Some Kids Just Need An A** Whoopin’ | The Japan Guy

Some Kids Just Need An A** Whoopin’

June 22, 2012
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Bus monitor, Karen Klein.

I was checking email the other day when I saw this story (that you probably have seen by now) trending about a bus monitor named Karen Klein who was bullied by very children she was trying monitor. Despite there being no fighting, this video is downright disturbing; to say this video pissed me off would be a SEVERE understatement.

After watching the video I just looked at comments on some of the different sites where the video was going viral. One thing seemed very clear, people were angry, disgusted, and appalled with these children’s behavior. I read one comment that said we should pray for these kids. Umm…no, I say screw that! These kids don’t need prayer, they don’t need counseling, they need parents that will break a foot off in their disrepecful, middle school asses. Did you hear how they were talking to her?? I simply couldn’t believe how they were talking to a adult in a position of authority but that they would talk to an elderly woman this way…Karen is 68 years old! And for one of the kids to have the audacity to post that shit on YouTube like what they were doing was cool? Oh my God!

I swear if I were on that bus, I would have lost my job that day…period. I would have told the kids several times (as firmly as I possibly could) to stop, which I know they probably wouldn’t have. I would then proceed to snatch ring leader out of his seat and proceed to smack him the way his parents clearly aren’t doing. If the other kids jumped in, so be it they could get some, too. It would be the 1st and Last Annual “Mr. Ash vs. Disrespectful Kids School Bus Brawl.”

Honestly, I would never even fathom talking to any teacher or adult like that. You can think whatever you want, but I was taught not to talk to adults like that, not in the family I came from. I’d be scared to even try it! Why? Because when I was growing up, my parents gave a shit. The last thing my folks ever had to worry about was if one my three siblings or I was being disrespectful to any adult: at the school, on the school bus, or in general.

I came from a household where if you did something stupid enough (i.e.-back talk to Mom or Dad)…expect to get to get popped for it. No kid likes getting spanked, but you know what? I am glad my parents cared enough to do it. Of course I wasn’t getting spanked as a teenager, because by that point it was pretty much ingrained. But Mom, Dad, thanks for spankings, and the occasional tongue lashings because I didn’t grow up to be a disrespectful, foolish, brat like any of the kids in this video.

Honestly, I hope each one of those kids gets what’s coming to them. Yes, it may sound harsh, but I 200% mean that! Teachers and adults all over the US have to deal with this kind of crap day in and day out for salaries that don’t match the job. IT SUCKS! It’s no wonder there’s a shortage of good teachers. I stopped teaching public school in the U.S., and won’t ever do it again. I was fed up with having to do more disciplining than teaching, a job that a good parent should be doing. I don’t mind overly enthusiastic kids, I don’t mind loud kids, playful kids, or even lazy kids, but one thing I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT TOLERATE is disrespect. It really just gets under my skin.

Despite graduating from college with honors, I remember having to do janitorial work for a brief time after college when I couldn’t find a job I really wanted to do (check out my about me page). Yes, the pay was low and yes people kinda look down on you. But you know what? I would go back to being a janitor before I ever set foot in the Georgia public school system again. I’m not even joking. Teaching loads of kids can sometimes be a challenge even when the students are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do, adding misbehavior and disrespect to the mix is a recipe for a heaping helping of teaching hell.

Yes, I know that all public schools in America aren’t like this and yes I know there are amazing students with amazing parents…this rant isn’t directed at those schools or those students & parents. This goes out to those parents who are more concerned with being your kid’s friend than giving them the discipline they need to become responsible, respectable young adults. This rant goes out to those kids who make your teacher’s job a living hell every day because you can’t behave worth a damn. This rant goes “parents” who don’t really parent at all.

Why the hell do things like this even happen? Sure my students here in Japan like to play the kancho game (finger-enema game, which is not funny to me even in the slightest) but I don’t have disrespectful kids. I know all schools in Japan aren’t like mine, but I’m willing to bet money that the majority of them are. I think one of the reasons why my Japanese students are so respectful isn’t because of spankings, but parents who are INCREDIBLY involved in what they do. My shogakko, elementary school, has the most active Parent Teacher Association (PTA…it’s even called PTA in Japanese) I have ever seen. I see parents ALL THE TIME. These parents come to school events with their kids (sometimes even on Saturdays), they have conferences, they videotape their kids, reprimand their kids, and really take care of them. Even with the students that are “bad,” their parents are at the school all the time, trying to make things right.

I was so happy to see people show their support for Karen. I particularly liked the fundraiser to get Karen the vacation of a lifetime. I hope that fund gives her so much money that she can quit her job and not have to ever deal with kids like this again. Sixty-eight is already past the standard retirement age.

Every generation of adults thinks that the kids of the new generation are worse than they were. Seeing this video makes me think that’s true.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Please leave your comments below.

Donald Ash

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  • Regina

    OMG!!! I cant watch the whole thing; I stopped at 1:46. I would be on trial now if that was me….

    You are right about the children — they are getting worse. I teach and I see it. Every year the kids get dumber and dumber and ruder and ruder. The parents are no better. They want YOU (ie the teacher) to raise their child because they are too lazy to do it but when you want to discipline the child — it’s a problem.

    We recently had report card day and I told a mother that her son hits the female students a lot and that I’ve had to report him on several occasions for it. The woman just stared at me like “So?” You could tell she knew this — she just didnt care.

    I also see less and less parents coming for the reports; mainly neighbours or aunts, older siblings or cousins. Parents dont want to rear their children.

    We need laws making parents accountable for their children so that they are forced to take care of their own.

    I am also a strong advocate for reinstating corporal punishment back in the school system, pronto. Sadly, some children only understand a firm spanking.

    I was spanked growing up and it made me a better person. I hated it those spanks but goodness knows it kept me in line.

    I agree with you fully.

    These children now…let’s just say I dont plan to stay in teaching…..

  • Brian Lynchehaun

    I have to admit that I’m surprised by this post, and it’s not a pleasant surprise.

    The psychology of behaviour is much more complex than the picture that you’re painting, and the idea that corporal punishment is in any way effective indicates a complete lack of education on this topic.

    The short version is that those kids are mirroring behaviour that they have seen in their environment. They have seen this behaviour implemented successfully (not necessarily all the time). They then copy this behaviour. So long as the behaviour is at least partially successful (however the particular child’s brain defines ‘success’ at that particular time), the behaviour will be logged as ‘behaviour that gets me my goals’.

    The view that corporal punishment prevents/retards this behaviour is an extremely naive view. Whenever there is a negative outcome in our life, our brain feverishly goes to work identifying similar situations with similar (and dissimilar) outcomes. Once it has identified the key variable, we modify our behaviour to take account of that variable.

    The identified variable is usually ‘my parents found out’. What corporal punishment mostly succeeds at is teaching children to hide their behaviour, that this shitty and unacceptable behaviour is ok to use, as long as authority figures don’t find out about it, or (should that happen) don’t act on it.

    Note: I’m not advocating hugs and cuddles for all children all the time. I’m advocating a psychologically informed approach to dealing with this kind of behaviour.

    If you’re familiar with The Wire, Season 4 (the whole school system examination) is an excellent illustration and exposition on this topic.

    Ultimately, Donald, to claim that corporal punishment is what made you the man you are today is to ignore everything else in your family dynamic. Which, I suspect, does a great disservice to your parents, as they were (it should be safe to say) more than machines who simply knew when to hit you.

    • Donald Ash

      Thanks for posting, Brian. A well-stated comment, as usual. I agree with some of what you’re saying.

      I’m not arguing or implying that other factors aren’t involved in how a child behaves. Of course environment plays a big role on a child’s behavior. Just like in the article when I mention that many of the Japanese students I teach being respectful isn’t necessarily because of spankings but because they have parents who are there for them. They are reared in a environment that, by and large, fosters respect.

      But I have to disagree with you on the statement that corporal punishment is ineffective. It’s not my lack of education on the subject nor is it naivety, that your opinion, bro. If I were a full-fledged, child psychologist, I would still think it’s effective, because that’s how I was raised. There are parents who use it and parents who don’t.

      I sincerely believe that there is a right way and a wrong to administer corporal punishment. I came from a family where my parents were firm with us at times, but always quite fair. There were times where we were talked to, times where we were sent to our rooms, times when we had things taken away, and there were times when we were spanked. I believe discipline can happen in grades, just like it does in a justice system, where certain actions resulted in greater disciplinary action.

      I never made the claim that spanking was the only thing that made me who I am. I never painted the picture that my parents were machines that just knew when to hit me, nor am I ignoring everything else in my family dynamic. Many things have played a role in who I’ve become, BUT having parents who were strong disciplinarians DID play a role in the man I am today, INCLUDING the spankings.

      Corporal punishment is all over the world to this very day so ineffective why do militaries use it on their soldiers? Why do some martial artists use it? Why does Singapore use public caning? Why is there a death penalty for heinous crimes? Sure these examples are more extreme but it’s corporal punishment nonetheless. I do think there are times when corporal punishment can be warranted.

      The video I saw of these kids enraged me, and I just posted. I don’t know what picture it painted, but knowing what teachers have to go through, and how so many kids get away with a simple pat wrist for serious stuff like this bothers really me. It happens more often than it should. I honestly don’t think anything major will happen to these kids. They’ll just go home for a few days, or get a stern talking to and be right back to school like everything’s fine.

      I know you’re not a proponent of corporal punshiment, but admittedly I am. So I guess we’ll have agree to disagree.

      I appreciate your thoughts even though we don’t see it the same way.

      Thanks, Brian.

    • whitecrane

      I disagree entirely with your statement. There are some children who do not respond to endless discussions, explanations and examples. There are some children who are more difficult than others or who process information differently than, perhaps, your children do.

      Some children do not understand pain. You can say “Please don’t pull the dog’s tail because it hurts him” until you’re blue in the face or, after several times, WHACK, “I SAID do NOT pull the dog’s tail because it hurts him, and if you do it AGAIN, I WILL spank you some more,” and all of a sudden the light bulb goes off. “Ouch. That hurt.” Amazing, isn’t it? If YOU don’t hurt how do YOU know what pain is when inflicted on another? This is the most basic of emotions and the BEGINNING of learning empathy. Also, it is the beginning of getting a child’s ATTENTION: Off of themselves.

      Perhaps your children are/were particularly more malleable and you never resort to a spank, but there are myriad more children who need that form of instruction to realize the importance of their actions. Often, then, just the threat of spanking will get their attention and they will actually pause to think about their actions.
      What you advocate, applied across-the-board, is what leads to sociopathic behavior! ENOUGH of this coddling of little egos. What has it led to? A society FULL of little egos. Children who grow into adults who STILL can’t follow instructions and who have little or no empathy for others, since their main focus from infancy has been on “me, me, me.”
      If you doubt what I say, perhaps (in the not-too-distant future) you will have an experience with one of these over-inflated egos that possess no empathy for anyone else. This, then, will give YOU the experience YOU need to learn that spanking serves a purpose.
      What you seem to speak of is abuse. What I speak of is the way children were reared in the past, when teachers, parents, adults, police, etc. were respected. Your philosophy has reigned supreme for the past 40 years and what has it wrought? It is a theory that has not worked and whose time has long passed.

      Now is the time for parents to assume their rightful duties and responsibilities in forming their children as responsible citizens who respect one another.

    • whitecrane

      I disagree entirely with your statement. There are some children who do not respond to endless discussions, explanations and examples. There are some children who are more difficult than others or who process information differently than, perhaps, your children do.

      Some children do not understand pain. You can say “Please don’t pull the dog’s tail because it hurts him” until you’re blue in the face or, after several times, WHACK, “I SAID do NOT pull the dog’s tail because it hurts him, and if you do it AGAIN, I WILL spank you some more,” and all of a sudden the light bulb goes off. “Ouch. That hurt.” Amazing, isn’t it? If YOU don’t hurt how do YOU know what pain is when inflicted on another? This is the most basic of emotions and the BEGINNING of learning empathy. Also, it is the beginning of getting a child’s ATTENTION: Off of themselves.

      Perhaps your children are/were particularly more malleable and you never resort to a spank, but there are myriad more children who need that form of instruction to realize the importance of their actions. Often, then, just the threat of spanking will get their attention and they will actually pause to think about their actions.
      What you advocate, applied across-the-board, is what leads to sociopathic behavior! ENOUGH of this coddling of little egos. What has it led to? A society FULL of little egos. Children who grow into adults who STILL can’t follow instructions and who have little or no empathy for others, since their main focus from infancy has been on “me, me, me.”
      If you doubt what I say, perhaps (in the not-too-distant future) you will have an experience with one of these over-inflated egos that possess no empathy for anyone else. This, then, will give YOU the experience YOU need to learn that spanking serves a purpose.
      What you seem to speak of is abuse. What I speak of is the way children were reared in the past, when teachers, parents, adults, police, etc. were respected. Your philosophy has reigned supreme for the past 40 years and what has it wrought? It is a theory that has not worked and whose time has long passed.

      Now is the time for parents to assume their rightful duties and responsibilities in forming their children as responsible citizens who respect one another.

    • thejapanguy

      For some weird reason, the response I posted never showed up in
      the comments area. Sorry about that, Brian. I wasn”t ignoring you.
      Here”s what I wrote:

      Thanks for posting, Brian. A well-stated comment, as usual. I agree with some of what you’re saying.

      I’m not arguing or implying that other factors aren’t involved in how
      a child behaves. Of course the environment plays a big role on a child’s
      behavior. Just like in the article when I mention that many of the
      Japanese students I teach being respectful “isn’t necessarily because of
      spankings but because they have parents who are there for them.” They
      are reared in a environment that, by and large, fosters respect.

      But I have to disagree with you on the statement that corporal
      punishment is ineffective. It’s not my lack of education on the subject
      nor is it naivety. That your opinion, bro. If I were a full-fledged,
      child psychologist, I would still think it’s effective, because that’s
      how I was raised. There are parents who use it and parents who don’t.

      I sincerely believe that there is a right way and a wrong to
      administer corporal punishment. I came from a family where my parents
      were firm with us at times, but always quite fair. There were times
      when we were talked to, times where we were sent to our rooms, times
      when we had things taken away, and there were times when we were
      spanked. Was I abused? Hell no! The rules were laid out for us, plain and simple, and we knew exactly what things would get us spanked. The vast majority of the time it was after being told repeatedly not to do something. I DO believe discipline can happen in grades, just like it does in a justice system, where certain offenses result in greater disciplinary action.

      I never made the claim that spanking was the only thing that made me
      who I am. I never painted the picture that my parents were machines
      that just knew when to hit me, nor am I ignoring everything else in my
      family dynamic. Many things have played a role in who I’ve become, BUT
      having parents who were strong disciplinarians DID play a role in the
      man I am today, INCLUDING the spankings.

      Corporal punishment is used all over the world…to this very day and I don’t think it’s some antiquated form of punishment. It worked fine for my siblings and I.

      If it’s so ineffective, why do militaries use it on their soldiers? Why do some
      martial artists use it? Why does Singapore use public caning? Sure these examples are more extreme but it’s corporal punishment nonetheless. I do think there are
      times when corporal punishment can be warranted.

      The video I saw of these kids enraged me, and I posted exactly what I felt. I don’t
      know what picture it painted, but I DO know what teachers have to go
      through on a regular basis, and it sucks! There are things that are worse than this that don’t get posted to YouTube. The way so many kids get away with a simple pat wrist for serious stuff like this bothers really me. It happens WAY more often than
      it should.

      I honestly don’t think anything major will happen to these
      kids. They’ll just go home for a few days or longer, get a stern talking to
      and be right back to school like everything’s fine.

      I know you’re not a proponent of corporal punshiment, but admittedly I am.

      So I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.

      I appreciate your thoughts even though we don’t see it the same way.

      Thanks, Brian

    • thejapanguy

      For some weird reason, the response I posted never showed up in
      the comments area. Sorry about that, Brian. I wasn”t ignoring you.
      Here”s what I wrote:

      Thanks for posting, Brian. A well-stated comment, as usual. I agree with some of what you’re saying.

      I’m not arguing or implying that other factors aren’t involved in how
      a child behaves. Of course the environment plays a big role on a child’s
      behavior. Just like in the article when I mention that many of the
      Japanese students I teach being respectful “isn’t necessarily because of
      spankings but because they have parents who are there for them.” They
      are reared in a environment that, by and large, fosters respect.

      But I have to disagree with you on the statement that corporal
      punishment is ineffective. It’s not my lack of education on the subject
      nor is it naivety. That your opinion, bro. If I were a full-fledged,
      child psychologist, I would still think it’s effective, because that’s
      how I was raised. There are parents who use it and parents who don’t.

      I sincerely believe that there is a right way and a wrong to
      administer corporal punishment. I came from a family where my parents
      were firm with us at times, but always quite fair. There were times
      when we were talked to, times where we were sent to our rooms, times
      when we had things taken away, and there were times when we were
      spanked. Was I abused? Hell no! The rules were laid out for us, plain and simple, and we knew exactly what things would get us spanked. The vast majority of the time it was after being told repeatedly not to do something. I DO believe discipline can happen in grades, just like it does in a justice system, where certain offenses result in greater disciplinary action.

      I never made the claim that spanking was the only thing that made me
      who I am. I never painted the picture that my parents were machines
      that just knew when to hit me, nor am I ignoring everything else in my
      family dynamic. Many things have played a role in who I’ve become, BUT
      having parents who were strong disciplinarians DID play a role in the
      man I am today, INCLUDING the spankings.

      Corporal punishment is used all over the world…to this very day and I don’t think it’s some antiquated form of punishment. It worked fine for my siblings and I.

      If it’s so ineffective, why do militaries use it on their soldiers? Why do some
      martial artists use it? Why does Singapore use public caning? Sure these examples are more extreme but it’s corporal punishment nonetheless. I do think there are
      times when corporal punishment can be warranted.

      The video I saw of these kids enraged me, and I posted exactly what I felt. I don’t
      know what picture it painted, but I DO know what teachers have to go
      through on a regular basis, and it sucks! There are things that are worse than this that don’t get posted to YouTube. The way so many kids get away with a simple pat wrist for serious stuff like this bothers really me. It happens WAY more often than
      it should.

      I honestly don’t think anything major will happen to these
      kids. They’ll just go home for a few days or longer, get a stern talking to
      and be right back to school like everything’s fine.

      I know you’re not a proponent of corporal punshiment, but admittedly I am.

      So I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.

      I appreciate your thoughts even though we don’t see it the same way.

      Thanks, Brian

  • TBB-Gerardo

    I think the kids were 100% wrong for picking on this elderly woman, Karen Klein. There liberal use of profanity in front of an adult and towards an adult is unacceptable/disrespectful and they should be disciplined by the school and parents. But I grew up in a rough neighborhood and I remember when there was corporal punishment (wood-paddling by the principal) in the elementary school. That still did not stop cursing or fighting. My first fight was in elementary school (kindergarten to be exact) when two kids jumped me at recess. I beat them up, they got suspended for starting the fight. So, I agree with the statement about parents set the tone for the kids and corporal punishment does curb a great deal of the behavior but it does not completely stop it. What I saw on the video is an elderly woman who should not be a bus monitor. In no way was she monitoring anything. Why should she be rewarded for allowing herself to be bullied by young kids? What kind of example is she setting. These kids could go on through life bullying bus monitors, their parents, teachers, and other students until they get to college and/or become adults. People from the hood and police are when it becomes real for kids like these. I saw several incidences of that at Morehouse College that made me appreciate going through some things early in life.
    The elderly people in my neighborhood commanded respect and they got it. As bad as my neighborhood was, we had an elderly unofficial bus monitor (Ms. Miller) who watched us get on the bus every morning and watched us walked home away from her block. Never did anyone curse at her or make fun of her to her face. They knew she would give them a severe tongue lashing and possibly hit them with her cane.

  • TBB-Gerardo

    I think the kids were 100% wrong for picking on this elderly woman, Karen Klein. There liberal use of profanity in front of an adult and towards an adult is unacceptable/disrespectful and they should be disciplined by the school and parents. But I grew up in a rough neighborhood and I remember when there was corporal punishment (wood-paddling by the principal) in the elementary school. That still did not stop cursing or fighting. My first fight was in elementary school (kindergarten to be exact) when two kids jumped me at recess. I beat them up, they got suspended for starting the fight. So, I agree with the statement about parents set the tone for the kids and corporal punishment does curb a great deal of the behavior but it does not completely stop it. What I saw on the video is an elderly woman who should not be a bus monitor. In no way was she monitoring anything. Why should she be rewarded for allowing herself to be bullied by young kids? What kind of example is she setting. These kids could go on through life bullying bus monitors, their parents, teachers, and other students until they get to college and/or become adults. People from the hood and police are when it becomes real for kids like these. I saw several incidences of that at Morehouse College that made me appreciate going through some things early in life.
    The elderly people in my neighborhood commanded respect and they got it. As bad as my neighborhood was, we had an elderly unofficial bus monitor (Ms. Miller) who watched us get on the bus every morning and watched us walked home away from her block. Never did anyone curse at her or make fun of her to her face. They knew she would give them a severe tongue lashing and possibly hit them with her cane.