To be shocked at how today's kids speak to their teachers?

[EyeScreamSunday]

I'm currently doing a work placement at a local school. It's a lovely school, nice staff etc but I'm really shocked at how a lot of the pupils speak to their teachers and other members of staff!

I left school 15 years ago, so I'm not really old enough to remember the days of the cane but I wouldn't have fucking dared speak to my teachers the way I've seen and heard some of the kids speak to us over the last few weeks. They will argue with you, completely ignore instructions, say "No" when asked to do something, there's a real disrespect for adults and authority. I even raised it with a teacher one day and she said, "yes, they are very confident aren't they?" Confident or just bloody cheeky? I know what I think... They are eight years old and act like cocky teenagers! In fact I dread to think what they will be like when they actually are teenagers.

Maybe I'm just getting older, but I was ever so slightly in awe of my teachers. I wouldn't have dared answer back, I had respect for them. Not all of the kids are like this, but so many are it's left me a bit shocked. What the hell has changed in the last 15 years or so?

Negotiate finishing the chapter? They're in a sodding lesson, not being nagged by mum to do the washing up.

Angels that doesn't surprise me. After all, the Head backed his mother when she complained about him "being sent out for nothing"

Don't you think children should question authority? Talking generally now, not about reading.

Of course they should Choc. But they should also know that there is a time and a place. That was neither the time nor the place.

That's not questioning authority. It's being rude. There are 32 children in my lower school classes, the students need to remember there are 31 other students it's not just about them.

Err no children should do as they are told. "Don't touch that socket dear"
"Why not muarghzap"

Children should not be questioning reasonable requests in the middle of a lesson. That's just being a pain in the arse.

Of course it's not the time or the place. Parents who think children should be able to negotiate simple whole class expectations are an absolute pain.

And when you get a wide variety of different teachers agreeing, who don't usually agree. It might me time to listen to us.

Then again i am victorian in my attitude!
But in all seriousness depends on age of children. At secondary school yes debate is a useful skill. There is a difference between questioning and being truculent though

Apologies for punctuation there! Typing on phone and not proof-reading - sorry!

Good manners, on the other hand, and following the rules of the community in which they live and which they have signed up to - yes, always
Yes, I agree with this. I can't just meet someone and automatically respect them because of their age when I'm not respected because of my age, iyswim? Every child needs to be taught by their parents first - it's not a teacher's job to teach a child manners - it starts at home.
This reminds me of those articles of 5 year olds going to school still in nappies and their speach is bad & they're cheeky and disruptive. That's the parent's fault at 5. Either that or their is something wrong, if there is, they won't function properly in a community school, I know my godmother's son doesn't because of bullying, he has autism I think. He knows how to be quiet, and he will if his mum keeps repeating "No, sit down,5 minutes and I will come in" as he needs structure. being in a class of 30 nowadays doesn't give a structure. There are that many kisd who are straight up bad mannered.

School isn't the army.I think the idea you cannot question/negotiate anything with authority is a very working class thing

ChocLover you still haven't explained how this negotiation can happen if all 30 pupils want to do it at the same time.

As Quitethewoodsman says, there's a time and a place.

Choc Laughing my socks off the idea that unquestioning obedience to authority is the province of the working classes.

And actually, aspects of school are like the army, and for good reasons; getting large numbers of people to do something at the same time for the same goal.

In the classroom, the group rules are explained at the beginning, e.g. raise your hand to speak (so there isn't a babble of talk and you can be heard), don't speak when others are speaking (they have the floor now, so let them be heard), and reinforced, though not with the back to basic explanations. The goal for the group is learning.

I am saddened by all the teachers on this thread who have such a low opinion of parents.
We are not all helicopter parents with pfb's, you know. Some of us are quite balanced and know that their children are not Angels, but can be little blighters.

But I don't see that recognition, or respect for parents for that matter, from any of the teachers who posted on this thread.

Yes Chaise - the other thread on parents' evening has brought those supportive parents to the fore. If I didn't acknowledge them I apologise.

I think this sums up the situation in schools these days.

clam That is a great cartoon! It reflects a meeting I had with a family just this week when they demanded to know why their son got several "Meeting expectations" grades instead of "Exceeding expectations".

I don't think all teachers think parents are helicopter parents with pfbs sometimes as a teacher you have to deal with some awful individuals. Those are the ones that teachers recall when these types of topics come up. Also, the lovely normal parents aren't funny story fodder.

As a teacher, I am shocked at the way some children speak to adults. Not just teachers but their parents and family/friends too. However....the thing that is more surprising is that some people just accept it.

One of my kids needs an explanation, and that's why he 'negotiates'. He doesn't intend to be disrespectful - he just needs to be told why he has to put his book away, and he simply doesn't understand why he has to stop reading unless he's given a reason. I don't think it takes much time for a teacher to explain that the whole class needs to work together on the next thing.

Of course, I put it down to his ASD / policies about integration of SEN kids in mainstream education / cultural ideas about adults 'deserving' more respect than kids. It can't be that I'm a bad parent. Although I have two other kids and I think I've probably brought them all up the same way and the other two don't seem to have this 'difficulty'.