I met up with an old colleague last night whose partner has just completed a PGCE (for non-UK readers: a post graduate certificate of education, the qualification you need to teach in a state school in the UK). She has no intention of pursuing a career in teaching.
When I asked why, I heard that her teaching practice had meant that she had to endure weeks of being spat at, called a whore and other such indignities. I don't think any physical violence was directed at her, at least not directly, but she was left with the distinct impression that had she got a job as a teacher, it was only a matter of time.
Is her experience typical? Should we be worried about this? And in an age where teachers apparently have no way to stop such treatment, will we see a backlash and a revertion to a stricter teaching style when such things are no longer tolerated?
― Grandpont Genie, Thursday, 17 April 2008 08:52 (seventeen years ago)
The thing most teachers I know complain about is parents.
As for spitting and swearing the same thing used to happen to teachers when I was at school 30 years ago and they had all kinds of physical punishments they could and did inflict on children.
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 17 April 2008 09:00 (seventeen years ago)
a teacher complaining about a parent is like a shopkeeper complaining about a customer, I would have thought. What complaints do the teachers you know have about parents, Ned?
― Grandpont Genie, Thursday, 17 April 2008 09:03 (seventeen years ago)
from my teacher-friend: parents can be quick to back their (awful) kids against the teachers.
― banriquit, Thursday, 17 April 2008 09:07 (seventeen years ago)
a colleague was telling me of his wife's troubles teaching - saying the only way she could get the class to show respect was to give them half the lesson to talk about whatever they wanted (thought this may mean just 4 or 5 of the hard/mouthy boys/girls, not the entire class) and the other half making some effort to, like, learn stuff. i got the impression it wasn't just down to her inadequacy in being able to command respect, discipline etc.
― blueski, Thursday, 17 April 2008 09:08 (seventeen years ago)
it is interesting: Point A ~I was far from being a badly behaved kid.
Point B ~ I seem to recall that my parents (my mother especially) would always take the attitude that the teachers were always in the right and if I had any problem with them, then I was always in the wrong and I should put up and shut up and show some respect.
I suspect that Points A & B are not unrelated.
― Grandpont Genie, Thursday, 17 April 2008 09:11 (seventeen years ago)
a teacher complaining about a parent is like a shopkeeper complaining about a customer, I would have thought
I'm not really sure what you mean by this. I mean, when I worked in a shop I often complained about customers. Just because they bought something that didn't give them the right to be horrible.
Parents complain about 2 things mostly, 1)their child being told off when it's others peoples children that cause all the trouble and 2) their child not getting enough homework/being challanged enough/having to do 'silly' things like swimming/gardening/art when they should be doing maths.
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 17 April 2008 09:56 (seventeen years ago)
2) their child not getting enough homework/being challanged enough/having to do 'silly' things like swimming/gardening/art when they should be doing maths.
Somehow, I can't imagine Karen Matthews doing this
― Tom D., Thursday, 17 April 2008 10:12 (seventeen years ago)
Ah well, maybe not but my point was that the teachers felt they were constantly pushed in 2 (at least) different directions, often by the same parents.
― Ned Trifle II, Thursday, 17 April 2008 11:07 (seventeen years ago)
Maybe what she means is when parents collude with kids' own bad behaviour, as in fave UKTV scenario where school bully says teacher who stands up to him has assaulted or touched him up, which is of course total Mail scenario...
― suzy, Thursday, 17 April 2008 11:16 (seventeen years ago)
There are probably about 750,000 classrooms, give or take, in the USA. Therefore it is difficult to speak sensibly about "the breakdown of discipline in the school classroom" until we know which classroom you are talking about.
It would also help to know if there was a substitute teacher that day.
― Aimless, Thursday, 17 April 2008 19:17 (seventeen years ago)
Many classrooms have shifted from a teacher-centered environment (students sit and passively receive the lesson) to a student-centered environment (students are more active and involved), and this shift can create the appearence of less order. Overall this change is positive though.
Personally, I've taught in an elite private school and a public school in Harlem, and my experiecne with student behavior was basically the same. Adolescents are prone to distraction and will test the limits of authority. Good teachers manage the classroom well, good schools support the teachers, and good parents encourage their child's education. If one of those three pieces is missing, student behavior can become an issue. Hasn't that always been the case?
― Super Cub, Thursday, 17 April 2008 20:07 (seventeen years ago)
no, this is entirely new and is fault of rap music
― max, Thursday, 17 April 2008 20:32 (seventeen years ago)