Fighting Versus Self-Defense

In recent years, school district’s everywhere have gone into the politically correct zone by applying disciplinary measures to everybody involved. There seems to be few opportunities for both parents and students to appeal the rules which are written on paper — but set in stone.

And sometimes, you have to wonder, who the real bully is in these cases.

For example, Elko County school trustees have turned down a father’s appeal to lift a disciplinary sanction and let his class president daughter speak at her senior class graduation at Spring Creek High School. The board’s decision upholds Superintendent Jeff Zander’s original decision.
   
Savannah Amberson’s father, Ward Amberson, argues his daughter didn’t start the lunchroom fight in April at the high school. He maintains she’s being punished for being a victim.

“I’m not saying my daughter is perfect,” he says, “but she was defending herself after another student threw a punch at her face.”

I agree with him completely — there is a difference between fighting and defending yourself.

Amberson says his daughter is an honor student who has been involved in leadership for four years. Savannah will attend Boise State University in the fall on an academic scholarship.

I had the same problem when it came to Kyle defending himself, but the outcome was much different from Mr. Amberson’s results.

He was in second grade when a sixth grader started picking on him — knocking him to the ground and pushing him around. I told Kyle that he had my permission to defend himself and that’s exactly what he did.

Kyle had been enrolled in Karate class at the time and he used it only after being trapped against a fence on the school ground. He not only slugged the bully in the gut and face, he flipped the kid over his back and threatened to stomp on him if he got up.

Unfortunately, that’s all the teacher on duty saw and he wa immediately sent to the principal’s office and sent home. From there the principal decided he should have a few days off from school for his actions.

I disagreed.

The following Monday, I went to the principal’s office to discuss the situation with her. She told me over and over that the school had a none-violence policy that Kyle had violated.

I asked her to suspend, or whatever she called it, the other kid too then — but she refused.

Then I asked her if I might demonstrate for her the difference between fighting and defending one’s self. Much to my surprise she agreed.

The second her said yes though , I jumped on her desk and started kicking everything off of it and onto her. She eventually reached out and grabbed my leg to stop me.

I stopped at that moment and hopped down from her desk.

She was visibly shaking and cowered in the corner in her big leather chair. I calmly started picking stuff up off the floor and neatly placing it back on her now-bare desk.

“I think using your definition of violence, you need to be expelled,” I said to her, “after all you reached out and grabbed my leg to stop me from doing what I was doing.”

“No,” she replied, “I was defending myself!”

“My point exactly,” I returned.

Yeah, I could have been arrested for doing what I had done — but I did ask for her permission before I demonstrated my point. Kyle was allowed to return to school and she restored his clean record.