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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that this teacher should keep his job?

174 replies

kweggie · 27/07/2013 10:35

Dean Macfarlane, a teacher,who faced 18 months of abuse from schoolchildren is facing the sack after pushing a boy who spat at him
He became frustrated after being hit with snowballs and said youths had gone into his garden and damaged property. Macfarlane was handed a community order after admitting assault but he fears he may lose job he has had for 34 years at school in Doncaster .
I read this and wondered what had happened to the kids who apparently harrassed him, trespassed and spat at him? What would you say to your children?

OP posts:
HeySoulSister · 27/07/2013 10:38

youths?? well how old were they?

i'd ground my lot for life if I found they had done something like that. is there a link? used to go to school in that area

Roshbegosh · 27/07/2013 10:40

Disgraceful. No doubt those kids wear asbo's with pride.

ANormalOne · 27/07/2013 10:46

Not enough information. How old are the children? What abuse has he been suffering for 18 months? Does he work with these children in his school? How many children are involved?

kali110 · 27/07/2013 10:49

Cant make judgement as dont know all facts. I know teachers should know better however kids are now getting ridiculous. They dont seem to have any discipline. School cant discipline the parents cant or dont want to. If my kid had been doing this they would have been grounded for life its just disgraceful. .

lastnightiwenttomanderleyagain · 27/07/2013 10:50

Just googled this (main link is DM sadly) but from other sites it looks like it was an ongoing catalogue of abuse and harrassment that understandably resulted in frustration (which he acknowledges he dealt with inappropriately). I do quite like how the Yorkshire Post says he pushed the boy (12yrs old) into the hedge, whilst the Sun says he threw him!

Was outside his own home, not at school and the boy was shaken but not injured...

Tortington · 27/07/2013 10:55

i think that he should have moved schools much before this. he was at fault and despite the provocation he shouldn't have done it

HeySoulSister · 27/07/2013 10:56

they weren't kids from his school

they were 12/13 year olds....they prob knew he was a teacher so that may have escalated their grudge

curlew · 27/07/2013 10:58

No, he shouldn't keep his job. He assaulted a child.

digerd · 27/07/2013 11:01

Sounds improbable that he could have thrown a 12 year-old boy into a hedge, meaning lifting him up in the air and throwing. Hmm

curlew · 27/07/2013 11:03

The only fact we have is that he admitted assault and was oven a community order.

He should not keep his job.

ANormalOne · 27/07/2013 11:05

Awesome, the Sun and DM, both newspapers which I won't read.

But yeah, I agree with Curlew and Tortington.

Original poster
kweggie · 27/07/2013 11:40

Does it really matter where you have read the story from, ANO?

OP posts:
Whothefuckfarted · 27/07/2013 11:43

No, unfortunately I don't think he should keep his job. No matter what happened he is the adult and he should have taken appropriate action to remove himself from the situation.

curlew · 27/07/2013 11:46

It does matter where you read the story- the DM and the Sun have a history of being.........imaginative in their journalism.

noblegiraffe · 27/07/2013 11:52

If an adult applying for a teaching job was found to have a charge of assaulting a child on their CRB check, I don't imagine they'd be hired.

beatback · 27/07/2013 11:53

Curlew. How do you deal with someone whether it is child or adult who assults you with spitting and throwing snowballs at you. Reasonable force is justified protecting yourself in these circumstances you cant just let a kid whatever age just spit at you.

HeySoulSister · 27/07/2013 11:55

he spat at the ground....not at the teacher,the ground.

SirChenjin · 27/07/2013 11:55

I think he should keep his job and I think these little shites youths should be in a lot more trouble than they probably are. This followed months of harrassment - I think most people have a breaking point. 12 and 13 years olds should be more aware of their responsibilities, less aware of their rights.

beatback · 27/07/2013 12:04

Whether the spit hit him or not it is totally disgusting and the kids are feral SCUM. God knows what they will be like at 17/18 probably DANGEROUS! . I bet the kids PARENTS are threatining to have the Teachers legs BROKEN or something like that.

curlew · 27/07/2013 12:17

Uh-0h, here come the green ink brigade.

SirChenjin · 27/07/2013 12:19

Green ink brigade? Don't think so!

elinorbellowed · 27/07/2013 12:43

If my child spat at someone and got 'pushed' for it, I would not press charges. That's all I'm saying.

curlew · 27/07/2013 12:53

Neither would I- if that's what actually happened.

But the fact remains that he assaulted a child. You can't carry on being a teacher if you've assaulted a child.

BoneyBackJefferson · 27/07/2013 13:03

Tortington

"i think that he should have moved schools much before this."

So the victim should move 0_o

"he was at fault and despite the provocation he shouldn't have done it"

After 18 months of abuse he was at fault, I hope that you never have to put up with harassment and abuse.

RatUpADrainpipe · 27/07/2013 13:09

Well, kids these days can dish out all sorts of harassment and bullying etc. etc. and nothing will happen. But if the person being bullied DARES snap, then all hell lets loose, and HE/SHE gets into trouble

Anyone who says he deserves what he got has never been harassed or bullied for a long time !

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