Page 3 | 'What makes you think your so special???' Shouts teacher, top volume, to kids in school

thispunderfullife · 2013-07-11T20:17:56+00:00

I'm not a teacher and would really like a balanced view of this. I go into schools to work individually with kids but really, i've got no idea how the system works. All I know is the primary school i go to is in an area known for lots of violence and drugs, but the kids are all really sweet. Today, the kids were lining up and a teacher started shouting, full volume, with aggression in her voice : 'what makes you think your so special?' this was in relation to some kids talking in the line on the stairs. She repeated it over and over again. If she had been shouting like that anywhere else but in a school, i would have had a word. as it was, i didnt want to undermine her. am i being unreasonable? is this ok? i felt sorry for the kids and thought it was really nasty.

Peachyjustpeachy · 11/07/2013 22:42

i took a set of brownies on hoiday recently to PGL, and there was this one girl who dominated everything with her behaviour.

every time there was a person providing activities she would go up to them and poke them, even when they were doing the rock climbing. it was plain dangerous and rude. every few minutes the activity stopped while the instructor was having a one to one with her. of course, they wouldn't tell her to stop it and sit down

30 other girls standing around being as good as gold while she misbehaved.

I htink i may have said something similar to her... what makes you think that you are so special that every other brownie has to stand around and wait for you to be good. its not fair on them.

fairylightsinthespring · 11/07/2013 22:54

I am a secondary teacher. We have primary kids come to us for special activities with their teachers and a parent helpers. I had to explain to a seriously irate parent helper that in the context of the lesson (swimming) some stern discipline and finger wagging was necessary if order, learning and safety was to be guaranteed. She really felt that the poor darlings should never be singled out or made to sit out for a minute if they had repeatedly ignored instructions, not listened etc. The most irritating, wearing and damaging form of bad behaviour is "low level" disruption, not swearing, throwing things, but general not listening, following instructions etc. I have frequently used the "why are you so special?" question.

xylem8 · 11/07/2013 23:12

shouting and screaming ?
Not raising her voice
I can't say I have ever heard a teacher 'scream'

WorraLiberty · 11/07/2013 23:29

No I've never heard a teacher literally 'scream' at kids either

I've heard plenty of parents do it though

bearleftmonkeyright · 11/07/2013 23:37

@neomax, you said it and she said it, you both think the teacher is a twat. Have I read that carefully enough

ilovesooty · 11/07/2013 23:51

I thought she was aggressive and the words demeaning - surely there are better ways to control a line up, that's what i thought

Feel free to train to teach and see if you can manage class behaviour more effectively.

McGeeDiNozzo · 12/07/2013 04:17

It's context, this.

A pointed 'Oi! What makes you think you're so special! You'll be handing me your formbook when we get inside and I'll be writing the details of tonight's detention in it!' is behaviour management (as long as you follow through on it).

'WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOOO SPECIAL! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOOOOO SPECIAL! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOOOOOOOOO SPECIAL! LORDING IT AROUND LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE! VILE, ENTITLED LITTLE GASBAGS!!!' is not anywhere close to effective behaviour management. Any teacher doing this probably lost the whole class months ago, is flailing wildly and will quit their job soon (or be pushed).

gnittinggnome · 12/07/2013 08:53

Sorry, I'm not a teacher, or been inside a school since I left sixth form, but how would this affect a child's self-esteem? Wouldn't a child or group of children who were sufficiently cocky to not bother with a teacher already be awash with self-esteem?

yabyum · 12/07/2013 08:59

That poor bloody teacher. Being stabbed in the back by a TA.

OP - as others have said - do feel free to undergo Initial Teacher Education to bring the benefit of your superior knowledge and skills to the nation's children.

You might have to brush up on your spelling and punctuation a bit, mind.

Fuzzysnout · 12/07/2013 09:32

So OP, what is your more effective way of controlling a line up?

cory · 12/07/2013 09:36

McGeeDiNozzo Fri 12-Jul-13 04:17:40
"It's context, this.

A pointed 'Oi! What makes you think you're so special! You'll be handing me your formbook when we get inside and I'll be writing the details of tonight's detention in it!' is behaviour management (as long as you follow through on it).

'WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOOO SPECIAL! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOOOOO SPECIAL! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SOOOOOOOOOOOO SPECIAL! LORDING IT AROUND LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE! VILE, ENTITLED LITTLE GASBAGS!!!' is not anywhere close to effective behaviour management. Any teacher doing this probably lost the whole class months ago, is flailing wildly and will quit their job soon (or be pushed)."

This!

And tbh my thoughts went immediately to scenario 2. I have seen it happen. I wouldn't worry about the children here; I'd be worried about the teacher.

maddy68 · 12/07/2013 09:54

You should see how I speak to kids sometimes. Sometimes you have to shout. Sometimes you have to reign them in. Sometimes you say slightly inappropriate things because teachers are human
But I have been nominated in the teacher of the year awards by the kids.
Kids like a strict teacher. They like boundaries.

flipchart · 12/07/2013 10:00

I currently work in residential but I have worked with kids for the past 20 years to say that many,many children do not have a problem with self etstem, in fact quite the opposite. They have too much as well as a sense of entitlement that they can please themselves what they do, when they do and who they speak to and how!

What makes children so special. On the whole nothing, quite frankly.

I would hate to be a teacher.

My DS has just won a citizenship award at school, at first I was proud and then when I discovered what he done to get it I was horrified. He listened to the teacher and didn't talk in class and mess about.
I said 'Isn't that what you are supposed to do anyway?' He said yes, but nobody does!

DaddyPigsMistress · 12/07/2013 10:04

Well what does make them so special they can ugnore the rules?

Yabu

Eyesunderarock · 12/07/2013 10:19

'I have worked with kids for the past 20 years to say that many,many children do not have a problem with self esteem, in fact quite the opposite. They have too much, as well as a sense of entitlement that they can please themselves what they do, when they do and who they speak to and how!'

Well said, I agree. Except I've been working with children for almost 30 years.
No, I don't scream and yell at them, but the arrogance of many is beyond belief.

viewwitharoom · 12/07/2013 10:33

I agree with McGee.
I have said similar to a young person/persons but I don't like the idea of someone shouting the same statement over and over. Of course we don't know what happened before and what happened after. Maybe they did just shut up and do as they were asked. Often these scenarios are just snapshots rather than the whole picture. I am speaking as a secondary teacher with over twenty years experience who is just relieved to have made it to the end of term!

Mia4 · 12/07/2013 10:50

YABU, what makes some kids feel they are entitled to behave that way? People not discipling them and telling them off, people acting like their misbehaviour is ok or wishywashing discipling them-treating them that they're a special snowflake. So no, they aren't that special and the earlier they learn it the better for their ego and self esteem.

Why do I believe this, because I was one of those kids who for a time thought I was the everything and that I could do as I liked, was a shock when I hit secondary school and found out actually that wasn't the case. I was a brat for a few years at primary school, my teacher was a wuss and let the class get away with everything, didn't work well when we all went up.

MrsHoarder · 12/07/2013 11:04

Doesn't every school need a few very scary teachers who can get the children to behave by fear when all else fails?

I remember being at school and the class being as good as gold after Mr M. came down and gave us all a bollocking for messing around so much. This was 10 years ago in top set of a naice middle-class rural church school, but the shouting was definitely needed.

livinginwonderland · 12/07/2013 11:18

Wouldn't bother me. I had a French teacher who would say this to the unruly group of "cool" kids in our class when they played around. It always worked. She was the strictest teacher I ever had but she got the best grades and she had the hardest-working students.

It didn't lower anyone's self-esteem, it was just an attempt to get them to shut up and be civilised and decent and to pay attention. And it worked.

TwllBach · 12/07/2013 11:19

I've said "what makes you so different?/You're no different to everyone else" before, but have definitely heard my colleagues say the exact words in the op. nice, middle class primary school where children do believe they're special and let that cloud their judgement regarding their behaviour.

A good, sharp, no nonsense bollocking is sometimes the most effective thing.

Fwiw, I'm the quietest, nicest, softly softly, positive praising, teacher around. I make it my business to make my classroom a safe, secure, positive atmosphere - as do most teachers. However, sometimes children need telling off. The firmer you are, the clearer you are that certain behaviours are unacceptable and that, sometimes, everyone has to do the same thing, the less likely (in my naice, MC school) the behaviour is likely to be repeated IME.

frogspoon · 12/07/2013 11:35

The teacher gave instruction to the whole class to line up in silence. Most likely so they were not blocking the corridor, and so she could check who was present.

She may have been doing a register, either on paper or mentally in her head to check that there was nobody missing. She was doing this for the safety and wellbeing of the class. She may also have been about to give instructions to the class.

The children needed to be quiet in order for her to do her job.

All of the children.

Not just most of them.

So, what did make those children so special that they should be allowed to prevent a teacher from doing her job?

TimeofChange · 12/07/2013 11:59

The sixth formers in our local school think they are entitled to park on the zigzags outside their school.
The school has a policy of letting them.

When I have phoned to complain about pupils' cars parked on the zigzags I am told that there is nothing the school can do about it because it is off the school premises.

A completely pathetic response from the school.

Burmobasher · 12/07/2013 12:03

Neo - maybe you need to read more carefully?
OP - I can't believe you could be arsed to start a thread about this
Yabu