The Disobedient Student

Sometime Things Just Happen!

Ok, this story does not start out with "one night while I was on patrol". This story actually takes place in the middle of the day in the middle of a junior high school. As you may or may not know about me I taught the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in our town for many years. I love teaching and have found I really like the older kids. High school was one of my favorite places to teach, but we did away with that program (which was stupid if you ask me, that is where kids need the most influence, reinforcement, help, continuing education, etc!) But thankfully we were still teaching in the Jr. high as continuing education. One day it was during lunch time and the principal hollered at me to come help. I think the ladies in the office got me over the intercom in the teachers lunch room where I would eat lunch once in a while with them instead of the students. I am told the principal needed help out in the hall by the front doors. So I jump and go quickly, never want to keep a principal waiting, plus he never called for me to come and HELP without good cause. So I pick up the pace a bit and see him talking to some female near the front door. He tells me he asked her to leave and she would not. Now I do not know who this girl/lady is but if she is asked to leave by the principal, she needs to go. Move on down the road, go away, do what the man says. But she has a different idea. She says she is not leaving. Now you see, this is where I have issues. You are being told to leave a building where you are not wanted and don't belong. I don't know what is going on, but I do know the principal has the right to ask you to leave and I will back him up on that. He said to leave, so go. And if you don't want to go then your next choice will be HOW do you want to leave the building? On you own accord, or in handcuffs, or with an ambulance, or what. Life is ALL about choices. I can't tell how old this girl is. I am thinking she is in her 20's but I just don't know, can't tell. I have never seen anyone so determined to STAY at school, usually people can't wait to get out of that place. But it seems she has decided she doesn't want to go so go she won't do. Hummm???!!!! Ok. Let's go to the office. The bell is getting ready to ring, she has had plenty of time to leave, we have had this discussion long enough and I STILL can't figure out why she won't leave. What is up with this? So I tell her we are going to the office and I am going to figure out what is going on here and she will probably be arrested for trespassing. The bell does ring for the older students outside to start coming back in to class. We need to get up to the office on the second floor to get out of the way. NOW she decided she is going to leave. Oh no, you already had that option, that option is no longer available and you are going to the office. No she says, she is going outside. I grab for her arm to "escort" her to the office when she pulls her arm away from me and makes a fist. I don't know if she is going to hit me or if she is just pulling away, it happened all too fast. But as I reach for her arm she makes the fist and I FEEL she is going to try and hit me (something I am not too crazy about) so I reach up and grab her arm and the next thing I know she is on the ground with me on top of her. I put her hands behind her back, grab my handcuffs out and cuff her. It wasn't much of a scuffle, but it caused some commotion and a little noise and when I finished handcuffing her I looked down the hall. Only to see all the lunch room kids, and the kids starting to come in from first lunch all looking at me. I had engaged the person, put her on the ground to avoid being hit and handcuffed her in a location where I was observed by many. The kids were all watching with their mouths wide opened. I heard the kids were the best behaved the rest the day than they had been in ages. I was even told the story hit the other junior highs by the next day and those kids were behaving pretty good as well. Teachers all asked me if I could teach them that move. Funny thing, I don't even remember how it all happened. You know, that self defense mechanism kicks in pretty quickly when you fear you are about to be hit. Oh well the kids were watching, maybe we should have someone come in and refuse to leave more often, great for behavior modification in students.