AIBU to be shocked by language used by head teacher?

[LargeGlassofRed]

Dd2 came home today and said the head had lost it and ranted at them calling them 'antisocial low life scum' ! Am I overreacting to think this is totally unexceptable?

I'd be emailing too if a head teacher called my child low life scum.

Doctors are probably more used to dealing with it

The problem on MN is everyone believes their own children.

When they very probably shouldn't.

If a year 8 'fesses they were "messing about" then it's very likely to have been much much worse.

What the feck do train anecdotes and old people being told off by doctors have to do with anything btw?

Missduke

Completely different case. You are not comparing like for like. I wouldn't bat an eyelid if a doctor or paramedic had called someone pathetic for a hoax ambulance call.

I'd be emailing to apologise to the HT if my child had been caught behaving like low-life scum.

Well people who set off fire alarms are antisocial low life scum, or more accurately in a school 'behaving like' ASLLS.

The devil is in the detail, often selectively applied in 'tales home'. I would want to know whether my innocent child was told they were ASLLS, or that the people who did it were ASLLS or the people who did it and their gleeful eggers-on were 'behaving like ' ASLLS.

Because in the second two versions the head was right, and I see no reason why schools should put up with endless crap and not be allowed to react like human beings pushed a step too far.

Pupils are sitting GCSEs at the moment. When your Yr 8 is exhausted, stressed, working non stop and some ASLLS disrupts an exam or causes the library to be evacuated just as they are trying to reassure themselves they know their last bit of revision, you might understand the level of anger and frustration.

Vintage what are you not understanding? Some people are saying they empathise with the head for losing his temper in a stressful situation and that his reaction is ok. I am trying to explain that most people feel stressed at work but manage to remain professional. I have explained this a few times now.

One poster said their child was called pathetic by a teacher, and the poster was happy to assume it was their child's fault. I was curious as to whether this would still have been acceptable had it been an adult called pathetic by a professional.

Children are vulnerable. Why is it ok for them to be treated like this, but not adults?

Hopefully this is more clear for you now.

If my DCs had been the ones setting off school fire alarms they'd be bloody grovelling to the HT. The HT had every right to use the word "scum" because it's a shitty thing to do.

It's not as though he used an expletive or called them "motherfucking cockwombles". It's a shitty way to behave, the HT was pissed off and expressed it quite succinctly with words which few could take offence at. It seems quite a drama over nothing.

right-if the fire alarm was set off my year 11s it wasn't a drill.
Nobody will have been expecting it, there has abeen a horrendous fire this week and the staff will have shit themselves quite frankly.
The school will be charged by the fore brigade to attend because of you know..no fire.

no wonder he went nuts!

Why hasn't your 13 year old heard the word scum before? Is her vocabulary very restricted for any particular reason? Perhaps you should get her to read more to try and broaden her vocbulary a bit because otherwise it may hold her back in life.

Orchid I disagree. A head has a duty of care to his pupils. Just like a doctor has a duty of care to his patients. Not a randomer making a false call from a phone box

But it is clear we have differing views, no amount of pulling threads apart will change that.

The children were at school, MissDuke. Not at work. They did something utterly reprehensible.

The train tale is simply someone shoe-horning their own irrelevant anecdote into the thread.

Hope that is clear for you.

I doubt it though.

It takes a whole village to raise a child
If children need tellingboff then there should be people willing and able to do it
Without getting grief from aren't a who weren't even there and have no real idea of what was said
At the time the children were in the care of the head teacher and he had very right to give them a severe telling off
Good on him

Of course it's not "ok" (if) the HT said this.

But perspective is a wonderful thing before someone is hung drawn and quartered.

Year 11 exams are ending - end of term is looming.
HY is responsible for a large number of staff and pupils - some of whom have done something extremely unacceptable (setting off alarm).

I always think of how I've reacted badly to stupid things ds (also year 8 - and autistic) has done in the past - multiplied it and thought about whether I can actually understand how the (adult in charge) HT came to that point.

If I can understand it I will let it go. Teachers aren't superhuman despite them being expected to perform so day in and day out.

insan but wouldn't it have been better to have sat them down and explained the issue, maybe some examples from news stories of fire engines being delayed due to pranks, make them understand the consequences of their actions. I don't know what they will learn from being called scum.

Vintage you are quite right, I don't get your point at all The head is at work, he is expected to be professional in his role and a good role model to the pupils. To me, he did none of these. I am glad my children don't have a head like that Wouldn't the world be boring if we all held the same views? I am quite happy to accept I have a different expectation of our school than you.

Setting off a fire alarm is pretty serious and could result in fatalities if fire crews are diverted from a real emergency.

I'd be inclined to focus on that, plus the fact that the head probably said behaving like ALLS.

I'd put a rocket up my children if I thought they'd been involved in anything so serious.

I got a complaint from a parent this week that a Y9 pupil had been told by her teacher that other staff had been "slagging her off" in the staff room. Due to the personality of this teacher I was astounded. As the mother asked her daughter for verification, it was a phone call and the daughter was with mum, it turned out that the teacher had actually said that looking at the child's disciplinary record she failed to do homework in other subjects. Sometimes you have to check the language as well.

Missduke stop using ridiculous analogies. A doctor is responsible for one patient at a time. An HT is responsible for the safety of hundreds of students at a time. Also a national exam has been compromised. Sort that one out without extra stress to staff, students and parents. I think the HT was remarkably restrained.

Also, the school will probably have been charged by the fire service.

If you had any idea how much every school budget has been cut...

Hippy, might be ridiculous to you - but not to me Each to their own.....

I'm 99.9% sure your child has heard/said (the latter to be more likely) worse especially if you're not there to hear it Year 8 and especially year 9 girls (falling out galore) are the toughest year group going!! Raging hormones not the youngest in school anymore but not the oldest and usually when whoever fancies who comes into the equation and friendships become volcanic eruptions! (As you can tell it's so much fun dealing with this year group ).

This time of year is stressful in fact incredibly stressful for year 11 and Teachers (more so as Teachers jobs are more at risk than ever if the results aren't right!!) setting off a fire alarm isn't right end of!! It's time consuming if it's a false alarm and have you ever tried to evacuate 1000 plus scared, excited, pushing/shoving, not knowing, running, walking, loud kids especially if it starts to rain with no coat on e.g. Those that have just been doing PE At the same time trying to account for all staff, kids that are marked as present but not when you are doing the register at the firepoint as they have gone to the loo before it went off, checking buildings, areas etc...sorting out the fire brigade, police attendance etc some areas have the policy of attend regardless when it comes to a school!

I fully support the head in their actions they are low life scum for doing it...they are taking away precious moments from someone else who might need help!! Also in light of recent events it should be drummed into them it's just simply not on...when I was at school we had a visit from the fire brigade and a man who had severe burns mainly on face and torso he had gone back inside to get his son who was trapped...the fire brigade had been delayed due to someone setting off an alarm purposely at a nearby factory...in the assembly you could hear a pin drop!! 20 years later I still think of that man.

As some previous posters have said schools have their hands tied with discipline and parents not supporting hence the issues schools have. If harsh words are what is needed to get it through that type of behaviour is unacceptable and stops it happening again then good!

Shockers I don't think ANYONE would disagree with you. It is the use of the language that is in question, not the severity of the act itself.

Miss Duke
I don't think most are saying it's the best way of dealing with it. Most would agree that the pupils need an explanation why this is unacceptable. The discussion is about whether the alleged outburst was understandable or not. It is almost a guarantee that there will be a follow up, talking to, and explanation (If they know who it is).

I guess for some this language is normal everyday language to them. It is not something I hear said much and doubt my 12 year old dd has heard it much either, though apparently I will be disbelieved for saying that . Which doesn't bother me in the slightest to be fair.

Lets hope so Orchid! Also hope the outburst shocked them into listening, but I would have my doubts.

Scum is not a swear word. Using unpleasant words to describe unpleasant behaviour is not unreasonable. Kids hear and use much worse words and are therefore pretty immune to mildly-expressed reprimands.

The Head was undoubtedly angry and upset and wanted to have an impact. Sadly, not much has an impact on school kids these days - teachers are faced daily by bad behaviour they can do little or nothing to combat because the kids don't actually give a monkey's about getting a detention or being internaly excluded. They think it's a joke. Most parents have no clue what it's like to deal with this on a daily basis and many are in denial about the behaviour of their own child (or know but don't care).