School of violence
I think it is with considerable dismay that every Briton of child baring age or with children themselves read the story of 12 year-old Shanni Naylor who was slashed across the face, requiring 30 stitches, by a fellow 12 year-old female classmate at a Sheffield school on Wednesday. Leaving the Daily Mail style indignant social hysteria aside, after all its not the first time we have had violence in schools, but there is certainly a downward spiral and its not mere paranoia that drives so many middle-class Britons to save every last penny so that they can send their offspring to private schools. Its the hot topic with all our recently married friends; how the hell are we going to raise children here? I find it disturbing the way that ministers smugly engineer legislation to stifle the rights of teachers to tackle the violence and when brought to account seem to regard any dissent as reactionary pettit-conservative whinging. They don’t seem to understand. It is fundamentally important to a society that childhood and schooling is as safe and rewarding as we can possibly make it for our children. Our very future depends on it.
You say:
I find it disturbing the way that ministers smugly engineer legislation to stifle the rights of teachers to tackle the violence and when brought to account seem to regard any dissent as reactionary pettit-conservative whinging.
So how come the news says:
Teachers in England are to be given stronger legal rights to restrain pupils and to punish badly behaved children, the government has confirmed.
Fair comment but this is merely the recommendation from a task group, it is not legislation yet. It will be some time before it gets through parliament and it is rather closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. The right of teachers to restrain pupils is easily blurred with assault when it comes to practicalities, that’s what makes it so difficult for teachers and this erosion has been going on for decades. Too little, too late.
[...] 2. School Violence. [...]