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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think teachers should wear body cams

296 replies

Ffs555 · 17/10/2023 21:19

Rail staff are wearing them, Wetherspoons staff had them on when I went in, it's becoming more common luckily.
I know it isn't a foolproof solution but I think it would stop so many behavioural incidents.
There are signs up in many public facing workplaces saying abuse won't be tolerated, yet it seems teachers/support staff are expected to put up with it 'because they're just kids'.
I used to be a teacher, was threatened by a pupil, he got half a day in internal exclusion and that was it. I had a year 11 pupil make death threats about another teacher in front of me.
I've had another year 11 male pupil walk up to me and grab the mouse out of my hand when I was on the pc.
However have got off lightly compared to many teachers. Still, we're sworn at constantly and verbally abused.
I have left teaching unfortunately due to the behaviour, my new role is much less stressful.
You practically have to bring a weapon into a school to get permanently excluded, schools don't like to permanently exclude due to costs and reputation.
We used to have a very difficult pupil who brought in a fake weapon one day. The headteacher himself said unfortunately it wasn't a real one, otherwise we could have excluded him permanently.
Anyway, I don't know what the solution is, all this restorative conversation stuff doesn't work. Kids don't care about a detention or even a day's exclusion in a lot of cases.

OP posts:
ConnieTucker · 17/10/2023 21:21

I just cant see anyone giving a shit how kids behave

SpareHeirOverThere · 17/10/2023 21:22

Filming children all day long. How could anyone object to that? 🧐

MollyMarples · 17/10/2023 21:23

Better yet, I’d like cctv!

Siameasy · 17/10/2023 21:24

I feel for you and could never do your job. I think in general behaviour is much poorer amongst kids than wouldve been tolerated in my childhood. I’m Gen X and we had the slipper.
Sorry to say this but I suspect most of the aggressive boys have no dads. This is where the problem starts imo.

Dragonsandcats · 17/10/2023 21:25

I don’t know what teaching is like, if that’s not a stupid statement. I can imagine that sometimes it may feel very unsafe for teachers of older students - think it’s definitely a good idea. Plus parents could see evidence of misbehaviour?

TeaKitten · 17/10/2023 21:26

Yes let’s arm adults in schools with the ability to record children in all situations all day long. Can’t see any safe guarding issues there at all 🙄

Dragonsandcats · 17/10/2023 21:26

Although I wonder if some of the parents would care anyway?

sunshineandshowers40 · 17/10/2023 21:26

I don't understand why schools (especially secondary) don't have more cctv.

MrsHamlet · 17/10/2023 21:26

Dragonsandcats · 17/10/2023 21:25

I don’t know what teaching is like, if that’s not a stupid statement. I can imagine that sometimes it may feel very unsafe for teachers of older students - think it’s definitely a good idea. Plus parents could see evidence of misbehaviour?

We have CCTV. Some parents still don't believe the evidence of their own eyes.

BravoMyDear · 17/10/2023 21:29

I can guarantee the parents at my school would start demanding to see footage every time their child is told off. It would be used against us.

Findyourneutralspace · 17/10/2023 21:29

I’m generally quite liberal but I wouldn’t object to cctv in the classroom. It’s in so many other places now it’s hardly a breach of privacy and if it improved behaviour and safety then good.
Teachers do a hard job. There are also a lot of kids who don’t feel safe in school for a lot of reasons. If CCTV improved that, it can only be a win.

MohairTortoise · 17/10/2023 21:30

People are filmed in so many places anyway.
Body cams protect the children as well as the staff.
Apart from the cost, I can't think of any other reason why they're not a good idea, but interested to hear what dangers they pose that being captured in a public place doesn't already?

Ssme92 · 17/10/2023 21:31

@BravoMyDear yes totally agree.

Wishingwell57 · 17/10/2023 21:32

I agree that it would be good for parents to see their children's behaviour, but I wonder how many would care.

TeaKitten · 17/10/2023 21:32

CCTV is different, it’s not close up, as easy to steal, often doesn’t record sound and makes more practical sense in a school. Body cams are different and would affect how vulnerable children act around teachers too. There’s no way I’d confide a problem to someone wearing a body cam.

Highlyflavouredgravy · 17/10/2023 21:33

So teachers will have absolutely no privacy during the day?

No No No No

Thisxan awful idea that would only make life 100% harder for classroom staff

JVC24601 · 17/10/2023 21:35

CCTV probably more practical than bodycams.

NC as potentially slightly identifiable but… one very loud very influential parent attempted to start a petition and protest against the school I teach in, because her wonderful cherub had been caught on CCTV vandalising the toilets, causing hundreds of pounds of damage. She was furious that we had CCTV as it was “disgusting”, “shocking” etc etc to record children going in and out- insinuating paedophilia etc. Her little angel was only messing around, of course.

Sadly she had a lot of support from other likeminded ‘shocked and disgusted’ parents aghast at the idea of CCTV. The complaint had no legal basis but it was very unpleasant for such a large part of the community to react so ridiculously.

Meredusoleil · 17/10/2023 21:37

CCTV yes. Bodycams no.

OP I feel your pain though. Some teenagers can be a right pain to deal with!

Ssme92 · 17/10/2023 21:38

Sorry to say this but I suspect most of the aggressive boys have no dads. This is where the problem starts imo.
@Siameasy very sweeping statement that I don't believe to be true at all!

If parents don't react well to hearing a story about their child's behaviour, making them watch a video of it is going to make fuck all difference.

I have students who refuse to speak out onfront of the whole class due to anxiety who would probably stop talking completely if they thought they were being recorded.

I've no doubt it would quickly be used for the wrong things.

Iscreamtea · 17/10/2023 21:39

The school I work in has cctv. The behaviour is still shocking. It does mean there is proof when it comes to consequences, particularly helpful for issues between children,but it isn't a miracle cure for poor behaviour.

I do think most parents would be horrified if they could see what it is really like in school. Where I work isn't the best but it is far from the worst.

Cicciabella · 17/10/2023 21:42

We have cctv in school. My colleague was attacked by kids, the footage worked to exclude him. The stealing, vandalism etc is all caught on cctv.
Ive seen some stuff you wouldn't believe.... shocking violence and assaults.

Iscreamtea · 17/10/2023 21:43

Wishingwell57 · 17/10/2023 21:32

I agree that it would be good for parents to see their children's behaviour, but I wonder how many would care.

I would imagine there is quite a large correlation between not caring parents and poorly behaved children but it isn't always that way.

toomanyleggings · 17/10/2023 21:43

Like previous poster said you’d just get parents demanding to see every single interaction and it would be a huge admin headache to already over stretched staff. I don’t know what the answer is really. I was a teacher for fifteen years. It’s only now that I work in a different sector that I realise truly how shocking the working conditions in schools are. You need danger money to do it frankly

MsAdoraBelleDearheartVonLipwig · 17/10/2023 21:48

CCTV is a brilliant idea. Surely it would act as a deterrent to some bad behaviours. And I assume that parents wouldn’t be able to just demand to see footage as it would have other children in it as well.

My dd2 came home from school yesterday and told me that her science teacher was so exasperated by the behaviour of some of the kids in her class yesterday that she actually walked out of the classroom. This is an oversubscribed former grammar school.

Ohwhatfuckeryisthis · 17/10/2023 21:49

Guaranteed I’d forget to take it off when I go to the loo.
Safeguarding nightmare aside, we get kids screaming at us if we so much as glance in their general direction, as we are “staring” at them.