Pontiac Education Association

No teacher should go to work expecting to be sworn at, threatened, or assaulted.

That should not be a controversial statement.

It should be the bare minimum.

Yet for too many teachers, dealing with aggressive behavior has become an accepted part of the job.

Imagine telling a nurse, accountant, engineer, or office worker that being verbally abused was simply something they had to tolerate.

Imagine telling them that being threatened was just part of the profession.

Most people would find that unacceptable.

But when it happens to teachers, society often seems far more willing to excuse it.

Teachers are expected to build relationships.

To de-escalate situations.

To remain calm under pressure.

And they should.

But there is a huge difference between managing difficult behavior and being expected to tolerate abuse.

No professional should be sworn at for doing their job.

No professional should be threatened for enforcing rules.

And no professional should fear for their safety in the workplace.

The vast majority of students are respectful, hardworking, and a pleasure to teach.

But that does not change the fact that serious incidents do happen.

And when they do, teachers deserve more than sympathy.

They deserve support.

They deserve protection.

And they deserve to know that their safety matters just as much as everyone else's.

Because schools cannot be places of learning if the adults responsible for teaching are expected to accept behavior that would never be tolerated in most other workplaces.

Teachers should go to work expecting to educate children.

Not wondering whether they will be verbally abused, threatened, or assaulted for trying to do their job.