When it comes to the care and supervision of children, we expect adults, especially family members and professionally trained teachers, to make wise decisions.

Last week, two incidents involving children and some high school students proved that some adults are the ones in need of instruction.First, a 3-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition after falling 10 feet into a jaguar enclosure at Arkansas' Little Rock Zoo on Friday. Two of the big cats attacked the toddler, and the boy suffered a depressed skull fracture, minor puncture wounds and scalp lacerations.Fire extinguishers were used to ward off the big cats, and a zookeeper lowered a ladder, climbed into the cat pit and retrieved the child. Thankfully, the zoo staff followed training procedures, and their rapid response, along with emergency personnel, saved the toddler's life.The boy's grandfather placed him onto the railing while the father told police he was leaning over in an attempt to photograph the animals when the boy fell. Children wandering away from their parents is a common occurrence at large venues such as parks and zoos, but in this case, a father and grandfather appear to be the ones who lost focus and put the child at risk.The second case of bad judgment involved a high school science teacher in the state of Washington who is under investigation for allegedly promoting bullying in the classroom.Kemberly Patteson, 41, was placed on administrative leave by the Stevenson-Carson School District after a parent filed a formal complaint. Two cellphone videos taken by students showed students lining up to throw balls at their classmates. In one video, student Zoey Zapfe, can be heard asking, "How is this legal?"Zapfe said as punishment for inappropriate talking, Patterson used a Wheel of Fortune-style disciplinary method in which students spin to see what their punishment will be. They included lunch detention, failing their next test, passing the punishment along to another student, buying Patterson a bottle of water or letting classmates pelt the students with balls. In the latter case, Zapfe said that under Patterson's policy, if she hits a student in the face, the student gets to throw the ball back at her.The superintendent said in a statement the district strives to maintain a school environment where everyone is treated with respect and no one is physically or emotionally harmed.Students are under enough peer pressure without this kind of "punishment" that can promote rather than dissuade bullying. In this case, a teacher, not students, deserved the school discipline.By Jim Zbickeditor@tnonline.com