Ramblings of Kate

Don’t talk down to me…

Every day, you are sent into the unknown world of education. But do parents actually know what you’re learning? As a child, when you enter the classroom you are out of your parents reach, the parental instinct of protection is taken away by a teacher’s vocation to educate. In the past, this key position in the lives of a country’s youth has been abused, year 9 history, Hitler’s youth,  Nazi Germany. Ringing any bells. This was a prime example of the exploitation of a trusted role.

Although something does need to change nobody wants to return to the days of the cane, lines and the dunce’s hat. The humiliation technique didn’t work then and it won’t work now. In post-riot Britain, where I heard numerous calls for ‘youths to grow up and act their age’,it’s impossible for them to do so. They can only do this if they are treated like adults by the very people who are telling them to grow up. Nobody likes to be patronized or spoken down to. It creates an unnecessary animosity which stands in the way of teachers teaching and students studying.

The system in schools that allows tiers of teachers to have more or less authority than one another, gives them free rein to allow this to go to their heads. On all levels they take every opportunity to utilize their power, from excessive shouting at giggly year sevens to manipulating students with recurring behavioural problems, where there maybe underlying issues that are being ignored.

There is a breakdown in communication between teachers and pupils. It’s almost as if they speak different languages. Granted it’s a hard job, let’s face it some kids are a handful, but others are a joy to teach. This doesn’t give the teacher a right to treat them differently: surely the handfuls are in need of teachers’ guidance more. Rather than teachers putting words into a student’s mouths… how can they know who started the fight in the playground when they were in the staffroom having a cup of coffee? Teachers repeating what students say. The teacher asks a question, the pupil answers the question, the teacher repeats the pupil’s answer to the question. They know what they’ve said. They were the ones that said it. Patronization and manipulation are the worst techniques in the good teacher handbook, forcing students into answering what they as the teacher want to hear. More so, the manners in which things are said: everyone notices a patronizing tone to a conversation, and everyone knows when it becomes a condescending insult. Teachers frequently make fun of students and ‘jokingly’ insult them. We established that humiliation didn’t work in the Victorian era.Teachers spend a lot of time belittling students more than they do creating a mutual respect to work through behavioural issues together, rather than as enemies on a battlefield. All of this has the effect of both controlling students and their behaviour and widening the gap between pupils and teachers. Teachers should be a source of support for you but instead of being able to talk to them, students are fearful of opening up.They are not just letting themselves down; they are letting their students down too. In short, teachers must try harder.

When I was there, I went through the same thing. What did I do, REBEL! The whole, ‘prove you wrong approach’ teachers believe forces students to revaluate their behaviour, doesn’t always work. Some students will try their hardest to succeed when told they will fail. Others may think the complete opposite, why continue if there is no hope of succeeding? This is the same for an increasing numbers of students today. They would be liable to push against a force that treats them like children rather than young adults. Oh Wait! They already did that. The government’s response was to patronize them even more by saying, ‘parents aren’t doing their jobs properly’. The rioters were ignored and the problem was brushed under the carpet just like the handful kid, who caused the problems in lessons. That kid is the one that needs teachers help the most. That behaviour is a cry out for help, something that should never be brushed under the carpet. With the creation of a mutual respect between teacher and pupil, surely a cease fire could be arranged. Students, who genuinely need help outside of school, and act out because of it, are at risk by teachers who make their situation worse rather than better. If there were fewer barriers between teachers and pupils, and more scope for fun as well as work. Creating a different atmosphere between teachers and their students would surely benefit both parties.Then learning potential would increase and so would job satisfaction.

When it comes to discipline, if teachers respect students they are more likely to respect them in return. It would also establish a better relationship between them and they are more likely to behave. No matter what tier of authority you sit on or walk into, respect must be earned. I can guarantee you feel the same.It’s not the fault of the school, society or parents but a collective fault, for which everyone should take the blame and ensure steps to improving the next generation of citizens.

By no means am I condoning you to rise up in a revolution against teachers. Respect must be earned. What I am suggesting is both parties need to adjust to the modern changes in the classroom, students have more freedom now than they did, but with that comes responsibility to take that freedom an inch forward rather than a mile in the wrong direction. 

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I’m a writer/politico, I also takes photographs and love music…

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