It will be behaviour that makes me quit.

[JenniferYellowHat1980]

I can't stand it. There's a particular year group which is really hard going in my current school. I've only been there since Sept, but I have fifteen years' experience and consider myself pretty assertive, confident and to have high expectations in the classroom.

Today I've been told to fuck off. I've been called irritating. I've had two boys deliberately trying to get a rise out of me (they didn't) so they could be sent out. The verbal abuse was simply for repeatedly trying to refocus them on their work - topical and differentiated to the Nth degree.

Previously I have been sworn at and later found a note plastered in really disgusting obscenities about me. I don't actually care about that or the language - it's the arrogance of the perpetrators and the constant disruption that means the majority of hardworking, pleasant kids don't get the support and working atmosphere they need.

This is a 'good' school, by the way. The one I taught in last year, recently downgraded, was worse.

Anyone else just feel ground down by behaviour?

SLT don't have to earn their authority to kick ass, they are given it. OP, your school (HT) is telling SLT to downplay outrageous behaviour.

Believe me on this, they will have been told what to do.

Although I agree in principle about video evidence, in reality I fear it might just be another stick to beat teachers with.

Just before I left teaching secondary, the school had introduced a voluntary system of video observation, their reasoning being that children behaved differently (better?) if a senior member of staff was in the room. The question was - did they? Many of the (then) top-heavy SLT were not well-known around the school because they didn't make their presence felt or even try to raise their profile by, say, patrolling around at crunch times or chivvying latecomers to their classes. They just stayed in their offices usually with the blinds down. In some cases, even when they were out and about, one or two were seen heading in the opposite direction to where there was obviously a situation brewing and a member of staff trying to diffuse it.

The embarrassing thing for them was that the children in many cases did NOT behave better when they were there - so the videoing of observations meant that they saved face and could observe from their comfy office whilst having a brew. Nice.

I know it is not quite the same as what has been suggested up thread, but before agreeing to general videoing of lessons, I would want to know in detail how this footage would be used and stored (and for how long) - and not just from the point of view of safeguarding children, but also from the point of view of safeguarding staff!

I am a supply teacher (having chosen not to take on and NQT or fulltime role after training), not because of the behaviour, but because of all the other stuff. So I do get to see very bad behaviour, in lots of schools. And it is very interesting to see how different schools deal with it.
In one of my training schools we had all the worst of this, in a leafy West London suburb, because the leadership was rubbish. In an inner city school I often go to with far worse social problems and deprivation the behaviour in much better, because SLT are everywhere, zero tolerance of any king of rudeness to teachers, and if you call for 'on-call' they come, immediately, remove the pupil and the lesson can continue. It as a much less glossy image than the first school ( which has a PR person...), and so parents are not really aware of how much better the second school is for the pupils and staff

The video would show the cool kids what idiots they actually look ... they are usually trying to be smart or funny and well it just isnt ... bit of an eye opener when u have seen it used.

I would be in favour of lesson being video'd - then SLT could catch me being good

Interestingly, two local schools I've worked at (behaviour was crap at both) are advertising for PR managers.

Jennifer - yes, well getting parents to buy in is now the game..

That is interesting MrsUltra.

I feel that the attitude in school is generally 'You're a secondary teacher. This goes with the territory. Get used to it.'

I just can't get used to it, or accept it, though.

Getting used to it is the difference between being told to go fuck yourself and being upset, and being told to go fuck yourself and being annoyed at the paperwork this will generate.

Accepting it is stopping bothering to fill out the paperwork because it never gets you anywhere.

The first one is quite important for a teacher, the second when you should look for a new job. However, if you are being told to go fuck yourself regularly then the paperwork obviously isn't helping and that's also when you should look elsewhere.

I got told to go fuck myself a few years back and the kid was suspended. I can't remember the last time a kid swore at me. Not all schools are like that.

I hated the unobtainable targets, the paperwork, the constant evidencing of every breath you take, the lack of professional autonomy, the mistrust and the marking.... but it was the behaviour that broke me in the end. I've just left after 11 years.

I completely agree with MrsUltra's comment of 6/10/15 @ 17.45. It has been my experience, over 25 years, that the critical factor in whether teaching & learning are enabled or not, is senior staff's support for behaviour management. I've taught across the social spectrum from one extreme to the other; where management (called SLT or whatever other title eg Pastoral) walk the job, know the kids, command the respect of the kids, their parents and classroom teachers, we can do our jobs and progress is made. Where management is less visible (often the case in leafy suburban areas), there is a true perfect storm of high targets, very difficult behaviour sometimes defended by indulgent parents (eg kettle boy @ Bohunt) and a blame culture. My experience of 5 schools is that, unfortunately, this type of hands-on management is vanishingly rare.

I've been called every name under the sun ('fat' was the worst one !), and I think you do have to bear in mind that the media, social networking etc. have a role to play in this. However noble is right to say that the response by the school to a member of staff being sworn at should be consistent, if it's not then the situation is just a slippery slope.

The pupil mentioned in the op - who is a lot bigger than me - hurled something at me across the room and told me to guck off as he was stomping out today. It was only a little think but luckily that was the first thing that came to hand and it hit me hard, over quite a distance.

He was still swanning around at lunchtime and I've heard nothing more about it.

Another one in the room called out that they would all deny it happened to stop him getting in trouble.

I have no choice but to stay until Easter, and even then I can't afford to leave.

fuck off, obvs.

TheSpectreOfMorningtonCrescent that's so sad :(

This, ladies, is why I work in EY. I'd love to teach but honestly the idea of having to stand up to this level of arrogance terrifies me. FS is my limit- and even then I've been answered back.

Just want to say to everyone, keep up the good work. Parents nowadays just seem to find it easier to lump the blame onto teachers. and thank you for this thread, we've been considering moving to new zealand recently...

I have recently moved to FE, where I assumed behaviour wouldn't be a problem. I was so wrong! Even though the learners are there by choice, they are rude, aggressive and lazy. There are virtually no sanctions (notice of concern, anyone?) I woke up crying this morning and want to be sick all the time. I can't afford to resign. It's hell.

I'm in an "outstanding" school and have one class that makes me consider throwing in the towel. I am doing block work for this half-term, so basically zero hours.

My other classes are all completely fine, but it is this one class that tarnishes the experience. I could stay for the whole year if I wanted to, but I don't want to teach this class a moment longer than necessary - 3 more lessons to go.

I'm in an "outstanding" school and have one class that makes me consider throwing in the towel.

Yet, according to Michale Wilshire-schools are actually pretty stress free if they are Good or Outstanding!

link

A. What a load of shite-the stress at my last Outstanding school was horrendous, it was like being in a pressure cooker!!
B. That'll really encourage people to go and work in RI or SM schools now, won't it!!?

I wonder what teachers from other countries make of these posts
They must be horrified at the constant disruption that teachers in Britain are expected to put up with.

I decided that enough was enough.

I have been teaching overseas and have not regretted a single second

I'm so relieved to read this. I've been trying to work out a new seating plan for my year 9 class and I'm despairing. The low-level bad behaviour is constant, and from a large proportion of the class. I have not found any effective way of dealing with it yet. I have another difficult class and an easier one. Detentions have no effect with most and the next step is to remove them from class to the HOD, who is supposed to deal with everybody's behaviour issues while still teaching her own group. Some days she has to leave her classes to go in search of kids who have just run off.

Senior staff walk into class sometimes and the noise level drops. But they usually only monitor behaviour issues from a distance. I would love to know there was someone senior on call who would remove as many people as you needed them to, like there was at my first school. There I felt empowered; these days usually drained before I even go in.

I thought I was just getting old and losing energy for dealing with it all, but maybe the behaviour is actually getting worse.

I am hoping to leave at the end of the year, but what to do, I don't know. Some days, I'm not sure how I'll make it to the end of the year anyway!

I moved to a Private school a couple of years ago, after more than ten years of working in comps. I moved because the job was a promotion and in the area I was moving to.

.....what I hadn't factored in was the behaviour. Because I was used to consistent low level disruption. My god, my life is easier now. I absolutely had not even considered that the behaviour in my previous schools was even that bad....but it was just exhausting.

My life is much, much better now.I hadn't even considered that having energy in the evenings was feasible, but because I've not spent the whole day battling I have energy to play with my children, or even have a social life. Private sector, people, it's the way to survive!

I'm moving to private in January. Only three more lessons with my most disruptive class.

bobsalong I taught in EY for about 25 years and believe me, over that time the behaviour and swearing got worse and worse - with no real meaningful support from SLT or the SENCO. "Fuck off you fat cunt" was the most memorable one a couple of years ago from a violent 4 year old girl. Astonishingly she is still at the school (not SEN, bog standard mainstream) and there appears to be no hint that she may be moving to a setting more suitable for her. Meanwhile her 1 to 1 LSA's are subjected to violence and being sworn at on a daily basis - last year she bit one of them on the arm and caused nerve damage. It's a complete joke!

Can I point out that not all parents of difficult kids are neglectful and uncaring.

My dd was appalling pretty much the whole way through secondary - walking out of lessons, arguing with teachers, constant talking.

I remember one particularly horrible trip to the school where we had a meeting with the head of year and an NQT that dd had clearly terrorised and bullied for an entire term. I couldn't speak for crying - I was so ashamed and so sorry for the teacher.

The horrible irony is that I'm a teacher myself.