why would you teach in any school in Australia

[Brumby Kid]

^^^ Yeah your right, we have a couple of awsome teachers that if you mess with your dead. But really we dont need to be texting our friends in class.
The worst of it is out of the classroom, violence at recess and lunch.

[TOONGA]

Talk about drag this up from the archives

Not long after I wrote this I had to go back to teaching, as I need a job to pay bills. I'm not going to teach again after this little incident.

I was in a primary school down my way, which is brand new by the way, relief teaching year 6/7 (combined) as their teacher was on stress leave. I got on with 99% OF THE CLASS and we worked well together. Sadly there was a child in a mans body in the class who at the age of 12 has a criminal record longer than most adults. The last straw for me was when I had to stop this kid from trying to bash another student senseless. I had no choice but to shield the student being bashed and hold the other kid at arms length until another teacher restrained him.

Later as he was being suspended for a week by the vice principal he assaulted her so I had to step in again. I was told QUOTE " F off you fat old C or you are next" (this is all in a police report as well). sadly this kid hangs around with young adults who impress him with the need to take drugs and commit crimes.

Don't dare tar the schools and teachers with social problems being caused by drugs, alcohol, the internet, lack of parenting skills and a billion other problems that we faced as kids as well.

I now have a fifo job which has its moments but if I get told to F off I can say the same back to them. Can a teacher do that?

TOONGA

[Leigh#42]

G'day Leigh and welcome to the forum!

I must say WOW! Did you track this thread down to share your side of the story or did you stuble across it and decide to share? I'm not critising, I think it's a great thing. I guess it also shows the power of words on the internet that seem like a bit of a laugh or a good time at that given moment - until it gets taken out of context.

I'm also keen to know if you're a subaru fan! That would complete the circle so to speak.

To add a new dimention to this thread from the recent CRT (casual relief teaching) I've had, the use of electronic devices in the classroom I've found really difficult to control. Laptops, mobile phones, Ipods - when 90% of the class see it as ok to use these devices in the classroom regardless of what you say and when the school seems to lack a policy about such devices I find it very difficult to keep the momentum of the content moving the way I want it to. I'd like to make use of a hammer in these classes or feel that I am no more than a baby sitter en-masse!

I think it would be different if I was full time at the school, I hope it's just the usual crap you endure as a CRT - but I'd like to break that mould.

Cheers

Bennie

I randomly decided to search on google for my old school to see if they had a website, I came across a 'related search' that said "North Albany Senior High School threats" So i clicked it.

After scrolling through endless reports of complete bullshit I found this one, and thought I would set the record straight.

As you're saying with mobile phones, it is an ongoing problem in schools. As far as I'm concerned if a kid is willing to sit in class and do nothing other than text or go on facebook they're obviously not mature enough to be in the class room. They will learn, but generally in their own time. Could take a few months or could take a few years.

I was once suspended for using my phone at school. I sent a text to my mum to pick me up after a teacher was yelling, swearing and abusing me in class. Yelling things straight at my face like "You think you're tough, I'll knock your ****ing head off" and "Oh, so that's who your brother is. I'm sure being related to him you will never get anywhere in life too" -Both of which were threatening and undermining statements, that a whole class room ended up hearing and seeing.

And add to the fact while he was yelling at me I was walking away to avoid confrontation. At one point walking out of the class room just to get away from his abuse (Where he then followed me outside) He proceeded to get in my face and I turned my back to him and accidentally bumped him with my bag. If he wasn't in my personal space he wouldn't have been bumped. But that was added to the suspension report too. It ended up reading along the lines of "Leigh verbally abused his teacher, took it upon himself to take another students project, when asked to leave the room refused and then physically intimidated the teacher, at one point even bumping the teacher to cause him to lose balance, Leigh then used his phone to send a message to his mother to pick him up. -Clearly breaching the schools mobile phone policy"

I faced situations like that every day. Teachers would think I was an easy target to pick on. When I proved them wrong they would continually persist to try and undermine me. When that failed they would try to set me up so I would get suspended or get detention.

I'd say that's probably why I have such a negative attitude towards most teachers now. Because for my high school years, every day, every week and almost every class I had to put up with that sort of crap.

oh and as for what cars I'm into, I'm more into holdens. Mainly old ones. But sometime in the future i want a wrx:) Here's a link to one of my cars I'm building now http://www.aussiev8.com.au/conversions- ... pairs.html

[El_Freddo]

I wish teachers had the right to beat the shite out of teenage kids who stepped out of line in a serious way.

I disagree with this. Even being "fresh" in the system there are some teachers that have needed to leave the education profession many years ago that would unleash more than the student deserves. Even then, while the idea of re-introducing the cane seems good, I honestly wouldn't consider using it! It's bad karma!

Bennie, trust me even in a private school with full time teachers it's bad.

You're preaching to the choir mate! I've been there both as a student and a teacher. Generally private schools are better behaved than public schools due to the fact that private school parents have a vested interest in their child's behaviour due to the money they're shelling out (in general). Having said that there are some great public schools out there too.

I have to fire up about this this one, I've generally ignored this thread but nup not today.

Kids are kids - teenages are teenagers, especially! Somehow society has decided that kids are supposed to be the same as they were in my or my parents generation, when the world is completely different. The VAST majority of kids these days are what we call 'digital natives' - they've never had life without internet, a lot of them have been born since the first generation of iPod. Think about the early mobile phones that were released less than 20 years ago - shit I was using a nokia 3310 in 2004 and that was the ducks nuts - someone had a colour screen and I remember being 'wowed'.

Social media is just that - SOCIAL. What have teenages lives always revolved around? Being SOCIAL! Technology in the last 5 years has become more compact, more sophisticated and this HAS changed they relationships kids have with each other.

Students aren't the problem - schools and teachers are!

I have never had a problem with students on the wrong websites, misusing phones or listening to iPods at the wrong time. Why? Because I don't sit my student in rows, don't stand at the front of the class, don't control their learning with iron 'disipline'. Students don't act up because the youth of today are somehow 'corrupt' or 'undisiplined' - they act up and do the wrong thing because they're disengaged - and a good teacher should look at their own behaviour and practice before they start labling or blaming students.

I've been to many schools over the last few years and there is a lot of great stuff going on - especially in public schools! There seems to be a very broad brush being swung around throughout this thread by people who have been shafted by the system. It's the same in every professional and I hope they are putting themselves to good productive and happy projects since they've moved out of education. It's everyone's favourite (especially the media) passtime to play up the sensational and terrible - but how about we focus on the great kids, the break through moments and rewarding experiences that make teaching and schools special - perhaps one day people will quit bagging out a system that is full of passionate and enthusiastic professionals.

A subsitute teacher always cops the worst of it - it's been the way since subs have been around! I know my kids in the past are great for me and the first time they gave a sub for me grief, word made its way back to me and it didn't happen again. Teenagers will always push the boundaries, and being a sub it's pretty much impossible to keep their existing boundaries in place unless it's a pretty exceptional school. As for misbehaviour for subs... schools have bigger fish to fry than kids looking at a phone during a sub's lesson.

BTW, there's dickheads in China too.

Rant over.

Yeah good points there Owen, but all that said at the end of the day I'm still seeing students that clearly go out of their way to make your job difficult. Sometimes it works in my favour (out bush) but generally there's not much that can be done with the motivation and interest in the subject of these students.

Yes teenagers will be teenagers, but they understand what is expected of them, if they chose not to act as young adults why is it that they demand that I treat them in such a way? Like wise, most chose not to respect teachers in general yet they demand our respect towards them... Go figure! We may ultimately be pawns in the government's education plan but I think that the media, society AND especially parents are asking too much of schools - what happened to the motion of teaching students what's important for them to then build on for their future in the workforce? Life skills should be taught at home but more and more often we see that parents EXPECT schools to do this job. Fat chance, especially if the parents won't back the school up on their discipline actions.

With that said, I realise we've had many different experiences from each other so our opinions will always be different to some extent.

Leigh, I'm sorry that your school was that way and that you feel this way towards schools/teachers. It seems that you need to move forward from this and learn from your experiences about injustice and use these experiences in your daily life to make the most of your past. Sorry if that's a bit deep, but I've had a few

Cheers

Bennie

[El_Freddo]

And Leigh, I haven't read the whole thread on you're build, but from the work I've read about on the first page (for now) it's a top effort that I hope you continue with

Cheers

Bennie

[d_generate]

BTW, there's dickheads in China too.

I couldn't agree more but the difference is that they know there are consequences to their actions, you don't or very very rarely see graffiti, vandalism, bad public behavior and you could be walking down the street pissed at 2am and walk through a group of 20 teenagers going the other way and know you'll come through the other side but things will change, I'm sure they will, but I think as long as they keep the justice system working it'll never get like here.

And Brumby Kid, you mention booze, I think the second day I started at the school I went over the road to this little BBQ shop for dinner and when I sat down one of my students (15) offered me a glass of beer and a smoke which I refused, but still lol, no real age limits there and you can buy beer and smokes pretty much anywhere.

I was teaching at a really good school but the thing I found really weird was walking past teachers smoking in class, I always put mine out first, thank christ I've since given up.

[ScubyRoo]

I couldn't agree more but the difference is that they know there are consequences to their actions, you don't or very very rarely see graffiti, vandalism, bad public behavior and you could be walking down the street pissed at 2am and walk through a group of 20 teenagers going the other way and know you'll come through the other side but things will change, I'm sure they will, but I think as long as they keep the justice system working it'll never get like here.

I went to an international school as a kid in Beijing - one of the guys in my year 10 class was stabbed and beaten in the city while out on the town. Alcholol and drug abuse is a big thing among the western teens, and there is quite a bit of tension at times between the dickhead camps.

Chinese government and justice? HA, nice one. Tibet, Falungong, Tiananmen Square, treatment of the Weiga people in the western provinces... internet sensorship, academic sensorship, travel restrinctions, use of political prisoners as slave labour, environmental degredation... don't get me started. The general Chinese population behave because of fear, not some sort of societal grace. The families of death row inmates still pay for the bullet. I'd take the short comings and failings of a the Australian democracy and education system of a tyrincal 'communist' government that controls every aspect of its peoples' lives. I've been in and out of China for 12 years, speak the language fluently and have a lot of good Chinese mates. They're generally as pissed at the government as we are - we just get to say it in public.

The root of this problem isn't schools, it's parents. Bennie hit the nail on the head - it's parents expecting schools to do their job!

[Bungers]

If i were a teacher id only teach in a Catholic/private school.

[d_generate]

I went to an international school as a kid in Beijing - one of the guys in my year 10 class was stabbed and beaten in the city while out on the town. Alcholol and drug abuse is a big thing among the western teens, and there is quite a bit of tension at times between the dickhead camps.

Chinese government and justice? HA, nice one. Tibet, Falungong, Tiananmen Square, treatment of the Weiga people in the western provinces... internet sensorship, academic sensorship, travel restrinctions, use of political prisoners as slave labour, environmental degredation... don't get me started. The general Chinese population behave because of fear, not some sort of societal grace. The families of death row inmates still pay for the bullet. I'd take the short comings and failings of a the Australian democracy and education system of a tyrincal 'communist' government that controls every aspect of its peoples' lives. I've been in and out of China for 12 years, speak the language fluently and have a lot of good Chinese mates. They're generally as pissed at the government as we are - we just get to say it in public.

The root of this problem isn't schools, it's parents. Bennie hit the nail on the head - it's parents expecting schools to do their job!

Fair enough, you've got much more experience there and gone into the politics.

I avoided Beijing and hated Shanghai because everywhere you looked there was a westerner so I stuck to the smaller city's like Nanning, Changsha and Chongqing/Fuling where you could walk around the local markets and see dogs hanging on hooks and frogs and turtles and snakes for sale for the dinner table.

As a teacher we were instructed not to talk about religion and politics which don't interest me in the slightest so I never really got into it though you couldn't avoid the obvious like no Farcebook or YouTube and the kids ignorance of the outside world.

Couldn't agree more about parents being the root of most problems, my ex gf was a classic, the only thing she ever taught her daughter was how to turn a computer on at 4yo so she was out of the way, most horrid child ever and I would get it in the neck if I interfered so after 4yrs it was bye bye.