To think - how awful schools really are

[Ippimi]

I remember hating school when I went to school. But that was a long time ago now. I'd kind of forgotten about it.

I work for a training company that usually delivers training programmes to businesses. I usually teach adults. I'm not working in the UK at the moment. I'm working in a different country in Europe.

However we recently got asked to design a training programme for a local school. So for the last couple of weeks I've been going in and talking to the children in a school about a topic.

Going into the school- and looking at it as an adult - I just think it's so so awful. Why do we do this to children

The children are not allowed to move , they're not allowed to talk. The teacher yells at them to be quiet all the time.

I understand this is the school system everywhere. I remember that I hated school as a child and I felt trapped. But when I look at it from an adults eyes, it looks even worse.

when I look at it as an adult, it really seems like emotional abuse of children.

It also seems like such a waste of their young years.

They should be playing and having some fun.

They're not allowed to move or talk. And they get shouted at A lot. It just seems like they're getting indoctrinated to not think for themselves and to follow orders. The school system is just awful and needs to change in my opinion

In what context have you seen children shouted at. I work in a secondary and there is very little shouting raising your voice to ask for quiet from a group or year group is not shouting at someone. I think you need to be more precise. Exactly what happened abd in what context?

No, we’re all in agreement, actually.
Haven’t you noticed?

They are being yelled at. At full volume.

Its

"Shut your mouth!"
"Close your mouth"

If you were talking in the seat in front of me, I would immediately and sternly tell you to stop.

All in agreement hun? Well you've deluded yourself. Because no not everyone on this thread is in agreement with you, if you go back and read.

Some Posters on here have said that schools are bad

Children should not be talking in class when a teacher is trying to explain something to them, and others who may actually want to learn. People should not be talking (or whispering) in the cinema or theatre, where other people are trying to listen to what they have paid to see.

My DC have plenty of opportunity to discuss relevant things in class, and socialise with their friends outside of class. They are also expected to pay attention and do what they are there for.

Are they slow learners?

Children not allowed to move or talk and shouted at all the time? That's not like any school I've attended as a child or taught in.

As I've written clearly, I never talk loudly in the cinema. However I will lean in and whisper into the ear of the person next to me. No one else can hear that except the person next to me

Can you hear a whisper?

Really?

I had teachers like that when I was a child too

OP your description in no way reflects the school I work in. Your characterisation is based on one observation.

If you can’t go the length of a film without needing to disturb others talking to them then don’t go to the cinema!

I have never heard a teacher say shut or close your mouth to a student I have heard students being told to be quiet and not talk while working or being addressed by the teacher. You should try delivering your session on your own without the teacher controlling the behaviour for you. I think you would be pretty shocked at how difficult it is to deliver your material.

I’m finding it hard to believe that you’ve been engaged to deliver any sort of training in schools.
It sounds as though you still attend one, frankly.

I don't talk in the cinema

God forbid that anyone wants to improve children's rights in schools.

The adults are too used to having the power over children

I pointed out that you wrote something completely incorrect. You wrote that everyone agreed with you on this thread.

I pointed out to you that they didn't all agree with you. And for you write that is egotistical and deluded.

Bored in half term are you???

I do deliver the session on my own

?

Yes. Someone who knows what they're talking about. There's more than one teacher here by the way.

How are they meant to learn if they're too busy talking? And why on earth should those around them who do want to listen not be able to, because of selfish others?

I challenge you to find a classroom that doesn't encourage partner talk and oracy (you won't), but yes, everyone should be respectful enough to listen to somebody teaching them. Would you like the teachers to have a chat whilst you're delivering your training? No? Find it rude?

Christ, these are the parents who make our lives hell. Go and fucking train if you think you know everything about teaching because you went to school 30 years ago.

Most primary schools are lovely and the rules make sense - they're to keep the kids safe and enable learning. A lot of primary teachers teach and enforce the rules with a genuine sense of affection and care towards their pupils and a lot of primary school children absolutely adore their teachers. My DC had a male teacher last year who he thought was the coolest person ever... Unfortunately his teacher this year has not been given that accolade but she is "very nice and smiley if we're behaving, but you don't want to mess around if it's time to line up", which I think is ok on balance 😂.

A lot of secondary schools are weird. What they do to kids, especially poor little Y7s, is weird, aggressive and anxiety-inducing. We're hoping to move before DC1 is secondary-age to avoid the nasty academies around us. There's one down-to-earth, no-nonsense school we like, but if DC1 doesn't get in, we may try to stretch to private so he is treated like a human being.

Without the teacher there? I have never heard of a school leaving a visitor with a large group of students on their own?

It’s pretty obvious that what you’re describing is not the experience of the vast majority of posters who have responded.

Your experience is not a reflection of what people are thinking and seeing. You don’t say whether you have children of your own, unless I missed it, but perhaps your experiences when younger, have affected your perceptions now.