I knew Mr Green was angry by the way he threw his briefcase on the staffroom floor, kicked it and shouted "The f****** tosser!"
I'm like that, I can sense people's moods.
He did not need much questioning to tell his tale; basically it will be one you have all heard a thousand times before.
Dwayne was mucking about in his lesson; being a pain, distracting the others. Mr Green told him to move, Dwayne refused, he threatened to call for the SMT and the kid shouted "You think I'm f****** bothered!" To be honest it happens so frequently it's almost tedious to relate.
Anyway; Duty member of SMT turns up, Dwayne loudly refuses to go with him for the benefit of his mates, duty SMT begs and cajoles, promising all sorts of things. They both leave, nothing further heard. Mr. Green sees Dwayne leaving at home time along with all his friends, laughing and shouting. He corners SMT chap and asks why he's let him go and what's his punishment going to be. SMT explains that he's had a good chat with Dwayne and he's not such a bad boy at all once you get to know him etc...
Mr. Green has taught for twenty years and is a far better teacher than I could ever hope to be. He is perfectly capable of giving out his own punishment to Dwayne and is not one of those teachers who constantly pester the SMT with minor problems. What he needs, like all of us, is a bit of back up when Dwayne decides that he doesn't want to do what the classroom teacher tells him to.
As he was clearly upset, a few of us went for a beer with him after school and after some more ranting we ended up laughing about the futility of it all.
It wasn't really the time for major questions such as what the hell is going to happen to these kids after they leave us? Never having been made to do what they're told.
Or questions such as why, oh why do we have such weak leaders who are unwilling or unable to back up the staff?
Or why do we have to waste 29 decent kids' time whilst we pander endlessly to one badly behaved child?
No it wasn't really the time for those sort of questions, because we've asked them so many times before and given up hope of hearing a sensible answer.
11 comments:
"what the hell is going to happen to these kids after they leave us? Never having been made to do what they're told."
Unfortunately, I feel that the most likely answer is that they'll just carry on never being made to do what they're told.
My God - we must share the same staffroom! Or the same SMT ..... or possibly both?!
While SMT are so worried about what parents might do, they will never do anything about these kids. When I had a major run-in with a charming young thugette, who made false accusations about me in front of anyone who'd listen, the SMT were more worried about the mother appearing.
"Phew", they said .... thank God she never found out."
Meanwhile, I seethed impotently like Mr Green.
"what the hell is going to happen to these kids after they leave us? Never having been made to do what they're told."
We get them ....... then the Prison Service
Jurgen
They shouldn't be in mainstream schools.
End of.
Send 'em to a PRU - deny them access to the audiences that they want, and allow us to do what we do best.
Oh, and they can forget qualifications...
Tazers, definetley tazers. "Dwayne, Get out now" ... "no f'k off" ..... BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ......."arggggggghhhhhhhhh" ......."o.k"
I've just found your blog and read as many entries as I could in a short period of time (I think the word 'voraciously' would be appropriate).
I can safely say I will be back regularly. I do have one request though - could you use the hyphen (-) rather than the underscore (_)
i.e 'He did not need much questioning to tell his tale_basically it will be one you have all heard a thousand times before.' I would have typed '..... tale - basically......'
Not that I'm an expert in grammar but the underscore makes me twitch.
i agree with pri on that underscore mr chalk. it jars. but otherwise, great read and very true to (my) life!
I'm from South Africa, and finished school in 1974, and from reading your blog, all I can say is "Thank you Mr Barnard, Mr Waite, Mr Loots, Mr van Rensburg and Mr Geldenhuys", who respectively taught bookkeeping, mathematics, physical education/mathematics, biology and science.
A standard part of any lesson was questions from the teacher over the previous lesson, and then a gentle warming of the rear ends of those who had failed to show mastery of the previous lesson.
Since the common superstition was that boys had direct connection from the rear end to the ears, this warming was commonly held to melt any wax in the ears of the recipient, and allow the dulcet tones of aforementioned teacher to reach their tympani and allow the new day's lesson to lodge in the brain.
Ah, how simple we were in those days, and funnily enough, none of our boys were Hyperactive,
"what the hell is going to happen to these kids after they leave us? Never having been made to do what they're told."
They come to work and think that they can still mess about and text on their phones all day long.
It's a hell of a shock for them, when they discover that nobody tolerates their tantrums at work and it is shape up, or get out.
Most quiet down after a few weeks, they just need a bit of discipline.
I just wish they were taught something while they are at school, I get fed up teaching basic maths to school leavers. And only one in ten can write properly.
What do they do while at school for ten years, or more?
Hahaha. Mr Green! I know you! You're me...or perhaps the other I.T teacher...or my wife, the English teacher...or the Science teacher who was bashed in the hallway last week or...hang on a minute! I know Dwayne too! And those other 29 kids who get ripped off through a wasted lesson. I even know the SMT and the useless fools that back them… I know them all! But most of all, I know the pub where like-minded education professionals gather to forget.
And what will become of all the Dwayne’s? They grow up and won’t listen then either…and when the nurse says, “take care of these kids” they ignore the advice, and later make the news, having beaten the infants to death.
You will doubtless enjoy this:
http://desperatelyseekingsir.blogspot.com/2010/06/dudsy-friendly-giant.html
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