If this comes as a shock to you, then you haven't been paying attention.

As a teacher in a middle school in the city I also feel like our school is, at times, out of control. It seems that our hands are so tied with discipline and suspensions that there seems to be little that can be done to gain control. The punishments that we teachers do have in our power (i.e. after school detention) are often not supported by parents further eroding our control.
As a young, committed teacher I am sorry to say it, but I am just about ready to throw in the towel and join the ranks of the many that quit within the first five years.

Ridiculous...

Questions:
1. Where are the adults?
2. Where is the school police?
3. Why do the administrators still have a job?

Now, the video may be out of context, but probably not. How staged is it? Gloves?? Was it during lunch? Or were the kids supposed to be in class? Was it after school?

Now, there is so much of this being posted on the net. And I sympathize with teachers who are trying to bring students into a world of learning; uphill battle (literally).

Problems abound: you have to have a lot of patience with this generation. I think it is very new (not just a case of making the same old comparisons by people who moan about the good old days). There really is a loss of respect for the normal, adult institutions. Discipline is one thing-- trying to correct a culture that increasingly not only is violent but also glories in it! Aaargh...frustration.

I think we have to find a way to dialog about solutions and to stop orienting ourselves around blame. It is not productive. I think it is not a simple solution, and I think that what many teachers and administrators are frustrated about is couched in language like "discipline" and suspensions, but really what is so common is the lack of support from parents. Bad parenting, no parenting. Schools try to blame the teachers-- poor teaching and poor management cannot makeup for a lifetime of running the halls/streets with no consequences from home.

So, what we really don't have is a "school", but a control oriented institution...inmates/guards languages, and what is also so genuinely frustrating is that there are many gems in the midst who's opportunity to learn is so often disrupted by the lack of control. "Conduct interferes with learning" is the report card comment-- for both directions.

I am a long-term city teacher who is amazed that this foolishness was allowed to go on even if it might have been staged. To think that the students were confident enough of not being punished that they would attempt this even in fun is more than I care to think about. I lay blame for this type of behavior at the feet of parents--who see us as babysitters--, North Avenue--who doesn't want to be labeled "persistently dangerous"--and fellow teachers for whom getting involved means losing their job or getting injured. We must take back control of the schools now or these miscreants will infect the entire population and no one will learn.

In all fairness, Mervo isn't the only BCPSS school on youtube and this isn't the most shocking of the videos you'll find there. The popularity of cell phones with video capability has allowed for some interesting, disturbing film making. Hitchcock it ain't, but it's still chilling.

It's worse at other schools. Mervo is a citywide program, hmm those kids were accepted/chosen. Imagine if they took every student who was interested? There is a crisis is our schools and it's being ignored. I like Dr. Alonzo but his stance on suspensions is backfiring. Sure the numbers of kids removed will go down, but have the schools really improved? The strategy is not to suspend. Suspensions are a effect not the cause of our issues. What programs and strategies are we putting in place to reduce behaviors that result in suspensions? There are very few high schools that actually report/record their true discipline data. They are trying to hid behind their numbers. If the numbers are low the school must be doing well.

What do you think is happening at some of the zone schools where the teachers average 3 years exp? Mervo has some of the more seasoned teachers.

Oh and to answer the 3 questions.

I'll put money that there are adults there. Watch the video closer...

School police, ha. There are some good ones, but many hide all day talking on their cell phones. Mervo is a big building but not big enough to disguise that kind of noise.

As far as I know some AP's have moved around a bit. The principal is in her second year. She is "protected", if she leaves Mervo she'll get a nice gig at North Ave.

At least their are some parents asking questions. Imagine if this was Woodlawn. Front page of the Sun for sure. Ahhh, but who cares about city kids.

Thanks to all for your comments. In response to Stu: I would love to write a larger story about what's going on at Mervo, but so far no one I've talked to (parents, students, staff) is willing to go on the record for fear of retaliation. And we can't write a story for the paper -- be it about a school in the city or one in the suburbs -- without named sources.

If anyone from Mervo reading this is willing to discuss the situation publicly, email me at sara.neufeld@baltsun.com.

I am very appalled by what I saw on the video and the other videos on youtube. It is absolutely ridiculous. There is obviously little learning going on at Mervo. Between this year and last year there have been numerous fires, countless fights, throwing of various objects (including food, water baloons, bleach filled balloons, urine filled balloons, etc.) at teachers and other students, a Virginia Tech shooting threat, a teacher beaten up, a student shooting other students with a bb gun, etc.

The worst part of it is, even when some of these students are caught, they are allowed to go back to Mervo after minor disciplinary action has taken place. The teachers' hands are tied and the administrators' hands are tied so this will continue to happen. Those teachers and administrators are working as hard as they can and using whatever means are available to curb this behavior but the means that are available to them are absolutely pathetic.

Why are we sacrificing the education of so many when all it takes is the removal of so few? If a student cannot behave in a normal school setting then they must be removed from that setting. By not harshly disciplining them, we are telling them that they can behave this way in the "real world." Maybe that's a reason why the Baltimore City Jail is packed.

Just like any kid, these kids do as much as they are allowed to get away with. It just happens to be that these kids are allowed to get away with acts that would put them in jail if they did this outside of a school building. Until policies are changed, it will only get worse. We need to put less emphasis on helping the losers who will never achieve and put more emphasis on nurturing the students who want to learn.

I agree with so much of what is being posted above. Clark: your point about the miscreants really strikes me. At some point, when they are rewarded by their peers and no societal sanctions are issued, they are encouraged. And they infect the learning community with a slow growing cancer. But, so many of them have been labeled and shuttled aside, and what is worse is that they've frequently been put into special ed programs, and then removed from school in order to achieve a more pristine learning environment. One of my colleagues has posed the question about: "what happened to alternative schools" (ie, for problem children) and I think that what we've seen is that so many schools have actually become this and are playing that role. Even the citywide schools are deteriorating (witness behavior from the City-Poly game...girls being arrested from these schools?).

I tell you, some how I hope this blog and those who are becoming part of this online community can find a way to get together and dialog and get those who are solution oriented around the idea of "taking back" the schools for the good of our city.

Anyone interested? Contact me via email.

Like VoiceForSchoolTruth's colleague, many of us are lamenting the fact that there are no REAL alternative schools for our many troubled students. The neighborhood high schools are not equipped with the staff or programs to address the needs of so many of our kids. They need SOMETHING that will help them get an education and they're not getting it in our high schools. They're also making it difficult for many other students whose needs are being ignored while we try to deal with the challenges presented by these troubled children. They all deserve an education and we must find a better way because what we're doing now is not working.

I personally believe this boxing incident was blown out of proportion. All of the situtions you have stated was prior to this year. Yes, I do agree that the fires "were" out of control, but the sitution was handle properly. Here at Mervo we haven't had any recent fires. No, we aren't out of control here at this citywide school. The boxing match that you have stated happened prior to this year and not during school time, it was before school hours. This was a way for teenage boys to have fun just like playing football or any other sport. Here at Mervo we are excelling and have great supervision.

I am here to speak as a voice of the students and some of the staff of Mergenthaler. This comment is meant for Maureen. First and foremost you were not at Mervo during the time period by which this incident or any of the rest happened. As someone there at the present time, I wish to get things straight.

The boxing incident happened in the school year of 2006-2007. This incident occurred during the morning time that day way before the bell was even about to ring. We students have the privilege to be able to stand in the lobby in the back of our school in poor weather conditions. This just so happen to be a day that the student felt that it would be a little fun to have a boxing match BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED!!! You ask where were the police officers, please do not get me wrong they do there job as well as possible and they are there when needed. As for your ignorant question of why our administrators still have there job is because they do there job. There is not a day that the students of Mervo are not questioned by the administrators for the little things. If you feel as though our faculty does not belong here do not judge them take it up with your so called leader of North Ave.

For you to say something about the students being taken out and then invited back do not and I repeat do not try to make Mervo your target example when we are not the only school with this having happened. About the bomb / shooting incident you should know that Baltimore City College also had the same incident having happen to them, but you make it a greater issue for us. The actually shooting incident was not a bb gun it was a real fire arm, this incident was not a shooting done by one of our students. After school (School year 05-06) outside, a male who does not attend Mervo assaulted a Mervo student. So we ask that you do not put this blame and unfair judgments on us do to that not being our problem that an outsider shot one of my fellow classmates.

Sara Neufeld I have various thing to say in response to your feeling towards my school Mergenthaler Vo-Tech High School. We see that you have your own opinion of the ways in which things happen at Mervo. To me you have no say what so ever in anything here due to one huge factor. YOU DO NOT ATTEND MERGENTHALER VO-TECH HIGH SCHOOL! During the time’s in which this happen you were not in our building getting the education we are, nor are you the one who is standing in front of us five days of the week teaching us. You may feel that we are bad so to say, but you would never really know. So yes we value your opinion but we are so very sorry to inform you, that we do not care.

In closing remarks to you all I would like to give thanks to all of my proud classmates and member of the Mergenthaler staff, as well as those who understand that we are not the only BCPSS School with these problems (Vetern Teacher and Avalon).

Thank you,
The Junior Voice of Mervo

am here to speak as a voice of the students and some of the staff of Mergenthaler. This comment is meant for Maureen. First and foremost you were not at Mervo during the time period by which this incident or any of the rest happened. As someone there at the present time, I wish to get things straight.

The boxing incident happened in the school year of 2006-2007. This incident occurred during the morning time that day way before the bell was even about to ring. We students have the privilege to be able to stand in the lobby in the back of our school in poor weather conditions. This just so happen to be a day that the student felt that it would be a little fun to have a boxing match BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED!!! You ask where were the police officers, please do not get me wrong they do there job as well as possible and they are there when needed. As for your ignorant question of why our administrators still have there job is because they do there job. There is not a day that the students of Mervo are not questioned by the administrators for the little things. If you feel as though our faculty does not belong here do not judge them take it up with your so called leader of North Ave.

For you to say something about the students being taken out and then invited back do not and I repeat do not try to make Mervo your target example when we are not the only school with this having happened. About the bomb / shooting incident you should know that Baltimore City College also had the same incident having happen to them, but you make it a greater issue for us. The actually shooting incident was not a bb gun it was a real fire arm, this incident was not a shooting done by one of our students. After school (School year 05-06) outside, a male who does not attend Mervo assaulted a Mervo student. So we ask that you do not put this blame and unfair judgments on us do to that not being our problem that an outsider shot one of my fellow classmates.

Sara Neufeld I have various thing to say in response to your feeling towards my school Mergenthaler Vo-Tech High School. We see that you have your own opinion of the ways in which things happen at Mervo. To me you have no say what so ever in anything here due to one huge factor. YOU DO NOT ATTEND MERGENTHALER VO-TECH HIGH SCHOOL! During the time’s in which this happen you were not in our building getting the education we are, nor are you the one who is standing in front of us five days of the week teaching us. You may feel that we are bad so to say, but you would never really know. So yes we value your opinion but we are so very sorry to inform you, that we do not care.

In closing remarks to you all I would like to give thanks to all of my proud classmates and member of the Mergenthaler staff, as well as those who understand that we are not the only BCPSS School with these problems (Vetern Teacher and Avalon).

Thank you,
The Junior Voice of Mervo