When I began teaching in 1973, I took over for a teacher the kids drove batty until she had a breakdown and left. (9th grade science). I had the superintendents kids, boy and girl and one day they announced to the class, " You are too hard, you make us work and remember things. We are going to tell our dad that you are worthless and get you fired."
I was worried so I went to his office, I told him everything and he looked up and said, "You are not going to be fired, unless you kiss the head cook and she tells about it." The next day, the two kids stood up in class and apologized to me for what they said. That was the end of it.
Sometimes, things work out, but the cost of replacing the station is a lot of money, even if it is parts. With the cuts to funding across the country to education and the meager increase in the general fund, schools shouldn't have this. Yes, replace the station, prevent it from happening again, discussing with the custodian about prevention and charging the employee and the kid the replacement costs are not out of line. The kid needs to be charged so that it is affixed in his pea brain and his wallet.
Unfortunately some school boards are more interested in just gliding along than actually doing much. I feel for you. 30 years of teaching imprints a lot.
