Girl Fight In The Bathroom
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25812)
Pikeville, North Carolina
February 3, 2017 4:38pm CST
Today, thanks to two of my female students, I got a new point of view on the Girls' Restroom on our hall. I never expected to see the inside of the Girls' Restroom, and I certainly never expected to see it from flat on my back.
After lunch today we were cycling the children through the rest room when the students waiting in the hall suddenly got very noisy. Fearing something was up, I stepped away from monitoring the Boys' Room to quiet the students in the hall.
No sooner had I told them to be quiet than a loud noise, much like you hear the crowd make when watching the WWF and match gets started. The noise came from the Girls' Restroom.
I immediately moved toward the entrance of the Girls' Restroom to see what was going on and, after one look at the students gathered and their posture, knew they were watching a fight either about to begin, or underway.
I pushed through the crowd and discovered two of our students, neither of them small for their age, fighting with great gusto. One was definitely attacking and the other defending. The attacker had a manic look in her eyes.
Nonetheless, I wasn't about to let either of them get hurt. I pushed my way between them and tried to force them apart. They were having none of it. The two tried to get at each other around me, and the next thing I knew I was off balance and falling to the floor.
When the students watching saw me go down, the immediately swarmed around me and pushed the two combatants apart. The swarm split into three groups. One group pushed on girl farther into the bathroom. The second pushed the other girl out into the hall. The third group rushed to my aid, helped me up, and made sure I was all right.
I wasn't all right, but the adrenalin flowing in my veins didn't let me know feel anything right at that moment. My first concern was the well being of the two girls who'd been fighting, and anyone else who might have been hurt.
The Principal and Assistant Principal, along with the School Nurse, arrived quickly. The two girls were escorted away, and the nurse walked me back to the office. By then, I was starting to notice some aches and pains. Nothing serious, but the nurse and my Principal insisted I file a report, and go see a doctor.
I hated to leave my kids, but did as I was told. Now I'm home. Nothing was broken, just some muscle strain and bruises. I'm to rest for the weekend, take the muscle relaxants the doctor proscribed for a couple days, and can go back to work Monday if I promise to take it easy and not try to break up any more fights.
My wife isn't so sure she wants me to go back to school at all. With all that's happened in and around our school lately, she thinks I should look for something else to do, or just stay home and write.
I won't abandon my kids. We've only got 16 weeks left in this school year and I want to see them through it.
What would you do, if something like this happened to you?
30 people like this
33 responses
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
3 Feb 17
I would stay. They didn't intentionally hurt you. Also, I get the impression you're a good and popular teacher. If all the good and popular teachers leave a school what happens to the students? :(
4 people like this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
3 Feb 17
I don't think they meant to hurt me. I told my Assistant Principal I didn't want to press charges. The thought never crossed my mind until he asked me if I was planning to take the incident to law enforcement. And one of the girls in the fight was more upset that I might have been hurt than she was about getting suspended. I don't want to give up on these kids, and that's what I told my wife.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53944)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Feb 17
My goodness - those girls must've been going at it in full force! Glad to hear you're ok, but still . . . that's scary falling like that on a hard floor.
I can understand not wanting to abandon your kids . . . I'm sure they wouldn't want to see you leave either as they count on you. My daughter is in middle school (6th grade) . . . she and her classmates are going through a transition as her teacher just became Dean - so the kids were dispersed to other classrooms. They really, really liked their old teacher and were so bummed when he made his announcement. He told me he was torn . . . but ultimately he chose to take the new position . . . but this of course is a completely different situation.
Not that I know anything about being a teacher, but I guess I'd want to finish up the school year too. I'd want to know in my mind that I completed what I set out to do for that school year and for the kids. That being said, it's probably a good idea to look into other options starting now, just to see what's out there . . . so you'll be ready when you really know you gotta get out of there.2 people like this
@much2say (53944)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Feb 17
@DWDavis Yah, I think it'd be a good idea. It doesn't mean you have to leave right this second, but it's always good to see what's out there. I hope you can find a safer school . . . or at least I hope the school will do something more so these kinds of of fights cannot break out like that!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
7 Feb 17
@much2say Sadly, to stop fights like this at our school, we'd have to change who we have for students. Some of our kids come from neighborhoods where fighting is a fact of life and even the parents force the kids to fight to answer insults or slights.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (459347)
• Switzerland
4 Feb 17
The girls did not want to hurt you, they had a fight and they did not intend to stop. What happened after is interesting, all the others came to help and this is important. This means that they cared about you. You have to go back to school.
2 people like this
@CookieMonster46 (13447)
• United States
3 Feb 17
Need a bit more information, is the school public, or private, are there a lot of fights? Anyone brought weapons to school. If I felt this school was to dangerous, I would transfer to a different school. If not I would stick with it. Sounds like your school has issues, since you message your wife would like you to quit for your safety.
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
3 Feb 17
It's a public school. We have occasional fights. People have brought weapons to school in prior years but not this year, yet. I've never felt threatened. Ten years ago we were one of the choice schools in the district, but our demographics have undergone a major shift from middle-class, two-parent families to economically disadvantaged single-parent families. We used to be about 35% Free Lunch. Now we're 69% Free Lunch. It is not politically correct to say so, but it makes a difference.
1 person likes this
@CookieMonster46 (13447)
• United States
4 Feb 17
@DWDavis Well it doesn't sound too bad, we have our mix of schools here, some schools kids have to walk in a metal detector to check for weapons.
School are changing and when you bring in kids from other districts who don't want to be there to begin with trouble happens.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
4 Feb 17
@CookieMonster46 Our inner city high school, and the alternative school, both have metal detectors at the entrances.
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (116131)
• United States
3 Feb 17
What grade do you teach? If you were escorting kids to the bathroom, it sounds like elementary. I would just carry on if I liked the job. I've broken up girl and boy fights before and I work in a high school. Doesn't faze me. And I DON'T work in the inner city. We are a fairly well off suburb.
3 people like this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
3 Feb 17
@NJChicaa We have a conundrum here. While not legally required to break up a fight, we are legally required to safeguard the students. How can I safeguard students if I don't stop them from fighting? Also, the only people to call for help are my Principal and Assistant Principal. My Principal is a lady, and smaller than both the girls who were fighting, and my Assistant Principal is a guy not much bigger than the Principal.
2 people like this
@shaggin (71666)
• United States
3 Feb 17
16 weeks makes it sound so short and I feel like my kids just went back to school for the summer. I love having then home with me and I will enjoy not doing the cyber school so I really look forward to summer haha. That is awful these girls fighting wound up causing you to get hurt! They are probably in some big trouble right now. Oh my gosh I just cannot even imagine what would happen if I had caused something that hurt a teacher when I was in high school. You are caring the way you speak of your students! You won't get in trouble for having had to go into a girl's restroom to break up this fight right?
2 people like this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
3 Feb 17
No, I won't be in trouble under the circumstances. One of the young ladies was very distraught that I got hurt. The other, I'm not so sure. I talked to my Principal after I saw the doctor and she said both girls' parents were angry about the fight, but furious their fight caused me to get hurt.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
4 Feb 17
Teaching has to be difficult, especially in this day in age.. especially in troublesome areas.
Perhaps look to transfer to a slightly more peaceful school?
But then there's problems everywhere...
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
4 Feb 17
@DWDavis It must be.. otherwise you'd be more used to fights breaking out.
I went to a relatively rough school.
I remember that my best friend's older sister was a trouble maker. She punched our principal in the face and kicked him in the you know where..
I can't imagine having to put up with stuff like that for a paycheck!
1 person likes this
@prinzcy (32322)
• Malaysia
3 Feb 17
To be honest, I don't want to be a teacher anymore. I used to teach as a replacement teacher for two years and that's it. Kids these day scared me sometimes. Their parents were another matter. I have absolute respect for teachers as they managed to be in the job.
2 people like this
@antonbunot (11092)
• Calgary, Alberta
4 Feb 17
One must be young republican, the other democrat! 
. . . Anyway, thank heavens, nothing happened to you serious. One thing you should thank about . . it was not a boy-fight (with knives).
. . . Anyway, thank heavens, nothing happened to you serious. One thing you should thank about . . it was not a boy-fight (with knives).2 people like this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
4 Feb 17
Truth be told, I'd rather it was a boy fight, without knives. Boys at this age tend to be ready to stop fighting as soon as an adult shows up. Girls won't stop until they are physically restrained. Even then, they keep trying to break free and go at each other.
1 person likes this
@antonbunot (11092)
• Calgary, Alberta
4 Feb 17
@DWDavis Influenced by UFC, I guess . . . They must be watching Rousey, Holms, et al fights.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94913)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
4 Feb 17
If you love your work as a teacher and are willing to take a few lumps on occasion then I would stick it out due to our passion of enjoying being a positive light in a dark world. Keep moving forward and dwell on the good things in life and not the rotten apples.
2 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (94913)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
4 Feb 17
@DWDavis If you feel it is not safe to teach in that school I would blame you if you decide to leave.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Feb 17
As a male teacher, can you get into trouble for entering the girls' room? I thought one of the duties of a teacher is to break up and calm down fighting students.
2 people like this
@Happy2BeMe (99390)
• Canada
4 Feb 17
I don't blame your wife for not wanting you to go back I would feel the same way. Glad you weren't hurt more seriously.
2 people like this
@LeaPea2417 (36513)
• Toccoa, Georgia
4 Feb 17
I fee AWFUL that something like that happened to you. I personally would quit and let a Substitute handle the rest of the year. I have no tolerance for disrespectful kids, (but that is just me).
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36513)
• Toccoa, Georgia
7 Feb 17
@DWDavis I do hope you find something else after this school year ends.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29278)
• Eugene, Oregon
7 Feb 17
Like you, I would try to stick it out. Perhaps, if there was another line of work available, I would look into it after the school year ends.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29278)
• Eugene, Oregon
7 Feb 17
@DWDavis Much more disciplined there.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
5 Feb 17
@DWDavis And in a lot of cases, the person that does, becomes the bad guy and not the ones who originated the problem.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
4 Feb 17
They were both suspended. I don't know for how long, yet. I'm vested in my pension, so could still collect when I hit retirement age. I'd only forfeit what might go in between now and then. But I will go back, because of the girls who reached out to help me up.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43419)
• Denver, Colorado
6 Feb 17
Well, I'm not going to lie, when I was younger, and not working in a position of authority, I would have watched it. About five years ago, my girlfriend and I were drinking on the patio of our favorite bar late one night, when a girl at the next table attacked her sister. I did what I could to try to stop it, but eventually had to just back out of it. Glad to hear you're ok.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
7 Feb 17
@teamfreak16 Did you stop the fight?
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43419)
• Denver, Colorado
7 Feb 17
@DWDavis - No kidding. When I was working in a homeless shelter in Wyoming a few years ago, I jumped between two guys that were both way bigger than me. I still can't believe I did that.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43419)
• Denver, Colorado
7 Feb 17
@DWDavis - Yes, and I told them both point blank that I should've thrown them both out right then and there, even though I couldn't personally stand one of them. Fight aborted (I didn't tell the one guy that I didn't like him.)
1 person likes this
@TheInvisibleMan (17603)
•
4 Feb 17
Honestly, reading something like that... I could never be a Teacher.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
4 Feb 17
@TheInvisibleMan The current system is so badly broken, I don't know that it can be fixed. The real problem, though, isn't in the schools, it's the communities these kids are coming from and the absence of any sense of responsibility for themselves or towards anyone else. They have no sense of right from wrong. All they understand is if I can grab it, it's mine, and if I can take it from you, that's mine, too. They have a very feral view of the world.
1 person likes this
@TheInvisibleMan (17603)
•
4 Feb 17
@DWDavis Do you still believe the educational system has a way out? 
1 person likes this
