I attended both private and public schools, and obtained an excellent education in both going back to the 1950s and ’60s. At SUNY Fredonia I’ve often bragged about my college education that was worth a lot more than I paid in 1961. The tuition was $50 a semester. Regardless of what level I was on, elementary, high school, or college, the teachers challenged my intellect and put forth a broad understanding of the world and my place in it.

I am grateful to my teachers. Some were more likable than others but they were all dedicated to their craft.

I started teaching in January of 1965 for half a semester in fourth grade due to a teacher’s illness at $900 for the semester. When I walked into the classroom, the kids were totally out of control. The illness of the previous teacher was a nervous breakdown.

Remember now, this was the ’60s when teachers still had control with discipline. After a “come to Jesus” session, it didn’t take me long to get them to understand the “mission” and that this semester was going to be different from the first.

I was dealing with smart rural kids who had been able to bypass discipline and get control of the class.

Let’s just leave it at this, they became some of the finest students that I taught during my career.

I challenged them with projects, many times related to the farms they lived on. As an “old school” teacher at that time, my buddies, both men and women, were complaining about the schools they were in with lack of discipline, and by educational fads such as outcome-based education, open classrooms, new math, turning away from fundamentals of reading, such as phonics. In addition, teachers were beginning to tell me stories of classroom discipline debacles that I never saw or heard when I was a student. Since then — over the past 50 years, the discipline problems teachers are expected to deal with have only gotten worse. This article is in support of teachers, “the silent majority,” that show up every day, trying to make a difference in their students’ lives, mentally, physically, and oftentimes spiritually. Certain studies have likened teaching situations (many, many) to the type of PTSD that soldiers incurred during World War II. Yes, I am talking about 2024.

To further problems is that over time, the same teachers have been slowly but surely stripped of permission to punish. In the ’70s, and into the ’80s, almost every court case went against teachers and resulted in teachers not being able to deal with irrational behaviors of oppositionally defiant students in a rational manner.

According to educational and psychological ideas, punishment is demeaning, lowers self-esteem, leads to resentment and other things. Researchers who are social scientists and possess an abundance of objectivity (that’s hard to find and we increase experimentation), contradict all the politically correct propaganda pertaining to punishment.

In a nutshell, the best research finds that mild to moderate punishment works far better than any alternative (such as rewarding, ignoring, talking) at correcting misbehavior! That the most obedient kids are also the happiest, and that the highest student achievement is associated with teachers (and yes, CD counselors also) who employ moderate criticism and create teacher-centric classrooms and rehabs. Characteristic of an ideology-driven institution is a “blind eye” to the facts that do not affirm what they stand for. Consider the following statement from a teacher, who echoes the complaints of nearly every public school teacher to whom I’ve spoken with.

“We are told that we need to ‘understand their behavior and use ‘restorative justice” and ‘redirecting behaviors.’ These are used to help a student’s ‘bad behavior episode.’ No consequence should be given for the behavior because it is a ‘teaching moment.’ How do we get the educational system to realize that coddling kids is not the answer?”

In treatment, the attempt to understand the circumstances and motives surrounding a child’s misbehavior is a form of enabling in which an adult helps a child construct a justification of one sort or another for an offense. The assignment of taking responsibility must be avoided at all costs because the perpetrator is as much a victim as the actual victim. In adult treatment for addictions, this is commonplace in this day, because counselors want clients to like them.

Restorative justice – “offender victim reconciliation” is the logical outcome of a counterproductive philosophy, even when the victim is a teacher.

In the brave new world of the American public school, not only in public schools but private schools also, teachers and students are equals and students rate their teachers based largely on how well they succeeded at being liked.

When one looks at education today, education has given in. We now have parents on school boards banning books for no apparent reason other than their own thinking. The list of do’s and don’ts for teachers is enormous. If I were teaching today, I would put an educational handbook next to my treatment planning.

School shootings have put fear into teachers because of all the rights that can be violated by punishment. It is not just inner city schools that are in fear, for many of these schools and levels of education shock us from not knowing where they are. It is estimated that in five years, this country will need 500,000 teachers. These figures are not due to retirement but teachers leaving the profession in droves due to mental, physical and even sexual abuse that teachers endure.

My wife, Karen, taught nursery school for over 32 years. She was in charge of her classroom. She had time out stations for misbehaving 3-year-olds. I have witnessed first-hand the many parents that have come up to her over the years and thanked her for her 100% effort she gave to their children. Finally, this is not a condemnation of all public and private education, just the schools that keep allowing some students to keep practicing bad behavior with no consequences.

To all the teachers out there, you are my heroes and I hope the courts begin to make decisions in your favor!

Mike Tramuta is a rational emotive behavior therapy counselor.