Abuse of teachers widespread

[Piggywaspushed]

According to an NASUWT poll published in several papers today, 89% of teachers have been subjected to verbal or physical abuse in the last year. 24% have been physically attacked.. 86 % have been sworn at.and 42% verbally threatened. What a sorry state of affairs. The experience of the teacher who says she (or he) waits for quiet times to go into the corridor for fear of the abuse, the stampede and the shoving resonates with mine. I am interested to know how far this is reflected in MN experience and, moreover, where the magical 11 % or so work who have not had these turbulent experiences...what makes the difference? The government has of course issued a pointless statement...the saddest thing to read is teachers reporting that they are blamed at worst or, at best, told basically to suck it up as part of the job.

Don't know how to link from phone but findings easily found online in today's Guardian

I’ve heard a rugby playing teacher say he didn’t have trouble with Well duh. Size, height, voice are all influential in how we respond to people. And the male sex are viewed as being the authority figures in general - the ones in charge, the ones to be obeyed. Which is weird when you think of how many boys are raised by their mothers.

Yes, but let us consider for a moment how many boys treat their mothers...

A mother came in to school to complain to me that her 7 year old child had been told off by the class teacher for calling her a "fucking bitch" Apparently the child was "only expressing her opinion" and this should be encouraged rather than punished!

I’ve been hit on the leg before and last year a ten year old told me I was a dick and he wasn’t going to put up with my shit. I’d asked him to start his literacy work. But before that I’ve had parents shout and rant at me. One because her son had lost his PE kit and another because I’d told her daughter not to take things off my desk if they weren’t hers. I’ve also in the past been bullied by a depute teacher by constant undermining.Teaching is usually a delight but it’s hard not to forget incidents like this.

Lived it for 21 years. It’s shite. Book to follow.

Genuinely? It's high time someone wrote a non nauseating book about teaching!

I’m on it.

Well, I await with interest!

I’m in primary and have been kicked, scratched, pushed, had chairs thrown at me and sworn at by children. All boys and all with significant SEN, but with no additional support.

I’m currently doing supply in a ‘magic 11%’ school. It’s a mixed comprehensive rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, for whatever it matters. There is no rudeness or anything approaching abuse. Students are friendly and polite to all staff whatever the gender of the adult or their status in school.
Having had such vastly different experiences recently I am desperate to know what they’re doing right!! You would think that they must have a super robust behaviour system but I can’t see evidence of it as I haven’t needed to use it.
Since September, a grand total of zero staff vacancies at this school, unsurprisingly.

Wow... I am currently forming an orderly queue of one for any vacancies!

Can I ask, what szie is the school? Is it 11-18?

@likeafishneedsabike

Wow-that sounds lovely! I’d be tempted to say to a few resident staff members-‘wow, the behaviour here is just great-how do you do it?!’

And see what replies you get. Some will have taught in other schools and may be able to explain or compare!

It might be like the demon headmaster or something .

@piggywaspushed it’s 11 to 18. I need to look up the exact number but its definitely small and under 1000 kids.

@holidayshopping it’s got to be the demon headmaster, right? 😂
I raised the topic of behaviour in the staffroom and the replies were interesting. The teachers think that because of the village setting the kids aren’t streetwise and come from good homes where they are taught manners. BUT I have done supply teaching in another nice area with kids whose parents I actually KNOW (in passing) as nice people . . . and the kids were outrageously rude and disruptive. So I don’t think the community itself is the secret. I wish I knew.

One observation is that in schools I have seen the worst shit going down, there are no non-teaching staff to support students. Year heads running around like idiots trying to sort various crises while teaching a pretty full timetable. This current set up has a number of pastoral staff who do not teach. This could be part of it.

I got told to fuck off today.

Another teacher got called a fat cunt and an old bag.

Happens every day.

I work in a large secondary in a deprived area.
Kids swearing at/arguing at adults is fairly common (although - it's a minority of kids really. Physical assault/threatening behaviour is pretty rare. I've been threatened and assaulted but Im pastoral and manage behaviour so tend to step in when things have already escalated.