While I worked at a South Bay middle school, a student assaulted me by throwing a mechanical pencil into my face. The penalty for a felony assault on one's teacher? The 14 year old got a week off school to play video games, then was back in my classroom giving high fives to the other tough kids. Three students attacked a really nice kid, the 4.0 student son of our librarian, and knocked him unconscious with a rock. Their penalty (for assault, battery, perjury) as also a week off of school. One was actually asked to leave the district since she lived outside it. Should we be shocked when we excuse violence upon violence, give silly meaningless consequences, and do nothing to stop future incidents ... should we be shocked that the kids escalate their outbursts?