I’ve been talking to a few old school friends recently with whom I haven’t been in contact for the best part of thirty years (ah the wonders of the internet!). We were reminiscing about the old days, as you do, and I was pretty surprised at what a diverse group we’ve become. We have a massive spread of location, employment and family situations. I suspect that you’d find the same with your old school buddies. About the only things that we have in common now are our ages, our teenage history and our agreement that we got a good education and are generally better people for it. The best of our teachers contributed to making us what we are today. And so, presumably, did the worst.
Then I spoke to a couple of current teachers. Independently they both told me the same tale: how they feel like quitting most of the time; how they’re sick of being spat at, kicked and verbally abused on a regular basis by children who always seem to know their civil rights but are unwilling to learn anything beyond that; how they spend much of their days afraid for their own present and their pupils’ future.
I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man (even though I’m
fast heading in that direction) but I can’t remember any of that occurring when
I was at school. Certainly not in class 5E. There was very little
pupil-on-pupil violence, let alone pupil-on-teacher. Maybe it was the constant
threat of cane, slipper or Miss Bennett’s deadly flying blackboard rubber.
I’m sure that there were some
horrid kids and events back then, the same as there are many wonderful students
today. Perhaps I should stop reading the Daily Mail.
And I’m also sure that if I
asked, every one of you would assure me that your child wouldn’t do these things. Would they?
© Shaun Finnie 2011
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