Taming the Terrible Tens

This afternoon Marj has to teach the class from Hell.

Year 6 are a bunch of kids who cannot sit still for more than about 5 minutes without mayhem breaking out. If they're not talking/laughing/shouting, they are hitting each other or generally larking about. It will be worse today because they has Assessments this morning and they will have been "quiet" and under control, or what passes as control for them, all morning.

Every teacher in the school dreads having them regardless of how many yuears in the job because they cannot be controlled. Because now you cannot do anything to control them.

I'm sorry, I'm going to say it, but "In My Day" it just wouldn't be tolerated.

I once got slapped on the leg with a ruler by the teacher when I was too busy talking to Malcolm Venn and didn't see her creep up on me. Can't do that now. It's common assault.

I remember the whole class having to sit with their hands on their heads for talking or with a finger to their lips to remind us not to talk. Can't do that now. That's listed under child abuse.

Really disruptive children can be sent to the headmistress who can talk to them about their behaviour. Oh wow. That really panics them.

So on the whole, this clkass will go on to senior school with no sense of discipline, achieving lower standards of literacy and numeracy than they should, and no doubt the parents will blame the teachers.

If I got into trouble at school I wouldn't go home and tell my parents, I'd only expect to get told off again by them. (I might if I thought i'd been treated unfairly). Now, kids rush home and the next thing parents are down the school complaining about little Johnny being told off cos really he's a good boy.

And the poor teachers aren't even allowed to get their own back by putting sarcastic comments on school reports. No wonder they all want to leave.