Teacher suspended for calling child a t**t

[pinkgin79]

In our local news today is a story of a welsh school teacher who has been suspended for 2 years for calling a child a twat. AIBU to think this is harsh? Is there more to the story?

We have ruined the world with pc

Was the child a twat?

Who did they say it to?

Context?

Link to source?

Suspended by who?

I’d probably be suspended for calling a customer a twat so it sounds about right.

Hard to say without more context as I think twat is a word that can be used both aggressively/ offensively or used with some endearment.

“You’re wearing the wrong shoes again you daft twat” said with a smile to Y12 football player by his favourite PE teacher is very different to, “Stop rocking in your chair you’re driving me mad you twat!” shouted angrily by a teacher to Y7 child with ADHD in front of the whole class.

However, broadly speaking I would say twat is not professional language and not appropriate to be used by a teacher towards a student, I think in most cases it would warrant some kind of warning although whether it would warrant suspension likely depends on context, as above.

Yes to all of the above.

The problem is some people say "twat" in a way that essentially means "twit" - which is a bit like called some a Wally or Silly.
Some people use it as a more rude insult like C**t.
It depends on the context really.

I’d be pretty miffed if a teacher called my child a twat even if they were being a little twat. It’s not appropriate. In the same way I’d expect to be sanctioned if I called a colleague a twat. Two years suspension seems extreme though so assuming it wasn’t a one off.

Yes, but you could go and get another job.

This is a massive overreaction unless there's a back story. I hold a senior exec position in a MAT and can categorically say that if this was an isolated incident in a secondary school it would be a written warning. In a primary school possibly a final warning or a strong recommendation to resign but we would not refer this to TRA for a misconduct hearing.

No wonder no one wants to be a bloody teacher!

If they said it in an area children and/or parents could hear it then it’s more than fair enough.

The teacher said it about a child but within earshot of a class of year 4 kids. She wasn't struck off solely for this, it was also because she'd had complaints about her behaviour from at least five colleagues over the years.

Well I'd assume the school has similar policy for pupils who use similar language and expel them?

A 'bullying' and 'aggressive' teacher has been banned from the classroom for calling a primary school pupil 'a bit of a 't*'.
Katie Walsh, 40, was struck off the teaching register at the 210-pupil Raglan Primary School in Monmouthshire, Wales, after uttering the swear word about the pupil 'within earshot of a class of Y4 children'.
Mrs Walsh's behaviour towards colleagues was 'intimidating, undermining, derogatory, and bullying in nature' to colleagues, the committee of the Education Workforce Council (EWC) found.

sounds fair

I believe there was more to it:

”The panel ruled that mother-of-four Mrs Walsh was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct over three years.
She was the foundation phase lead at the school when at least five other teachers complained about her.”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13505601/amp/Bullying-primary-school-teacher-40-banned-classroom-calling-pupil-bit-t.html

I don’t think a teacher should be calling a child a twat, affectionately or not. I think language in school needs to be reciprocal so if a child can’t call a teacher a word, then nor can the teacher call the child it. However, as a one off, it’s not really more than a minor misdemeanour but perhaps at the end of a week of calling children all kinds of inappropriate words and on a final warning for doing so, it was enough to warrant suspension.

But yet nothing happens when children call teachers fucking slags.

So can the suspended teacher. Just probably not another teaching job.

I highly doubt that "no one wants to be a bloody teacher" because they're not allowed to call their students twats.

Her behaviour was wildly unprofessional and unacceptable. Unless there are some hugely mitigating circumstances (which doesn't appear to be the case) then she just isn't the calibre of person who should be employed in such a responsible and trusted position.

Teachers are really getting a raw deal at the moment and there are a million and one things that need to change in our education system to support them. However, teachers are just people and not every teacher is up to the job. It's absolutely correct that the ones who are far below standard are shown the door. The impact on children who are at the mercy of abusive or just substandard teachers is immense. If we recognise the lifelong impact that an excellent teacher can have on a child, we have to also acknowledge that the same is true of the few who abuse that trusted position.

Do you remember the Tory Education Secretary Andrea Jenkins giving the finger to people outside Downing Street? Is she up for election in your area?

Wonder if it was one of those schools where you will soon have to pay VAT to educate the little .....

Obviously there was more to it, as mentioned above.
But I do think there's a regional divide to the word twat. My nieces down south seem to use it as if it's equal to twit, kind of silly Billy level. Whereas I grew with it being one step short of cunt, if we were trying to be smart as kids we'd answer back that it was a pregnant fish, but we'd still get an ear bashing.

What a nonsense take.

The teacher is being paid to be there and do their job. Part of that job is to be professional. Not call their pupils twats. He/she is also an adult who should be able to control what words they use.

They are held to a different and higher standard than pupils because guess what? They're adults and being paid to be there and do their job. A child isn't an adult (obviously) and so shouldn't be held to the same standard.They're also not being paid to be there.

If I called a colleague or customer that-I'd expect to lose my job so I don't do it. And it sounds like this isn't the first complaint against this teacher-she's had multiple against her from what others have posted.

I'm not sure why we think adults should be able to talk to children whatever way they feel like and get away with it. Obviously-there's a difference between a jokey, "Oh, you've forgotten your PE kit again, you twat," to a sixteen year old if you have that camaraderie already built to where they know it's a joke (it's still mildly inappropriate) and someone outright calling a pupil a twat in seriousness.