Working at B-CC is Getting Harder
Rise in student violence, often impacting staff, makes working at B-CC even more difficult.
B-CC Assistant Principal Ms. Adamson was facilitating two students working out a conflict when a fight erupted between the students in early February. Adamson, attempting to separate them, sustained injuries.
“Physical fights are on the rise,” Adamson told Tattler staff. “Behavior at B-CC is changing, and we are doing everything we can to get on top of it.”
However, physical altercations are no longer limited to the student body. Now, administrators are being injured, adding an additional burden on the shoulders of B-CC staff.
Given these trends, it’s not a mystery that there’s a teacher shortage within the county. As of the beginning of the school year, there were 246 full-time teaching positions open in Montgomery County Public Schools.
B-CC also struggles to find teachers willing to work at the school. At the beginning of the year, it took nearly two months to fill an AP Physics teaching position, leaving students teacherless for weeks. According to B-CC junior Ellie Watkins, a replacement for the long-term substitute for her Latin American History course quit after one day.
Ryan Maged, a B-CC junior and president of the class of 2024, reflected, “As a student, I find myself extremely upset and disappointed. B-CC’s behavior issues are out of hand, and from what I can tell, it’s getting worse and worse.”
Teachers and students alike feel the tension in the air at B-CC. Ms. Mey, a B-CC teacher of nine years who witnesses Barons’ behavior firsthand, expressed, “I feel as if there is a shift in the overall student population and how they are lacking the skills they need to handle difficult or uncomfortable situations…they aren’t listening, understanding, or compartmentalizing situations.”
This, however, is not learned in high school, according to Adamson: “This doesn’t start at B-CC; these patterns of behavior have been put in place since children start school.”
“Montgomery County says we are a restorative justice institution; let’s see what that looks like at all levels,” she continued, remarking that if violent patterns are not disrupted early, we are going to continue to see the same issues.
When asked how he feels about breaking up incidents between students, B-CC administrator Mr. Goodwin explained that in any given situation, he goes in thinking that it is his responsibility to keep the students safe. “The perpetrator in any incident could also be a victim,” he explained.
But we can’t place the onus on the staff. When conflicts arise, Ms. Adamson explained that every student has a choice: do you take out your camera and start recording, or do you find a way to de-escalate the conflict?
Logan Tongberg is a news writer for the Tattler and is also on the girls soccer team at BCC. She loves to hang out with her friends and family and going...
Nat is a B-CC senior and is reprising his role as section director of art and photography for the second year in a row. In his free time, Nat enjoys boxing,...
