Who'd be a teacher?

[j_forias]

So I'm trying to teach essay writing to my bottom set Year 9s (14 year olds). It's tough going. Almost all the kids in the room are special needs. Some of them have really picked up the idea of the lesson, but some are struggling

Comments

[stubefied_by_gd]

I was wondering what kind of name Kerian was. I guess he's like Oprah, whose mother was trying to name her Oparah or something from the Bible. Anyway, that was far too exciting. I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to touch kids at all here, because Americans are all about suing each other. I used to hold small kids back from attacking others, but a)I knew their guardians well enough and b)I was too young to sue myself. That's why Feylin has her bucket. Poor kid's going to get in huge trouble, I bet, and it sounds like he was somehow provoked.

We teach essay-writing here using graphic organizers and ridiculous extended metaphors. I should tell you some time about the pillars-not-pillows.

[j_forias]

We're allowed to use "reasonable force" to protect ourselves or students under our care. Luckily, British judges adopted a "floodgates" principle in jurisprudence, which basically went like this: "if allowing this to be claimed for means the courts are going to be swamped with lots of stupid cases, then we're just not going to allow it". I don't normally credit early 20th Century judges with an overabundance of foresight, but on that one note, they nailed it.

Remind me who Feylin is again and why she has a bucket! :)

I always miss talking to you, Stu. You're pretty darn okay in my book.

[stubefied_by_gd]

Adding to list of reasons to move to the UK!

Feylin is an LJ-er. I think she was on the Quill. She has Lois the Tortoise. Anyhow, what is important here is that she teaches high school science with some pretty troubled kids (like, at a special school for them) and she keeps a bucket of water handy to dump on the kids to break it up when they try to fight each other.

I'm still here!

[kit_the_brave]

Yes, cold water! It stops fights right away, especially among girls, who complain that their hair is ruined.

[ex_jo_blogs]

Oh, the horror. Poor you. When I was teaching bottom set year 9s and the like, as I'm female, I could only try to keep my distance and wait for assistance when hell broke loose, which is shocking / scary in a different way because you're powerless. But I did team-teach a lesson once when the other (male) teacher was forced to do what you did. It's not pleasant, and there's an emotional cost. No wonder you're exhausted. Take care. *hugs*

[j_forias]

Yup. It's a tough job being a female teacher. My fellow student teacher at the school, Gwyn, had a bad day, too, and was told by one of the class teachers that, "sometimes, they just need a man's voice to come in and calm them down". Which is incredibly unfair, but seems to be the perception sometimes. Certainly doesn't help.

[frankieb_sq87]

OMB. I'm glad you were able to handle the situation so adroitly without any seriuos injuries! Holy cow, I can't even imagine. Do you have any idea what provoked it??

[j_forias]

We think an argument was going on in the lesson beforehand. But I think it goes further back. Kerian has been spiralling out of control for the past two weeks - refusing to do work, walking out of classrooms, claiming that he's "different" and therefore doesn't have to do assessments.

I assume something at home is the real trigger.

[sagacious_c]

Wow, what a scary experience. I'm glad you're OK physically -- I can see how you might ruminate over this as an emotional experience for a while... Did the chair actually hit and injure the other kids?

[j_forias]

It hit two kids, but they weren't hurt, luckily.

[emelye916]

Wow, that's unsettling. But you cut quite a heroic figure in my mental imagining of this scene. ;)