Let’s move on from burping student

I AM A recently retired Albuquerque Public Schools teacher, having spent the majority of my career teaching middle school. I chose this age group — having taught elementary for four years — because of their sense of humor, sense of self and readiness to learn new things, including socializing. I say this as a frame of reference because I am so sick and tired of the letters and editorials regarding the student who was “arrested” for burping in class.

There have been many references to education being “a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.” How can this equality happen with a student who constantly disrupts a classroom and won’t stop. Anyone who has spent more than a few days in middle school knows that there are some students who just want to push the boundaries.

This student was put into the hall to stop the disruption, but, no, he continued. I suspect this wasn’t the first time this student had been in trouble with the front office. As a matter of fact, the only time I asked for the school resource officer to come to my classroom was if I had a repeat “offender” in my room!

The articles state that the administrators tried to contact the mother, but she didn’t answer her phone and didn’t return the phone call. It was the officer’s choice to take the student away from the situation to the juvenile detention center. I can only imagine the disruption the student was causing in the front office to prompt this decision.

I was not there when this incident happened, nor was the editor of the Journal, or (guest columnist) Tara Ford (“Lack of common sense may have put teen on track to fail,” Aug. 10).

I think it’s time to put this incident to bed. It’s a new school year with a new superintendent, new upper level administrators, etc. Let the teachers teach and stop with the finger-pointing! You weren’t there!

BARBY WOODS Albuquerque