There's A Place For You In Teaching - My Place!

[Shutpa]

Teaching can have its problems. Take, for example, a Wednesday almost exactly two years ago. I'd had a good day at work and had just settled down at home with a coffee when the phone rang. It was the headmaster. "Bolo" he said, "Get back in here right now". "Why" I asked, "Now" he replied and hung up. On the way back to school, I decided that this had to be an elaborate practical joke but just for the fun of it, I would play along. On entering his office, he told me to sit down and when I did so, he continued with, "Bolo, you are in deep ****!" Instantly I knew that it was not a practical joke. He went on to say that a pupils mother had phoned in to complain about my slapping her daughter in the face. "Utter codswallop", I said. "The girl has 3 witnesses" he replied. You can imagine how I felt - career, reputation everything gone at a stroke.

To cut a long story short, the girl had made up the story, thought that 3 of her classmates would go along with it, but forgot, or didn't get the chance to tell them. Consequently, when they were interviewed the next day they knew nothing about the alleged assault. More importantly, they all stated that the girl had never left her seat during the lesson ( the assault was supposed to have taken place when she came out to my desk to borrow a ruler). A few days later I got a letter of apology not only from the girl but also from the mother who was naturally horrified at her daughters unfounded allegation. Yesterday, back at the same school, I spotted the girl as she walked into my classroom. When she had settled down, I placed a rubber on her desk and said with a smile, "Here, borrow this, we all make mistakes". At the end of the lesson when she returned the rubber she thanked me for giving her an easy time. I wish that I could have said the same in return.

PS I still have the letters

 

[NickStone]

Teaching can have its problems. I wish that I could have said the same in return.

When I read things like this, Bolo, I despair. I know your situation is far from unique and the result is that fewer and fewer people will want to be teachers. You don't need that stress - teaching is difficult enough. Call me intolerant and authoritarian but I really do feel that students who behave like this do need to be punished in orde to deter others. Your student will probably never do this again, but others might.

 

[Shutpa]

Teaching can have its problems. I wish that I could have said the same in return.

. Your student will probably never do this again, but others might.

Dont I know it?

 

[Space cat]

Many years ago I read something about French schools. I'm not 100% sure that it's true but the concept is a valid one anyway.

It's a very simple idea. Teachers teach. They are the ones who know their subject and are qualified to teach it. A different group of people, for whom we have no equivalent, roam the school maintaining discipline. They can be called into any classroom to deal with troublesome students leaving the teacher to get on with the lesson. I think that's brilliant. Does anybody else agree?

 

[billyo]

space cat. ilike that i think it could work & save bolo and his mates all the hassel

 

[Shutpa]

Many years ago I read something about..........A different group of people, for whom we have no equivalent, roam the school maintaining discipline. ?

I could be wrong, but I do think that there are a few schools in the UK which have, just like some schools in the US, policemen who do just as you suggest.

 

[joe-90]

You gave her a rubber and she practiced safe sex ever after.

I think eraser would have been a better word choice.

 

[Shutpa]

You gave her a rubber and she practiced safe sex ever after.

I think eraser would have been a better word choice.

Nice one joe-90 but it's always been called a rubber, the eraser that is, where I come from, and I don't think that I have ever had a pupil ask me if he or she could borrow an eraser!

As for the sex bit, if her mother reads this you had better emigrate!

 

[wanabechippie]

My wife is a teacher. Some of the stories she comes come with from her class's behaviour are pretty outrageous!

One 12yr old girl (large for her age - wife is fairly petite) had her pinned against the wall using a chair with the legs either side of her (yes, yes, Joe-90, very funny... ). 12yr old was threatening to cut her throat with a pair of scissors.

The reason? Wife had confiscated her mobile phone when she caught girl texting in class!

The punishment? Head teacher sent a note home to girls parents and had her 'excluded' for 2 days!!


From conversations with wife and her fellow teachers, it's clear that 70% of lessons are spent (wasted) on 'crowd-control' as they call it. Stopping the kids from beating each other up/throwing possessions around/stabbing each other with compasses...

Kids can pretty well get away with anything but if teachers so much as speak harshly to them they can get in deep ****!

****ing ridiculous!

 

[bernardgreen]

Discipline and respect used to start in the home. Too many parents have not continued that basic necessity in a child's upbringing.

It really annoys me when parents complain about teachers trying to maintain order by discpline when the parents child is punished.

My wife is a retired teacher and my daughter is just starting a career in teaching.

 

[notb665]

 

[Shutpa]

 

[notb665]

Abusive pupils - then adverts about weapons and self-defence.

 

[Shutpa]

Forgive me, not665. I really am thick. In my defense however, I must admit that if there was writing on that illustration, then I couldn't read it.
Talking about abusive pupils, at my very first school, on my very first day as a trained and qualified teacher, on my way to my very first class, a very large boy came running along the corridor towards me. Should I say "Where's the fire?" or "That bus has just gone" or what? I didn't get a chance to say anything - when he was near enough he took a flying leap and butted me straight between the eyes. Two months later, at my very first school, on my second day, before my very first class, I was a little apprehensive as I walked along that same corridor.

PS When I said forgive me, not(665), I didn't mean that I didn't want forgiveness. What I meant was..............................................

PPS I hope this account doesn't sound too glib, but I have told it so many times in the past 45 years.

 

[JohnD]

Surely you don't mean to say that assault happened 45 years ago? As lots of people on here will tell you, in "the old days" kids were well behaved and properly disciplined, and they're only turned bad recently