Do you think that schools are okay?

[applejane11]

When I was in school, I remember absolutely hating school. I like learning. What I hated was the constant feeling of being in a prison, having no freedom. Having to sit for 7 hours a day and not speak. Having no say at all in most things. Constantly being controlled. I remember every morning, feeling dread when I woke up to go in.

I now actually work in a school in an admin position. Ive worked in lots of different companies. Now im in a school. I hear the teenagers say the same things all the time. They hate it, they feel like they are in prison, that it is awful, that they feel depressed every day, that all their young life is wasted. I also have to say, I definitely see school teachers abuse their power over the students. Not in a way that you could say is definitely abuse, but just in a way where you can see that they are really loving having power and control over the teenagers.

Do you think that schools are okay the way that they are? Teenagers don't have a lot of say in things or a lot of human rights, so it's adults that need to have the conversation about it.

I don't recognise that from my own school days at all. There were subjects I disliked but more that I did like. You were expected to be quiet at for an hour at a time. I enjoyed the social aspect too. People's experiences are vastly different.

does anyone know why history at gcse level was so focused on ww2 ?

IT staff,
Caretakers/maintenance

Why is it hilarious. It's the system that we all live in. You're acting like you don;t know that there are private and public schools. You wrote that my school is very unusual to have a lot of admin staff.

Yes a lot of the parents pay fees. Many of the students are also here on scholarships. Not all of them come from wealthy families

Choosing to interact with me again OP. Thank you for your attention towards this 'Piece of Work.'

Oh I actually didn't notice that it was you who wrote it.

I'd put them in support staff not admin but boundaries are blurred because I'm not sure technicians are admin staff either!

OP is in an admin role, so she knows what’s best for the kids (sorry adolescents) 😂

@boblady, well said. @applejane11 is either virtue signalling her imagined higher powers of empathy, or painfully naive.

No, thank you for your politeness. Most appreciated.

And, thankyou for your openness with your school environment. Very interesting.

Thats the parents job.

If it were a venn diagram, all non teaching staff are support staff, but not all support staff are admin staff

are you making fun of admins? That shows a lot about you.

What do you think admins do - just type in a cupboard all day?

My friend is an administrator for a large London University. She is involved in loads of things, transfers, welfare, accommodation, student health, student campaigns

Your school is unusual because it's private. So you have no idea of the behaviour and issues in the state sector and the boundaries needed to get students to behave. You can exclude students easily, which is a big deterrent!

You've linked sensationalist headlines from state schools, quite disingenuous.

saying someone doesn't have empathy, while demonstrating a lack of empathy yourself. well done!

all schools should be able to exclude anyone that does not behave

Who said I haven't worked in a state school. Did you ask me? I have worked in a state school. I currently work in a private school.

Have you worked in a private school?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yet more defensiveness.

It's bedtime, where I should have gone an hour ago.

I didn’t say anything like that though, did I?
(Read it again.)

What I'm finding awful on this thread is the sneeriness and snobbiness on this thread.

The 'why would a student even talk to you, you mere lowly admin staff' theme.

Some of you should really check your attitudes.

My auntie was actually a school secretary in a state school for most of her life. I was friends with a teacher in the school. She constantly said 'oh your aunt runs the school, we wouldn't survive without her'. I still occasionally meet some of the ex students of that school as my mother lives near by. They know that she is my aunt and sometimes the topic comes up. They always say 'oh your aunt was such a big part of our school life, she always listened to us, she did so much for us. We always remember her'

I'm pointing out that you again assumed something without asking.

I'm sorry that you are understaffed in your school. That is probably what is making you angry. Your posts on here have been angry. See you.

Next time pet. Ask someone before you assume

a simple 'have you ever worked in a State school' is a more adult way to phrase it than simply assuming that someone has never worked in a State school

@applejane11 the more you talk about your auntie and your friend and the depths of their roles, the less credence it gives to your argument about your role. The truth is that in state schools admin staff do not have a lot to do with the students directly other than do their admin roles and occasional behaviour incidents.

What makes me really angry is people making stuff up that they know nothing about.

What makes me angry is stuff like "I wasn't allowed to go to the toilet on my period" said by the child on her period every day.

What makes me angry is "school is like a prison" no it really isn't.

What makes me angry is "we can't talk to each other" yes you can when it is appropriate.

What makes me angry is "the teachers can do XYZ, why can't we" because you're children.

What makes me angry is media representation of schools which are so far from the truth, and the school don't have a right of reply.

Fwiw teenagers have the same human rights as all humans. They are human after all.