[romanseight2005]

I can remember a gym teacher doing something humiliating to me when I was 6 years old. It was a different situation, and I didn't say anything rude, but that situation somewhat traumatized me and created fears in me that lasted. I think he had the right to request his jacket not get messed with, and yes he could have been more polite about it, but her reaction seems to me to be much more than rude. She used her authority to disrespect the thing he was asking, she had no right to mess with his jacket at all, let alone tell the kids to, and she was setting out to humiliate him and show him she had no respect for him or his jacket. I see this as much bigger than her handling his comments poorly. I teach kids, and I can't imagine ever doing anything like that. I might have told the child that he could be more polite, but my guess is that his jacket has gotten messed with in the past, and that's why he said it. Maybe the best thing to have done would have been to show him another place to put the jacket, or even made him wear it. I just don't think some teachers have any idea of the damage they can do to kids when they do these kinds of things.