I have so much to say about this Klara, but first I must ask you a few questions.

Are non-teachers allowed to teach in America?

Is it legal?

And...but I have to ask, are you allowed to take junk food into a classroom?

What you are describing as your role, is what we call relief teaching, and unless you have degree status in teaching, you simply cannot teach.

Also, I have taught long enough to see what happens when kids eat food with additives in them...and it;s not only not pretty. It is highly dangerous. I had one student throw every chair across the room, after he ate a muffin from the tuck shop, then he upturned every desk, then he ran away.

Some teachers may provide rewards, covertly, but most do not because there are better ways to reward good behaviour.

I'm assuming your degree is in nursing, so throwing you to the lions as a teacher was just a horrid, horrid experience.

I applaud your effort to work in the classroom Klara, but it takes years to read students (and patients, but different story), and work out strategies to reel students in.

In successful classrooms, students, for the most part, behave well.

For you...

You don't have to put up with a student's bad behaviour.

You don't have to put up with the escalation of bad behaviour.

And you did have the right to call for assistance.

I feel for you Klara. That was a bad experience.

Still I am puzzled about the legalities of everything.