to think that if I were in any other job, this would be taken extremely seriously?

[dollydoops]

Today at work, a huge erect penis was drawn on my door in glue. This is the second time this has happened. Also, an unwrapped condom was left on the floor of my room. I was in tears and very upset. Still am.
Guess what my job is? And if this happened in your job, what would you expect to happen?

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hmmm should have previewed that.....

BabyDubs on behalf of teachers everywhere... I hate you The humming one is infuriating. I have a class that think it is hilarious to hide my board rubber as I constantly lose stuff anyway and I spend 5 minutes working out where I left it only to realize they got me again. It was funny at first but sometimes they take it too far. They are only kids...

You probably can't do it now, but next time, take a quick couple of pics on a digital camera, photocopy, and send out to ALL parents in the class. I may be wrong, but most would be kind of appalled. Either that their child was involved, or hangs around with such kids. Bet the whole class wouldn't find it so funny if they were looking at the pics with their mums. Or if they are especially lacking in empathy, their mums could explain how they would feel if they got this sort of treatment.

I so don't agree with ignoring this incident. These are not brain damaged (I'm assuming), substance abusing (during the school day ditto) adults.

But it has to be done from a place of outraged and reasonable anger, not victimy weepiness.

I drew cocks and fannies. I was an equal ops scrote.

Oh, and OP, if it makes you feel any better, I can assure you as someone who has worked in many professional kitchens that in a kitchen it would be a real cock, and it would be waggled at you from the trousers of a Portuguese sous chef. (The only correct response being to snarl and grab the biggest knife..)
Don't let the shitbags get you down.

When I was about 13 we filled a condom with water and hung it on a teacher's door handle. I can't say I'm particularly proud of having done it or think it was clever and funny (with the benefit of hindsight - obviously at the time I thought it was both) but it was in no way sexual bullying. We were at an all girls private school. It also wasn't personal - we picked the teacher because we knew she was a bit wet and probably nothing would come of it, rather than because we all hated her.

So no, of course it isn't acceptable, but it's probably not horrible personalised bullying (unless of course it's part of a much bigger thing). Teenage students are not the same as adult colleagues and sadly even the best of them are often lacking in empathy when it comes to anyone who isn't another teenager.

Kate I disagree... I would suspect that senior management would not let a teacher do this. Firstly because the parents of half of the decent kids in the class would be in immediately demanding that their child not be in the same class as the child who did this and blaming the school. Secondly, more often than not the child who did it would be bright enough to intercept the message.

Really is important that you remember they are just kids. They do things on impulse without thinking it through properly. They do not realize the full impact of what they have done - they are not adults yet. Even if they can behave like adults sometimes. Anger is not constructive either as they either become defensive and refuse to acknowledge their mistakes or they think you are over-reacting. A discreet reasoned chat really is the best way to get them to react in a favorable way. i'm sorry if you feel I'm making excuses for them but I have plenty of run-ins with stupid things and always find that reason works better than anger.

Sympathies OP. I have had a hideous day today too (am Head of Year 10). Rude, defiant little sods all day. Lost my temper at one madam who refused to go to her lesson because of 'issues' with another girl (which I never do anything about...bullshit), then refused to go to HOD classroom then refused to go to my office then refused to speak to her mother on the phone, my shameless attempt to get her to behave.

Also on Friday I had to deal with a VERY pornographic cartoon which was drawn in an art lesson, then chucked across the classroom, unfortunately for them the teacher saw the boy throw it. Turns out one boy drew it, 3 more annotated it and another threw it. Tis true they are obsessed with knobs.

Teacher was more pissed off that it wasn't a very good picture, said boys were clearly not making enough progress! We all laughed about it actually.

but the point is that teenage boys are willy obsessed, teenagers are hormonal unreasonable beings who are very self absorbed.

Speak your colleagues to support you at the start of the next lesson, if you or any pastoral staff/SLT/HOY whoever can find out who it is then some kind of restorative justice works well, cleaning up etc... parents should be informed obviously.

A little tip...I would get one of the chatty girls who know all the gossip to tell you, they are a mine of information...I have spies everywhere!!
And try not to take it too personally, they don't know the real you just 'teacher you'

Have a big

kate noooo that is bad advice

an individual teacher would get into awful trouble for that

It was obvious from your OP that you are a teacher and that's a really sad and shameful indictment of our education system and the UK as a whole.

Catherine, i like to look at it as those poor unsuspecting teachers were helping to create many happy (non-academic) school memories, we weren't being nasty, we were having fun, the all reacted by screaming and shounting, that made it even more fun....a couple cried, that was a bit funny too at the time I am on the very firs steps to go into teaching actually.....I can see some karma coming my way

Catgirl - PMSL!!!!

Anyfucker - fannies are harder to draw then cocks

OP - I understand it's a bit waring and even upsetting on a bad day when things get to you. But it is just teenage hi jinks. We did all the sanitary towel/practical jokes on the teachers. If you really feel singled out and personally attacked though you should take it further. Have a or a x

Fannies are especially hard to draw if you've never seen one I expect.

Towndon - what AF said.

It is up to your employer to protect you. I don't refuse unreasonably.

I offered to do the puncher and spitter. I did my best for the patient because he had a brain injury.

Patients who are just bloody minded aggressive get very short shrift.

If your manager wishes you to deal with them...they lead by example (I am the manager...hence I did the first patient)

One of my pupils (many years ago) left me a note on the whiteboard that said 'Miss, me and Ben had sex on your chair.' They left a stain and I had to get a new chair.

Agree baby, lots of other employees face abuse - I think the main problem for teachers is they feel unsupported in dealing with it.

No one would turn around to you and say...suck it up/deal with it

Lots of people have implied this to this OP. 'it's only kids having fun etc'

What whoopie said. It's shocking that people say that's what kids do. I have never seen anything even close to that kind of thing when I was in school (not in the UK).

Little footnote vis a vis my advice.

I have lake loads of experience. Vast. Oh, yes.

None of it involving teenagers or state sector teachers.

3Dcs. All under 10, two under 4. Don't know any teachers. Or, actually, actual teenagers.

Never worked in the state sector. Private sector, lots. Generally, in the private sector, being vile tends to work badly in terms of getting things done. Hope none of these kids want to work outside a government job..

I can't believe the excuses made for these kids. 1Catherine, realising the impact you have on other people is a lesson I would have thought schools would try to teach??? Empathy does not come naturally to teenagers, but there is still a reason to try. They will remember. Later.

Creepy, you are in the wrong job!

Wandered into this thread by accident. I need to get back to preschool. I have ABSOLUTELY decided not to have teenagers. Ever. (apologies re fullstops)

kate, what will you do with your three when they turn 13 then ?

baby -Can you not ask the court security and officials to intervene

Er, that's a thread for 2016-2021. When I will probably crawl back wailing..

Still, I think OP is right though. Yes, it is unreasonable to put up with that sort of thing.

If you were a young exec in the City, and an immature colleague did that (not unheard of) well, that's a legal case right there. Although obviously you'd never work again (while counting your money).