The Darker Side of Herding Cats: What Level of Student Misconduct Should Public School Teachers Be Obliged to Tolerate?

We just completed our first three days with our kindergarten students.  Their antics already have elicited many smiles, and most of them are trying very hard to behave and to please the adults around them.  They are alive with energy and curiosity.

Among them are several who have reduced their teachers to tears.  I met one of these students when his class came to the library for the first time.  Obviously, I had never interacted with any of them.  At the front of the line stood a boy; well, he whirled around while the rest of the line stood still.  As I introduced myself and made ready to lead the line into the library on the "library train," complete with chugging arm movements and sound effects, this boy stepped over to me and kicked me a stinging kick.  Before I could recover from my surprise, he had stepped on the top of my foot.  Looking me right in the eye, he began to grind his foot down onto the top of mine.  Needless to say, I taught a mini-lesson on the spot about personal space.  A day later (on the kindergarteners' third day of school), one of the teachers in our building was head-butted by another kindergarten boy.  The impact likely broke her nose.

To be sure, many of these children arrive at our school carrying the baggage of economic disadvantage, perhaps coupled with physical and mental challenges.  Both the "regular" classrooms and all of our many special education, bilingual, counseling, and other student support programs are overwhelmed by the depthless need.  But, at what level of misbehavior, if one agrees there is, indeed, such a level, does the line get crossed, and the infringement on educators' health and safety become unacceptable?  What is to be done?

At this point, the best solution I have is to prepare to meet them wearing a baseball catcher's uniform.