Toughest Job in Education?

By Alan Richard

Hingham, Mass.

It's hard for Mike Donnell to ignore the ironed-on message blaring from the black, hooded sweatshirt of the 9th grader sitting in his office: "Die! Die! My Darling." But the assistant principal, a stocky, white-haired ex-coach on his second pacemaker, looks right past it. After a few words with the student, Jason, about various misdemeanors—skipping class, mainly—and possible punishments, Donnell changes the subject, hoping to teach the freshman a little something.

"What's your science project?"

Jason, a thin teenager with a crew cut and clunky black boots, replies that it's about molecules, which invites the former science teacher to question him about the elements, including...