Britt Jones
Being a teacher has got to be one of the hardest jobs; you are in charge of ensuring that those you teach listen, understand the subject matter - and engage in discussions.
But what happens when you’re faced with constant frustrations and disrespect?
The way to react entirely depends on the person; however, the controversial manner in which this Texan teacher decided to handle a room full of students who ‘disrespected’ has gained a lot of support online.
So, what did the teacher do?
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He threw a chair after being 'disrespected' by his students.
The reason he’s gaining so much support might be due to a common understanding of the stresses surrounding his profession.
This comes after a 2021 survey conducted by EdWeek Research Center found that around 91% of teachers experience job-related stress.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revealed that between 2020 and 2022, approximately 300,000 employees of U.S. public schools left the industry.
In this latest incident, a teacher from Rowlett High School in Garland, Texas was shown to have reached breaking point in a video uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, where he can be seen shouting at his students before launching a chair after it appeared that a student used their phone.
In the clip, the teacher can be seen shouting: “I put up with all types of s**t. I’m tired of being goddamn disrespected every damn day.”
Kicking a chair, he continued: “I very nicely told you what to do.”
He then picked up and threw a chair to the shock of those around him.
The student filming the incident can be heard saying ‘bro, what the f***,’ before the clip ends.
The teacher was quickly defended by former students online after the video went viral.
One person wrote: “I literally had this guy as a teacher and he was always very nice and respectful and enthusiastic about what he was teaching. And he even has a doctorate. They must’ve really been trying him.”
Another said: “I had him as well. He made the subject as fun as possible due to how boring the topic actually was. He had nothing but my full respect. If I find out he was fired, I’m going right back to that school and demand he gets put back in [for real].”
A third commenter sympathised: “Bro makes $45k a year to deal with rude teenagers and non-existent management, I don’t blame him.”
A lot of people in the comments took aim at parenting styles and suggested that if parents were stricter on their children, teachers wouldn’t lose their tempers.
One user wrote: “Teachers jobs would be a lot easier if parents actually knew how to properly parent their kids.”
Garland ISD sent a statement to CBS News Texas about the incident stating that it is investigating the event and does not condone what happened.
Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers union, said: "While it may not be the recommended response to inappropriate behavior in the classroom it is unfortunate that far too many of our teachers for far too long have had to deal with exactly the types of behavior exactly the level of the lack of respect.
"When teachers get to that level where they really can't take it anymore, they leave the classroom they walk out.
"We have far too many kids in the classroom that are more concerned with their phones than they are concerned with the lesson of the day.”
But Texas AFT also understood that there has to be preventative measures.
Capo added: "What they have to do is they have to have a serious focus on behavior management and it's not just in the classroom they need to think about what are the types of cultures norms and expectations across that entire campus.”
UNILAD has reached out to Rowlett High School for comment.