My grandaughter, Sara has been a band director at a Tulsa
highschool for almost three years. She has gotten a lot
of recognition for her work with Jazz and Mariachi.
Last week, a day before she was to leave for New York City
to accompany a jazz band she was assaulted by a large female student. Sara is a tiny petite girl who may weigh
a hundred pounds dripping wet, She suffered a concussion
but went to New York City anyway. She was beaten in the
head while trying to protect a student.

This has dampened her love of teaching music and she is
ready to leave the teaching field. Our teachers suffer
from low pay, long hours, extremely high health insurance
and a lack of respect.

What more are Oklahoma teachers expected to take. Sara
went to college on a full music scholarship so I know
that she is talented. She is caring and warm and has a
great personality. This girl has a history of assault
and this is the second time she beaten up on a teacher.
It seems to me that she should not have been allowed
back into a public highschool.

I was much happier working in an education service center
doing prescriptive teaching, testing, and counseling
rather than in the classroom. However, I never had to
deal with violence from a student and I enjoyed working
with parents.

I don't have any answers but it seems to me that our state will never be able to keep teachers when violence
enters the classroom.