo 2010/05/14 16:37:37
    socokid
    +1
    You are happy that this is how the teacher dealt with the problem?

    Wow... I see our education system really IS in shambles...
  • Kalamazoo socokid 2010/05/14 16:43:52
    Kalamazoo
    +2
    I think this has more to do with parenting, and instilling morals and values in their child. Which is lacking here.
  • socokid Kalamazoo 2010/05/14 16:50:22
    socokid
    +1
    I agree in totality. I took the cheap shot due to the topic... ;-)

    While I do believe our education system is hanging on by a thread, you are most certainly correct. Thank you!
  • Kalamazoo socokid 2010/05/14 16:53:26
    Kalamazoo
    +2
    Well your correct too, in stating our educational system is hanging on by a thread. That is fact, and no fiction there and you won't find many who will dispute your comment. (going now, and shaking my head) sigh...
  • andieboo socokid 2010/05/14 18:49:53
    andieboo
    +1
    No, she should have definitly handled it better, but maybe he will now think twice before poking fun at someone with disabilities.
  • socokid andieboo 2010/05/14 20:03:08
    socokid
    +1
    Agreed. ;-)
  • Erica 2010/05/14 00:03:24
    Erica
    +4
    Wow. He was picking on a disable girl.. as much as he deserved to be slapped, that was so riduclous! Teachers definitely need to be chosen more carefully..
  • Liz Del Rey 2010/05/13 23:46:52
    Liz Del Rey
    oh..my..god.. I have that belt!!!
  • jzambada 2010/05/13 23:15:17
    jzambada
    +2
    that was painful just to watch! damn. i mean... no way, that teacher went ballistic on that poor kid! i know that he was making fun of a disabled kid, but there's absolutely no excuse for that. i don't think that had anything to do with teaching requirements. that was just a freak--and i mean FREAK--accident. though her alleged history of hostility and lack of anger management (the tire slashing) should've affected her hiring, i'd think.

Living

2013/05/18 20:28:11

Hot Questions on SodaHead
More Hot Questions

More Community More Originals