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We Understand Teacher Sheri Lynn Davis
 The Axiom Of Realistic Expectations After watching the entire interview of science teacher Sheri Lynn Davis, who was recently fired for "beating" 13-year-old student Isaiah Reagins, we have to admit that we do understand her actions. (WATCH: "Beating Caught On Tape: Teacher Speaks") That being said, we would not be shocked if law enforcement decided to file charges against Davis because we believe that she indeed acted inappropriately. Sound like a contradiction? Let us explain. On Monday night, Jamie's House Charter School in Houston fired Davis "after the recording of the April 29 beating became public." ("Teacher Apologizes For Recorded Beating Of Student") Since then, Davis has apologized to Reagins's mother, Alesha Johnson, and has granted interviews admitting her actions were wrong and expressing her wish that she would have acted differently. However, after studying Davis's apology and explanation of the events of that day, we empathize with her frustration, and while we don't condone her actions and recognize that she looks pretty out of control in the recording, we can see how her frustration led to this type of behavior. At Jamie's House Charter School, Davis teaches in a school where the students are completely out of control. According to her attorney Chip Lewis, as a teacher there, "[Davis] was forced to become 'not only an educator but also a bouncer, and enforcement officer.'" In fact, many of the students at the school have criminal records, and in her interview, Davis claims that the school is so dysfunctional teachers have trouble finding even basic supplies such as pencil sharpeners. How does this relate to Directing Your Home? As parents, it is our job to raise children with character. We are responsible for their behavior in the classroom (and everywhere else) until they reach the age of 18. Today, so many children are unsupervised, undisciplined, and so disrespectful to others that there is absolutely no way any teacher could ever maintain control of the classroom. We personally know of many teachers who are taking early retirement, or changing careers long before retirement age, because they cannot endure the disrespect and lack of parental support day after day after day. While we admit that Davis let her frustration get the best of her, we also can see how having to protect handicapped children (the reason she beat Isaiah) and police school hallways (she had broken up a fight between a 16-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl just moments before!), along with all of the other pressures that are involved in such a hostile environment, it is understandable why she overreacted to a known constant troublemaker like Isaiah Reagins. Parents, whether you can understand Davis's behavior or not, please listen to this teacher's words: Take time to be involved in your children's lives and teach them how to behave. Moreover, we would like to see parents putting as much energy into their children as they do acquiring material goods and furthering their careers. Our children need to spend as much (or more) one-on-one time with us as they spend with their friends or playing video games. We know this is a challenge in our hectic society, especially for single parents, but if we want to raise the next generation to be people of quality, we have no choice but to make sure the job gets done! Anna and Ellie Sherise
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