Opinion
Education Opinion

Training Tales: Class War

By Doug Lambdin — January 01, 2001 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Three years ago, at age 29, I took my first teaching job. The principal explained that I would be working with emotionally disturbed high school students who could “get a little out of hand.” She assured me that an upcoming three-day training session would give me all the tools I needed to handle them.

On the first day, 14 of us filed into a windowless conference room on the bottom floor of the school. We were all dressed comfortably, as had been suggested, and we arrived with pads and pens. We wouldn’t take any notes, however. Our instructor, who moonlighted as a bouncer, devoted the three days to what he called “hands-on” training.

Covering the floor of the room was a patchwork of blue vinyl mats, the kind used for teaching tumbling and gymnastics in PE. After splitting us into two groups (men and women), the instructor schooled and tested us in techniques to escape from choke holds, hair pulling, and biting. We were also taught to administer restraints, either singly or as a team. The instructor explained that students who are out of control—in danger of hurting themselves, someone else, or valuable property— need to be restrained on the floor until they’re “back in control.”

By the end of the first day, our legs were so sore that climbing flights of stairs required several breaks. But what bothered me more was that I wanted to teach— not engage in jungle warfare. After the training, I swore that I would never use what I had learned. Regretfully, it was the most useful training I’ve ever had.

A version of this article appeared in the January 01, 2001 edition of Teacher Magazine as Training Tales: Class War

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz What is a Project 2025 Author Doing at the Education Department? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: June 11, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
5 min read
Education Quiz What Is the #1 Factor Boosting Students' STEM Motivation? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: June 4, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read