The past few months at school have shown how downhill things are going in my school.  Today was barely atypical.

One room where I work shares a door with a kindergarten class.  All year long we have heard, through that door, a student regularly screaming and crying.  The teacher's hands are tied, as are the aides'.  The principal tends to be hands-off, when it comes to discipline, usually sending the social worker instead. There is only so much the social worker can do, as he still is under the direction of the principal. So, problems grow because the principal does not give consequences. He prefers trying behavior plans to try to "bribe" the student into doing what he needs to do.  Teachers will tell you that it doesn't work with most of our toughest cases.

Today a kindergartener went on a rampage in his classroom, turning over all the chairs as well as doing other things. The aides got the others out of the room, while the teacher called for the principal.  We now have to say, when we call, "Violent Student," or else help may not come OR if it does, it does not come quickly.  I don't know all the particulars, but I know this child was sent home.  The big question is this: Will he be any different when he returns?  Probably not.

We have young students who try to flee their classrooms.

We have young students who have no regard for authority, thinking nothing of telling a teacher, "NO!" when they do not want to do what they are asked to do, whether it is class work or some behavior.

We have young students who purposely disrupt the class.

I sat with a group of 4th grade teachers a few weeks ago. We had one of those PD afternoons, and so we had to meet for about an hour as a group. The principal happened to come in. I am not sure how the conversation shifted the way it did, but those teachers spoke to him about a particular student who is a runner . . . a disrupter. They have tried all sorts of things to deal with the challenge. They asked the principal for help.  All he did was put it back at them.  Our principal does not want to deal with discipline, and problems are increasing because he won't.

I am retiring soon. This is one reason.  I see what is coming.  I feel bad for the younger teachers, some of whom are ready to quit at year's end. They feel they get no support from their principal.  Problem students' issues escalate the older they get because they are not dealt with when they are younger.  One big area is bullying. Sad.

It does not help that there are dysfunctional homes -- not just one-parent homes but also two-parent homes. So many of our challenging students need stability..... routine..... security..... love.  They don't get it at home.  

Teachers in my school will say that they see potential school shooters in what they see with our younger students who are major problems. There was a time when a girl would become pregnant while still in high school, and we's say the same thing -- we could see it coming.  Now, though, the problems have escalated to harming others physically.

Second Timothy 3, describes the last days:  "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power."

We are seeing it more and more.