To think that students shouldn't be making teachers cry FFS!.

[Theydontknowweknowtheyknow]

...and that the school system is essentially fucked because teachers have too many pressures and are treated like crap?

DS is not good at Maths. He's not badly behaved but is not good at Maths hence he is stuck in a set where the kids tend to be badly behaved.

The teacher is obviously not a native English speaker but DS says he is perfectly understandable. His classmates however are constantly teasing this poor man about his English. It became so bad today that the teacher actually cried and then lost it and yelled at the kids that he spoke 5 languages and they only spoke one.

I feel so sorry for this guy. He must be at the end of his tether but how can he possibly teach and be effective with 30 students, all the marking, planning and politics. I feel like it's an impossible task.

But what can the government/society do to make teachers' lives easier, especially when you consider the drop out rate or is it just inevitable that with so little money and so many children to educate that the school system is essentially fucked?

[3dogsandacat]

I'm shocked at the number of posters willing to overlook the appalling behavior of the students and who view the teacher as some sort of weak victim who needs to toughen up

It's no wonder students get away with with treating teachers in a disgusting way. They seem to be beyond reproach in this country.

There's no respect.

[3dogsandacat]

6In my first lesson at my previous school, a girl said to me, as she left the (frankly shit) lesson ' We'll break you by Christmas'...^

This would never be tolerated in a classroom in most other countries in the world.
Unfortunately in the UK, students little shits like this, know that everybody must revolve around them.

Maybe Respect should be taught in schools as an actual subject.

[TheNewStatesman]

"I'm shocked at the number of posters willing to overlook the appalling behavior of the students and who view the teacher as some sort of weak victim hmm who needs to toughen up"

Me too.

The attitudes displayed by some people on this thread explain a lot about why there is so much shitty behavior in schools.

Sounds like senior management in this school have got some explaining to do as well. Why are they allowing this teacher to be hung out to dry like this?

[katemiddletonsnudeheels]

Traditionally, schools kept order by randomly lashing out and punishing (re KES when one of the boys is caned for coughing in assembly) humiliation ('turn around, we don't want to see your ugly face' was so often used in primary school to punish a child told to stand against the wall it didn't shock me) shouting and sarcasm.

They all ensured the student was scared of the teacher, not respected them. You can't teach respect.

[TheNewStatesman]

"Central management of the behaviour system is what I've seen a number of teachers (and some headteachers) advocate, in order to reduce the burden on teachers and improve behaviour, but it is strikingly absent from the NUT recommendations."

I think that's fairly true to form, given the NUT's persistent favoring of fuzzy child-centered bollox.

[3dogsandacat]

I loved teaching abroad, but here the 'teaching' bit is the least of their troubles.

People need to ask - Why IS teaching abroad such a doddle compared to teaching here?

[3dogsandacat]

Talent for teaching doesn't go automatically go hand in hand with the hide of a rhino and the patience of ten saints and the pope all put together. If you demand both as qualifying skills and deride teachers who don't have the magic ability to quell nasty behavior from teenagers then your pool of teaching staff becomes vanishingly small.

Interesting. I agree.

Just because a teacher has good classroom control doesn't necessarily mean they're good at the actual 'teaching' bit.

[Balletblue]

I am very good at teaching - I've been a successful tutor for many years and teach adult education. I also teach creative writing for children. But I would never make it as a teacher in primary or secondary as I am not tough enough.
I am sure there must be an answer to the problem of behaviour and getting children to respect their teacher and their learning. It surely can't be as bad in other countries?

[Aeroflotgirl]

katemiddleton we are not talking about beating the crap out of them and humiliating them, but having expected behaviours, punishing them appropriately if they break the code. No wonder some kids feel they are untouchable, yes in other countries, they would not be able to 'break' a teacher, tgat woukd be unheard of. The te her us there to teach, not be threatened and abused, this would not be tolerated in any other environment or by an adult, so why is it ok, because it's a child doing the threatening!

[katemiddletonsnudeheels]

What would you suggest then Aero? :)

[Aeroflotgirl]

I think even those tough enough break in the end. My SIL was one of those tough ones, taught in a tough Hull school. At the end it all fit too much, she decided to teach in college instead. No this behaviour woukd not be tolerated in College, if a young person threatened a teacher, there would be consequences and thrown off their course.

[Lottielou7]

I remember a teacher crying in 6th form because we hadn't done our homework. She then walked out of the lesson and went home. It's just not a good message at all. It sounds as if he is in the wrong profession.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Like what kessteral has talked about.

[Aeroflotgirl]

lottie not doing your home work is different to being threatened and racially bullied. No he is not, the children's behaviour has not being dealt with properly that they think it's ok to behave like this! The kids are in charge, not the teachers or head.

[Lottielou7]

The racism is horrible and should be punished without a doubt.

[Noodledoodledoo]

It does seem from a lot of posters on here that if a teacher can't hack being bullied, undermined, made fun of, ignored, abused, then they should leave.

Two things - lots are and they are not being replaced - people complain currently that their children are not being taught by specialists, I could earn double what I do now in my old profession, I have spent a lot of time soul searching in the last 6 months and for now I am sticking it out.

What other job allows its 'clients' who, on the whole, are in full capacity of their own behaviour would allow such behaviour to go unchecked without consequence. Most places I go to these days have signs up saying abusive behaviour will not be tolerated - customers/clients/patients will be asked to leave. Schools have to jump through huge hoops to remove a student - even just from a lesson.

[Leslieknope45]

Anyway maybe this one day has got the better of him. It doesn't mean he isn't tough enough to be a teacher. On Friday someone threw a chair at me and punched the wall next to my head. I didn't cry. Three weeks ago someone told me to 'shut up' and I left the room and had a weep depends on the day!

[ilovesooty]

Absolutely Noodle and that's often down to the lack of management support mentioned upthread.

I remember my first lesson after returning from long term absence caused by the treatment I had from management. One pupil told me : "We all know you've had a breakdown and the Head wants you out. We know we can give you another one."

I'd taught for years in my previous challenging school with no behaviour management issues.

[Lottielou7]

Teaching is an absolute nightmare. I have no idea why anyone would do it. Hats off to those that do tbh.

[Noodledoodledoo]

Maybe all us rubbish teachers should treat students who are being bullied with the same rules! Can't hack it - oh well that's life - find a different job/school!

Am sure a few parents will start jumping up and down over that one!

I am obviously being facetious here but might put a different spin on things.

[Lottielou7]

The key issue is why isn't the head dealing with these students and their appalling behaviour?

[ilovesooty]

Senior management at my school did very little teaching and flatly refused to acknowledge that student behaviour was shocking. They treated all teachers who raised the issue as "troublemakers" who were being "impertinent" (both words were applied to me).
Any supply teacher who talked negatively about the behaviour of the pupils wasn't allowed back.

[Leslieknope45]

And when SLT are teaching the enjoy the privilege of being SLT and therefore automatically have better behaviour management due to their own status.

[ilovesooty]

Absolutely Leslie

[LittleGreyCatwithapinkcollar]

As a teacher I hate the word 'control' in terms of behaviour management. I Ann paid to teach, not control. I generally have good behaviour management and am a very good teacher, and I teach year 9-13 and feel that my students should control themselves, and I shouldn't do it for them. I often tell them this. It can take a while but they get it. I have been teaching for 9 years and have come across many parents from all sorts of backgrounds who have been far more of a challenge than their offspring (one rang me up and told me I was vile, wicked and evil because I didn't give her daughter an a, and a father who laughed when I explained his daughter had called me a fing cnt because i asked her friend to take her coat off, and explained they don't believe in sanctions at home. Both of these were very affluent families who clearly thought i was to blame more than their children for everything).
For any teacher to break in this way takes a hell of a lot and i feel sorry for him. Telling the school that your ds is uncomfortable with the way other students are speaking to this member of staff is what i would suggest. No blame on any single person but hopefully something will be done to help this poor man and give your son the education he deserves.