For those of you who have been teaching children in China for several years, I have a question. Have you noticed what seems to be a disturbing trend developing with the "naughty" young learners? Over the past several months it seems some children are now resorting to sticking sharpened pencils into the eyes of their classmates. The first time I heard of this, I thought it might be an isolated incident. But it happened again at a school where I was teaching. Being a private organization, the school told the student to say "I'm sorry" TO THE TEACHER. In my opinion the student should have been dismissed as it was not me who was injured. Had it been my eyesight in jeporady, I fear I would be lounging in a Chinese jail right now. I felt extremely uncomfortable being anywhere near that child and sought employment else where.

Now, again this has happened. A student, a cute little girl, doing her best to master the "th" and "v" sounds had a pencil aimed at her eye by a boy sitting next to her. For no reason. While I was looking at the both of them.

Again, this was a private school and my reports to management were basically ignored. I was told to just continue with the class.

Have any of you seen this happen? and how often? What can we, as foreign teachers, do to protect the innocent.

Personally, China is becoming a place where I do not want to teach.