Bob Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I know there's a reet clever lot of people on here, from all sorts of career backgrounds so I thought I'd ask you wonderful people where my mother stands in her current situation. She has been working at the shit-hole of a school for more years than I can remember - she's the oldest serving member of teaching staff there. She has been physically attacked by smack-head parents and children alike (Stockingford Middle School in Nuneaton - the arsehole of the world with more council estate scum than an intelligent adult can count!). She came home today in tears. Her new headmaster has just decided that, without telling her, she is to organise the school Christmas play (originally she was down to do a 12 minute part of it)> He came in today to see the play, and described it as "fucking crap". He then spent a good few minutes shouting at, bawling at, and job-threatening my mother in front of 26 work colleagues. She can't go to the school governors, as there all chums with the HM (as well as being in his pocket, or so rumour has it). She now has until Thursday to organise a whole school play (including finding a stage, as another teacher decided to sit the audience on the one they had ) and as you can imagine is very upset. The teaching system in the country is polluting with little Hitlers and fuckwits, and genuinely good teachers like my mother are the ones that suffer. If I didn't know she'd lose her job over it, I'd drive down there tomorrow and kick him round the playground in front of the kids. So c'mon (please!) you legal gurus - where does my mother stand? Does anyone know of a governing board she can turn to? I've already mentioned the NTU but they don't seem that interested. And before anyone mentions it, she can't find another job anywhere relatively close to home; otherwise she'd quite happily tell him to stick it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I feel for you all the way with this one... My mom is a teacher, well sort of, she is now part of a task force that goes into schools on special measures and sorts it out.. She has had a similar issue with a member of staff, and similar kind of thing, NTU is a little shakey on it all.. Unfortuneatly the best thing to do is raise a union greivance, personally if it was me, I'd consider legal action with regards his behaviour... but it can get messy because most of the other people might not stand by her should to come to crunch.. Good luck chap, let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonball Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Having sat on a school board i can only give an impression of their potential reaction... TBH most governors boards really have to take at face value the report of the head teacher.. they are the manager in charge of their operation... although he might appear 'chummy' with them he does have to report/answer to them Unless there have been many complaints like this before it is not likely that they can do much.. however I would suggest a letter to the headmaster and copying in the head of governors (and potentially deputy head governor too) would be in order It might include such phrases as shocked and horrified Not in my job description Embarrasesed and hurt Stressed and doctors advice Union advice to take it further But also she should request the assistance she requires to achieve the objective she has been set - and what he needs to do to get this done... (the ball back in his court etc) Just my 2p's Hope it goes OK - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt H Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Having sat on a school board i can only give an impression of their potential reaction... TBH most governors boards really have to take at face value the report of the head teacher.. they are the manager in charge of their operation... although he might appear 'chummy' with them he does have to report/answer to them Unless there have been many complaints like this before it is not likely that they can do much.. however I would suggest a letter to the headmaster and copying in the head of governors (and potentially deputy head governor too) would be in order It might include such phrases as shocked and horrified Not in my job description Embarrasesed and hurt Stressed and doctors advice Union advice to take it further But also she should request the assistance she requires to achieve the objective she has been set - and what he needs to do to get this done... (the ball back in his court etc) Just my 2p's Hope it goes OK - You have to be careful though that if she wants to stay at the school then she doesnt make things worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 You have to be careful though that if she wants to stay at the school then she doesnt make things worse Not rocking the boat, the good ol fashioned excuse... (Not meant at you Matt, just seems to be a common thing in work these days.) Sorry, but I feel too many try to avoid 'rocking the boat' these days, if she feels she has been wronged (and I would say she has) then she should attempt to do something about it. The person responsible does have a duty to be respectful to the people working for them. Sadly education falls into a unique category because MOST people in the field do it for the love not the financial gains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt H Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 my mums head of physics at the school she teaches, and i thought you were originally going to talk about the horrible kids that she works with... fortuneatly everyone is great at her school, but unfortunetly no teacher has enough authority nowadays to sort out the little sh*ts, bring back the cane!!!!! As my gran said when i was little: She got the cane once in school (cant remeber what for but it was across the hand in those days), and when she got home she hid her hand from her father.... when her father asked her to show him her hand, and saw she had been given the cane, he took his slipper off and gave it to her again for getting the cane!...........she never did it again Basically, the moral of the story is teachers dont have enough power to disipline children, and there is not enough respect from parents either. Im not any teacher should be able to give the cane, but back in my grans day the top man (head teacher) was the one that gave the punishment out. A clip around the ear never hurt anyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 my mums head of physics at the school she teaches, and i thought you were originally going to talk about the horrible kids that she works with... fortuneatly everyone is great at her school, but unfortunetly no teacher has enough authority nowadays to sort out the little sh*ts, bring back the cane!!!!! As my gran said when i was little: She got the cane once in school (cant remeber what for but it was across the hand in those days), and when she got home she hid her hand from her father.... when her father asked her to show him her hand, and saw she had been given the cane, he took his slipper off and gave it to her again for getting the cane!...........she never did it again Basically, the moral of the story is teachers dont have enough power to disipline children, and there is not enough respect from parents either. Im not any teacher should be able to give the cane, but back in my grans day the top man (head teacher) was the one that gave the punishment out. Oh yes, I'm very definitely with you on that one... my views are fairly simple in that parents are there to educate their children, by sending them to school they are extending that role to the teachers. If my kids are out of line at home they get disciplined, and likewise if they are at school I firmly agree with teachers disciplining them at school. I had corporal punishment at school, and it was simple, you did something wrong and got caught you paid the price, and you learnt not to do it again (or in the very least not to get caught again *grin*) The very fact that kids aren't disciplined at schools is only amplified when they leave school, because they leave with the impression that their actions can go unchecked. Wonder if there is any connection with the lowering levels of discipline in schools to the misbehaviour of teenagers and subsequently the adults.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSZ Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 If she has been spoken to like that by someone in a senior position it constitutes bullying!! If he has done/is doing it to her then the chances are others are suffering as well. She should do her best to gather evidence and construct a written log of the incidents and greivences and take it to the board of governors. Also, if she is made to work with violent people, around whom she feels genuinely unsafe, she has grounds for a law suite in that her employers (the school, and ultimately the boar) are not taking reasonable steps to ensure her health, safety and welfare within the workplace. I would strongly suggest she takes legal advice and seeks union advice/support. Hope it works out for her mate. Chris (college lecturer:() Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 isnt it against the law to shout at etc employees in front of others? Seek legal advise mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt H Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 The very fact that kids aren't disciplined at schools is only amplified when they leave school, because they leave with the impression that their actions can go unchecked. Wonder if there is any connection with the lowering levels of discipline in schools to the misbehaviour of teenagers and subsequently the adults.... damm right! Mum my tells me all to many times about kids that go around thinking their invincible. The thing is theres just no respect from a lot of kids... downwards spiral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 If she has been spoken to like that by someone in a senior position it constitutes bullying!! If he has done/is doing it to her then the chances are others are suffering as well. She should do her best to gather evidence and construct a written log of the incidents and greivences and take it to the board of governors. Also, if she is made to work with violent people, around whom she feels genuinely unsafe, she has grounds for a law suite in that her employers (the school, and ultimately the boar) are not taking reasonable steps to ensure her health, safety and welfare within the workplace. I would strongly suggest she takes legal advice and seeks union advice/support. Hope it works out for her mate. Chris (college lecturer:() Seconded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 damm right! Mum my tells me all to many times about kids that go around thinking their invincible. The thing is theres just no respect from a lot of kids... downwards spiral Actually I've seen this happen, at my niece's birthday party... My brother-in-law who is a 15 stone lad aged 35, had some little scrot of a 13yr old boy come up to him after he was told to put the alcohol away and say 'You dissing me man, I'm gonna stab you up'... to which my bro-in-law calmly responded with by dropping him to the floor by his arm, and then kneeled on him and whispered the immortal words 'You aren't gangsta, you aren't impressing me, and if you don't leave quietly now I'll make sure you know what dissing is'... Kiddie left in 5 minutes and didn't forget his please and thank yous on the way out... Admittedly my brother in law was slightly worried about the police rocking up for it, but at the end of the day this is the same kiddy that tried to swing for his daughter as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ark Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Simple case of harassment at work, so she should talk to the citizens advise bureau, if the union aren't interested. Two days is NOT enough time to organise a full stage production. Or she could take it to the local paper, and make the HM shove it up his back-pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted December 12, 2006 Author Share Posted December 12, 2006 Thanks for the advice so far, guys. I think I'll end up printing this thread and handing it to her! In respect to kids, you can't really blame them for their behaviour - the area she's in, very few of the parents have [legal] jobs. Most are known drug traffickers, a lot make money flogging pirate dvds (often through their kids as well). She was attacked by a kid's father once for putting the child in detention for bad behaviour. It's also the stupid laws that the government have forced on schools - did you know that there is only allowed one person in the school that can physically restrain a child, and that person has to be specially trained and certfied? When one of the kids went mad in the classroom, threatened kids with scissors, then smashed four windows through, no-one was allowed to stop him. If anyone, it should be the PoS parents and the pointless government wasters (don't get me started on Ruth Kelly!) that should be publically caned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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