Steve Vaughn
It is very rare for a first-year teacher to be in charge right out of the box. Classroom management is usually a problem. I started teaching at 36 years old, so knew a lot of things, but classroom management was not part of my skill set.
When I started at Normandy, I taught three classes of Physics and two of Physical Science. One of the Physical Science kids was just a non-stop dick. The other Physical Science teacher, Steve Vaughn, offered to have that kid transferred to his class. Steve assured me that he wouldn’t be a problem.
Wanting to learn, I asked Steve how he would handle this student. Steve said, “He knows that if he screws around, I’ll kick his ass.”
Funny, right? By 1996, paddling was long gone.
“No seriously, you can’t kick his ass, so how are you going to get this kid to behave?”
“I’ll kick his ass. He’s on the wrestling team, so during practice, I will slip on the mat and pancake him. He knows I’d do something like that.”
Steve was the head wrestling coach.
Say what you want about corporal punishment, but that student behaved for Steve and passed the class. I’d bet that Steve still knows this student’s name and can tell me where he works and how he’s doing. The best coaches are like that. They don’t get enough credit for the good they do.
And Steve? Until 2025, he is the president of the Parma City School District’s Board of Education.
Here is a video of Steve Vaughn’s story