In the last 5 days I have been spat at, sworn at, screeched at, pushed and had a chair thrown at my head (succesful shot)

[activate]

and I should go back to work next week because?

Feck off catinthe hat
There's a dear

activate you sound really dedicated to your work. Having had my head smashed into a concrete wall in mainstream secondary I can relate to pupils who were normally quite scary suddenly being appalled and concerned for you. I hope you feel better very soon.

sounds like a similar day at my work also.

A solicitor made a comment the other day that getting physically abused was an 'occupational hazard' of being a psychiatric nurse, so we should just deal with it.

hey ho.

Cat- where's the sycophancy? I'm just posting in support of a poster going through a tough time which is similar to one I've also experienced.

Animula, thanks for the love I avoid certain topics for the reasons you put - thought I might be of some use on this one (?)

If the thread title had been about activate's dp the responses would have been very different

thanks for the answers, purple and lesley. As I've only done supply and placements in state school, I'm just interested in how it works

Sorry to disappoint you Expelled

Are you going to do the MN Fuck off & when you get there Fuck off again as well? (Warning: that's old hat as well)

Activate will recognise my 15.44 quote - nb I am deeply glad she has confirmed she doesn't do pity parties, I was worried for a bit - and I hope her lip unswells in the next day or so. I suspect she will be out there on Monday giving them a renewed hammering, and I hope she takes the advice of some of the other professionals here re Mentor/GP/deciding if you WILL indeed continue/or looking for related work.

No probs, flying. Bunch of educators on this thread

Cat, the children the op works with are already getting a "hammering" at home and on the streets. The last thing they'll get is another one from teachers and support staff

Unless that's another "in joke" in which case please enlighten as I seem to have missed the joke part

And any of you who can offer something to this lady then please go right ahead

I can agree with the poster who stated that more and more mainstream schools are dealing with EBD issues in order to protect kids from their home lives.

I work in a mainstream school and have been punched, kicked, had stuff thrown at me on a fairly regular basis. It's appalling behaviour, but when you examine the context of these kids and their home lives you do end up just taking it on the chin as all in a days work.

As someone else said we are the possibly the only positive adult role models some of these kids have. It is very tiring - emotionally. Most afternoons I come home and literally can not interact with my family properly for an hour or so until I have 'de worked' And I only work part time!!

I hope the OP is starting to feel better, and I'm sure she does a great job with these kids. I totally get her point about the 'bad' boys being concerned for her. Even in the midst of utter chaos it is heartwarming to see some kids having a 'human' response to a situation.

'

Goblin - you are one of those giving practical useful commentary, not look at me look at me hugz...

I'm worried now that I've given hugz. If I have can someone slap my wrist.

IO have two teenagers, any attempt by me to be 'down wid da kidz' would be crushed mercilessly and with great contempt. No hugz here.
But sometimes people just don't know how to respond. Some just don't, some give hugs. Does that make them shallow cat?

it amazes me how worked up the odd poster can get about a few 'hugz'. FFs go and do something hard and macho like write to the Daily Fail about benefit scroungers. Other people feel like having a decent conversation about an important matter.

I have said nothing on this thread that I wouldn't say in real life. "Aw there there" doesn't work to help someone get through this but neither does trying to invalidate the person's feelings by telling them they should just walk away from people relying on them

In some posts I have offered the op advice both that I found useful and that my rl mates have taken from me

i couldnt really read past the first page and a half of posting. catinthehats nasty nasty attitude really makes me want to weep for the human race.

Am ignoring catinthehat and her bizarre notions that feeling sympathy for a fellow professional in a difficult field precludes feeling sympathy for anyone else

Ime whilst provision for these children is expanding, it is not nearly quickly enough.
We spent 2 terms managing the incredibly violent and destructive behaviour of a very damaged 6yo whilst the LA pissed about trying to find a suitable placement for him. Staff were hit, kicked, spat and sworn at, simply because there was nowhere else for him to go.
The alternative was for him to spend his days at home with horrific domestic violence issues.

Interesting about other PRUs accepting foundation/KS1 children. In my city provision for young children with EBD issues is scarce.
We had a year 3 child accepted by the local PRU and he was the youngest child they had ever taken, and were reluctant to do so.

Goblin, AListron I've really been questioning this one"But sometimes people just don't know how to respond. Some just don't, some give hugs. Does that make them shallow cat?"
I think there is showboating and bandwagoning.
The same sort of people consistently show up to demonstrate their Compassionate Wonderfulness, and slag off anyone who has a questioning take on a situation - yes,I find them shallow.
As you can see, some cannot even read a short post without making up something in their heads which wasn't on the page. I have no time for those people either.
Strangely, they are conspicuous by their absence on less visible threads where posters are literally having their souls destroyed.
I dunno - what do you think?

Sometimes a person can feel for another person without having any experience of the situation that person is in.

That person would therefore have no practical advise to offer. Showing your support in other ways such as offering to be a shoulder to cry on, or an un-biased listener may be the only thing they can offer.

Much better than they sit back and offer nothing.

Activate - I worked in a YOI as admin for a drugs team when I was 19. That was hard going sometimes, I found it helped to have a clear difference between work and home. For example - as soon as I got home I would change clothes. This helped me keep work worries out of my life.

Not quite the same situation, but I hope it helps.

Does your work send you to self defence classes? Always useful and gives you quick reflexes.

HUGE round of applause for
MoreCrackThanHarlem
threadsoffeeling

for joining the thread just now so everyone can see your Compassionate Wonderfulness by the way

this phrase was particularly super:

"catinthehats nasty nasty attitude really makes me want to weep for the human race."

I am making guttural sobbing noises as well - really can't keep up with the typing

ANy more congratulations needed before I have to go off & do something else?

Have I missed anyone who is desperate for public affirmation of their garment rending abilities or wailing & gnashing of teeth?

I think I've read your posts on the sn boards and found you kind and rational, so I was a bit puzzled to read what you are posting here and find it so dismissive.
There are always people around who want to gawp and tut and be relieved that whatever they see is entertainment and not their own lives, but I didn't see that attitude on this thread.
How can anyone now go to the thread you linked without it appearing like car-crash tourism led by you?

'Does your work send you to self defence classes? Always useful and gives you quick reflexes.'

Ripeberry, you can't use self-defence techniques in an educational environment, and restraint techniques are usually taught to staff in EBD settings.

catinthehat2 - that thread you linked is of course horrible. Most of us don't go to on to the mental health Topic, though. For good or ill AIBU has become the most popular part of MN. Actually my own view is that AIBU used to be better when it was reserved for less serious topics. That said, I try t be supportive wherever I can be. I don't see any justification for your attitude here.