I’m a teacher and apparently it’s my fault if I’m harassed.

[motherrunner]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9435887/Women-teachers-scared-walk-school-corridors.html

Apologies for DM link but I thought the comments were particularly ‘interesting’ in response to an article about female teacher harassment by male pupils. Apparently female teachers at fault as there are few men to instil discipline and the eduction system has been too feminised. Overall female teachers deserve it and shouldn’t be teaching if can’t control a class.

Hideous opinions, but not surprising sadly.

Yeh because what a toxic culture of male abuse and harassment needs most is to become more masculinised. That'll solve the problem. Whenever I think of male abusive behaviours the first things that always comes to my mind is "this space is just too feminine". Morons.

Apparently female teachers at fault as there are few men to instil discipline and the eduction system has been too feminised.

Um... isn't that the 'fault' of men who don't opt to be teachers nowadays?
Of course that's due in part to the vicious circle of a profession becoming perceived as 'women's work' and devalued, in monetary and status terms. And otoh it's the fault of many other professions being even less compatible with caring responsibilities than teaching. Structural sexism.

I was thinking about an incident that happened at school when I was working as a teaching assistant with year 10 boys. I pointed out to senior leadership that they boys frequently used sexualised language/swearing in class and nothing was done about it.

He responded that they did it because they were "allowed to", ie it was my fault for not stopping it.

I felt bad that I hadn't managed to stop it. Teenagers push boundaries all the time, and I think management should have done something more to push back against it. The boys were picking up on the culture all around them.

I can remember an incident nearly 20 years ago when a teenage boy returned to the classroom after school had finished and the teacher was alone. He propositioned her, which she had done nothing to encourage and when she refused his advanced he tried to attack her with a knife. The culture in that school at that time was one of senior leadership indifference to poor behaviour and a lack of support for teachers when they had exhausted the behaviour policy within their remit and asked for help. It has completely turned around now with new leadership.

A family member was a school secretary for many, many years. She was well accustomed to handling gobby teenagers.

After retirement, she had a PT job as an After School supervisor that suited her nicely. However, a change of Head and School Leadership left her completely unsupported in her previously excellent management of teenagers. No action was taken against boys who were actively threatening her with bodily harm.

She left. The boys rampaged - nobody took on the responsibility nor wanted the role. So that, plus Covid–19 has brought a natural end to wrap-round care at the school.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

I was a teacher and so was dd. Both now moved on. We were each threatened with rape by pupils. Both occasions were dealt with effectively by leadership. But the daily abuse, at a slightly lower level, is accepted. If it isn't happening to leadership, it doesn't matter.

This idea of 'controlling' a class always annoyed me. They shouldn't need controlling. They should arrive ready to learn. If they don't, their parents should have them at home, because that's where the trouble starts.

As a timid 18-yo student nurse who was given to blushing, I remember being teased by a sexist shit of a volunteer Porter. At the time, I was far too embarrassed to say anything. To anyone.

Funnily enough decades later there was an enquiry into said volunteer Porter - you can guess who I mean - and the appalling abuse he had carried out. It found the hierarchical structure was one of the many problems. The abuse certainly wasn't the fault of the victims or female staff at the bottom of the pile.

@EmbarrassingAdmissions

A family member was a school secretary for many, many years. She was well accustomed to handling gobby teenagers.

After retirement, she had a PT job as an After School supervisor that suited her nicely. However, a change of Head and School Leadership left her completely unsupported in her previously excellent management of teenagers. No action was taken against boys who were actively threatening her with bodily harm.

She left. The boys rampaged - nobody took on the responsibility nor wanted the role. So that, plus Covid–19 has brought a natural end to wrap-round care at the school.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast" - brilliant!

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast" - brilliant!

I don't remember where I first came across it but it's very apt.

The comments section of the DM is absolutely full of misogyny. I find it better for my health not to read the comments.

Further article in the Guardian this morning talking about boys openly watching porn on their phones on school premises at lunchtime and calling women teachers "slags". If you dont crack down on the lower level stuff, you`re on a loser when pupils start to threaten rape or actually commit assaults. I like the *culture eats strategy for breakfast" quote too.

@flyingfoxkins I haven’t seen that article but I’m not surprised (sadly).

I haven't seen the article but it doesn't surprise me. A few years ago a teen boy stuck his hand down his trousers and groped himself in response to be asked to focus. All the other students saw it and were appalled. But also knew nothing would be done. And it wasn't. Luckily a change of leadership and centralising bad behaviour has helped enormously and I would be supported if something like that happened again.