"You chose me to bring hellfire on you!" Rowlett ISD teacher has had it
ROWLETT (CBSNewsTexas.com) - A high school teacher in Rowlett was caught on video yelling at students and throwing a chair. That video has now gone viral on social media and is sparking a conversation about challenges educators face every day.
Recorded on a student's cell phone, the 30 second video shows a Rowlett High School teacher losing his cool. It's not clear what led up to the outburst or how it ended but it appeared to involve the presence of another student's phone.
Garland ISD sent CBS News Texas a statement about the incident. In the statement the district said they're investigating the incident and do not condone the behavior in the video. They also said no students were harmed.
"While it may not be the recommended response to inappropriate behavior in the classroom it is unfortunate that far too many of our teachers for far too long have had to deal with exactly the types of behavior exactly the level of the lack of respect," said Zeph Capo, the president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers union.
"When teachers get to that level where they really can't take it anymore, they leave the classroom they walk out," said Capo.
Capo said he's had to deal with teachers who have been physically assaulted by students over their cell phones in class.
"We have far too many kids in the classroom that are more concerned with their phones than they are concerned with the lesson of the day," said Capo.
The response online has been overwhelmingly in support of the teacher. One person wrote "completely understand how our teachers are pushed to this point." Another said they were a former student of the teacher, and said, "He was always kind, intelligent, professional, and actually cared about us and our education."
Texas AFT said schools need to set better expectations for students and support teachers in conflicts like this.
"What they have to do is they have to have a serious focus on behavior management and its not just in the classroom they need to think about what are the types of cultures norms and expectations across that entire campus," said Capo.
CBS News Texas has reached out to the teacher in the video for comment but have not heard back.
