Don’t know how large class size breed problems ? In the 70’s when I was at Grammar school we had 42 in my first year at secondary school .Discipline was not a problem , everyone in the class got O levels .
My mum used to be a teacher ...
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In my experience, large class sizes are not necessarily a problem.
Neither is it necessarily a problem due to social levels or class.
The real problem is children who have never been taught how to behave and who are supported by their similarly irresponsible parents.
Back then, schools could, a) beat you for bad behaviour; b) throw you out without blowback; c) (in grammar) select by ability. You make the fact that everybody got O'levels sound special/unusual.
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I was lucky or clever enough to attend a grammar school, leaving in perhaps 1972 ish. I was, looking back, the archetypal juvenile delinquent and got in trouble with the Police on a couple of occasions, minor offences but I did spend 2 weeks on remand when I was 15 (kidlington in Oxfordshire, lovely area.) I was expelled from school but for reasons I can't remember was eventually accepted back.
The teachers to me fell into two categories, old and young. Of course as a kid, we had more of an affinity toward the younger teachers. In hindsight, and a broader view I'd go as far as to say the younger teachers were even in those veering toward left wing.
The two most brutal teachers were on the older spectrum, and Welsh. 'Jones the slipper' was brutal seemed to enjoy nothing more in life than making me bend over his desk and whacking the f**k out of my arse with a slipper. But here's the thing, he was a great Maths teacher and to this day I hold him in the highest regard.
One of the new breed 'younger' teachers (history I believe) confronted me about something or other and being the cocky little bastard I am, I laughed at him. I wasn't expecting the full on punch to the stomach he delivered. After I picked myself up off the floor he apologised and almost pleaded with me not to report it, I said don't worry mate, I deserved it, and I did.
Anyway, walked away with a couple of decent grade O levels, Art and English Language, should have walked away with so much more but didn't, all down to me and my choices. I can't say it's been completely wasted, I enjoy working with my hands, and I'm good at it, I'm too old now but perhaps it would have good to teach those skills to a younger generation, I did teach a nephew to plaster and he still thanks me for that.
As a PS to the above, after getting in trouble with the Police, I spent two years on probation, my 'probation officer' was a chap called Mr Osborne. On about our 3rd or 4th meeting we started to talk on a more personal level and he told me about how he'd been a bomber pilot during WW2 and after all that killing, he wanted to put something back into society.
Great guy, I'd rate him even higher than Jones the Maths.
Great guy, I'd rate him even higher than Jones the Maths.
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I believe the parenting makes a big difference.
When ah were a lad, kids had about 2 parents.
When ah were a lad, kids had about 2 parents.
It makes all the difference.
Yes, we are all the result of our upbringing .
we work for some retired teachers from the state sector
Most took early returemant
Threatened by pupils
Threatened by parents
Cars vandalised
Verbally abused in a regular basis
Worked for one where
Most of the kids were eastern
European ( polish?) she would have gladly had entire classes Of polish (?) children they were polite , well
Behaved a pleasure to teach she said
Most took early returemant
Threatened by pupils
Threatened by parents
Cars vandalised
Verbally abused in a regular basis
Worked for one where
Most of the kids were eastern
European ( polish?) she would have gladly had entire classes Of polish (?) children they were polite , well
Behaved a pleasure to teach she said
My kind of backward they are... It's a compliment: old fashioned family values, politeness, willingness to work hard and play hard. In my school, I had 28 languages from 24 countries making up about 28% of the school*. Poles, Indians, Philipinos among others- lovely people.
*Second most diverse school in the city-best results.
Lockdown was essentially mandated, so what were individuals supposed to do about it?
Re the holidays, again what do you expect teachers to do about it? Campaign to have them reduced? If you started a job/career that gave you similar holidays every year, would you say 'this is disgusting!!!' and refuse to be paid for your holidays?
I found the same. When I was teaching, the best pupil I ever had was a young Chinese girl. Her parents had moved here for her father's work. He was the only member of the family who spoke English. Even the young girl in my class initially spoke no English.
Anyway, the local education dept. provided a part-time translator to help her. Unfortunately, she spoke the wrong sort of Chinese! (I can't remember which version). Her dad, although working, helped her enormously at home. I couldn't do much more than try, but between us all she made fantastic progress. By the end of the year she was top of the class in results and, even more importantly, was the best behaved kid there.
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I know a teacher at a religious school. Hubby who used to teach too, is an atheist (as I am), which makes for some interesting interchanges. He does concede that the strongly religious-parented kids are better behaved than most, and her school is way better than the average for behaviour even though it's non-selective apart from the god thing. The other common denominator for decent kids is where the parents are in some sort of disciplined organisation like police, military and a few others.
Does anyone know how to instill into kids that for their own benefit they need to start off going along with the system made for them so they can get most out of it - which means following the rules and having respect for authority. Breaking rules isn't cool, it's dumb.
I don't know how one does it but it seems the parents need lessons.
There were some archetypical kids in the recent series where Freddy Flintoff tried to start a cricket team. Anyone see that?
Does anyone know how to instill into kids that for their own benefit they need to start off going along with the system made for them so they can get most out of it - which means following the rules and having respect for authority. Breaking rules isn't cool, it's dumb.
I don't know how one does it but it seems the parents need lessons.
There were some archetypical kids in the recent series where Freddy Flintoff tried to start a cricket team. Anyone see that?
There's a lot of truth in this. It's always amused me when referring to wayward children that 'parents/guardians' often come near last in the list of who's to blame, or they don't get a mention at all!
I blame the school, social services, the local council and the government!
Let's be honest about it, lots of kids are still 'dragged up not brought up' however it's yet another thing that's becoming increasingly hard to debate as you just get shut down as being an 'ist.'
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