The whole Capron --> Zero! thing started with my 8th grade P.E. teacher, Mr. Wilkenson. The way he'd stand by and shout out scores as each boy attempted a series of gymnastic maneuvers, the obvious glee he took in making a number of us into losers, pantywaists, and sissies -- well, it was all so entrenched in gym culture, I couldn't even imagine at the time how to stand up to the bullying. It was bad enough that he based his "teaching" on humiliation, but the way he and his successors stood by while hazing, punching, tripping and taunting was going on right under their noses certainly branded a bunch of us. Am I scarred for life?
While I experienced the fear and loathing of my innate athleticism, other children were living down to negative expectations in other areas, being told:
"You can't sing,"
"You'd better switch to German.... you'll never speak French," and
"It looks like someone didn't do her homework. You'd better get up at the board and diagram the following sentence."
It's not just a matter of whether a teacher is considered "nice" or "mean." It's a matter of whether someone is qualified to call her- or himself a teacher, OR if that person is a frustrated something-other-than-teacher who feels entitled to push their pain out upon young people.
My P.E. experience was certainly not unique to the Montgomery County schools I attended. I've heard horror stories much worse from (gay) male friends from all over. Few young people have the wherewithal to stand up for themselves, call out a teacher's bullying, and succeed with flying colors in spite of the negative branding. And straight boys undergo the rough treatment as well.
Because my folks had good sense (and the means, though in the 50's it wasn't quite the luxury it is today), I had spent my primary school years learning to become a proficient horseback rider. And I took dance lessons. So I had a base knowledge that I wasn't a "spaz" or a weakling. What about the boys who'd never had a chance to learn to value what they could accomplish physically? And how about the middle & high school youth who were/are struggling to find their gender and/or sexual orientation at this critical age? Who's there to watch out for them?
When a young person is mocked and pushed around on the playing field and then again while showering in the locker room with the "teacher" literally standing by, doing nothing, of course his or her physical abilities suffer and yes, they are scarred for life.
[I understand that nowadays the younger kids are getting trophies for just showing up, which to me is a pendulum swinging way off in the opposite direction.]
A number of years after losing most of my self-confidence in Physical Education classes, I had the great good fortune to end up at a theater conservatory where my classes included gymnastics, tumbling, martial arts, circus arts and, of course, lots of dance and mime. One great teacher named Franklin, on one afternoon in one class, by being there for me 100%, encouraging me and truly believing in my abilities, gave me a Helen Keller- Annie Sullivan experience. By the time that class was over, I knew that I could do all kinds of things I'd always been taught I never would be able to do.
Most of the moments and people who taught me how to be a good teacher taught me by positive example. A few taught me by negative example. Growing up, maturing, becoming independent, it's all about embracing what's good for one and discarding what's unhelpful and unhealthful. Much easier said than done.
My native optimism has been of great help in this regard. My grounded realism has made me sensitive to young folks who have been knocked down. Not just to comfort them, but to let them know they are seen, they are loved and they can accomplish a lot of things that adults and peers have always said were out of their reach. Let us expect and demand this from every teacher, every educator and, dare I say, every parent.