The time has come for academe to address this issue as the occupational hazard that it has proven to be. The rise of incivility and rudeness in the classroom does mirror the same development in our society. The article makes many good points about the causes. I agree with those who say that the concept of respect for educators has to begin in Kindergarten. I was a creative and oft-requested Kindergarten teacher for 16 years, and was a strict disciplinarian as well.
Respect breeds respect.
They could do a lot to put a stop to unruly behavior. But I've no evidence they're about to. In dealing with issues surrounding decorum in the classroom, it has been helpful for me to consider the classroom as one instantiation of the rhetorical situation. Like David J. Rothman, I was intrigued by Alison Schneider's reference to Foucault in the article. Administrators in higher education should make every effort to put an immediate stop to disruptive behavior in the classroom.