THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, April 28, 1995                 TAG: 9504280063
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E11  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   25 lines

BACK TALK

WHAT IS THE appropriate punishment for a student who shows disrespect to a teacher? Here are two responses from last week's question.

I feel it should be a crime when the teacher is physically contacted, if she is hit, pushed. If the child just uses verbal disrespect, then they should be disciplined at school. - Cecelia Martin, 20

Disrespect for teachers should be considered a crime when it becomes violent and threatening. Teachers are the students' advantage if they want to extend their learning opportunities. Students who skip school to smoke or be with friends show disrespect to teachers who are being paid to teach. The students who are skipping are not only being disrespectful, they're breaking the law. - Jessica Crane, 13 by CNB