I am now a seventh grade science teacher. Whenever I mention I work in a middle school, the first reaction is: "I could never do that!" And almost always, I agree with the speaker.

It's a tough job. High stress from all directions: the bureaucracy above, incompetent colleagues, the parents, and, least of all, the students (150 of them which I deal with on a daily basis).

Hey, I get your schtick, Cenk. I work with 12 year olds and understand your sense of humor completely (this is not a dis by any means, trust me.) But it wears a bit thin when you jump to conclusions about how teachers/schools deal with students. As a daily live show it is part of your job to make quick judgements about events. When assuming that republicans are corrupt, it is an easy call. But let's have a little more caution when playing Monday morning quarterback on educational issues.

The specific instance today: arresting a kid for farting in class. Yes, it was an Ana story with little background, but you went for it hook and line. After Ana mentioned that the kid had done other disruptive acts, you pulled back from the sinker and recognized that we were not hearing the whole story.

And yet you ended by saying that we need to let kids be kids. Have you ever read "Lord of the Flies"? It is not a fantasy novel. Let kids run loose and chaos follows. Now, I like and respect kids. I don't have any of my own, which is probably why I still like them. But kids as well as adults need structure and rules. This knee-jerk reaction that boys will be boys is shortsighted at best.

My philosophy is to set the boundaries such that when students cross them, there is no real harm, and you can still bring them back into the fold. In this particular case of the 12 year old passing gas, I assume (but do not know) that this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Or more likely knowing the media, it happened a while ago and they just chose this for the headline value to catch Ana's attention.

If this were an isolated incident on your part, I'd be my usual lazy self and let it go. But I'm reminded of previous examples such as when you absolve kids of various fashion statements -- such as wearing their pants down on their ass. What's the big deal? We don't need preteens walking around our schools looking like aspiring gang-banging pimps and whores.

To be clear, I'm no cultural conservative. I've been a dirty f-ing hippee lib much longer than you (though I'm just a few years older). I hated Reagan and would have voted for Carter or Mondale if I had been old enough. Bush the First? Better than I expected, but no regrets in voting for Dukakis. And on it went.

So, to wrap it up, I challenge you to spend some time substituting in a local school. The garbage teachers must deal with on a daily basis -- while trying to ensure your social security benefits by educating the youth of America -- is overwhelming. Give us a break on the front lines and occasionally assume that the student deserved what he got if you do not have evidence to the contrary.