Sneaky monkeys

Gadgetboy managed to sneak a monkey past me today. I picked the monkey up, took it on a little walk, and then realised that I had been suckered - I returned the monkey. He tried it again, with a different smaller monkey, which I deflected, but then I decided that the second monkey looked fairly easy to deal with, so I spoke with gadgetboy about it and I think the monkey is now nicely put to bed and sleeping peacefully.

Sneaky monkeys though - you stop for five minutes and before you know it the little beggars are climbing onto your laps, snuggling up and making themselves comfy. Well, as lovely as you monkeys are, you do not belong to me, so you can jolly well bugger off back to wherever you came from.

I was incensed by this article today. I was waiting for my reflexology appointment this afternoon and had nothing to read except the Daily Mail (I don't read the mail BECAUSE it winds me up terribly). I am at a loss to understand how the teacher in the article will still have a job given the way she has spoken about her school and her profession. I am going to rant. You need to read the article for the rant to offer a balanced counter argument. Alternatively, you can just read the rant and revel in my obvious fury!!!

I feel that I have to counter what was written (and some of the comments following the article online) by stating this - yes, there are some rum'uns in the system, but there were 30 years ago when I was in the system as a child. Yes, in some respects, the level of bureaucracy is such that finding alternatives for the minority that disrupt is difficult at times. Yes - corporal punishment has gone, but it ISN'T the answer. Even if it was there, I would not be comfortable doling it out. Not all schools are like the picture that was painted in this particularly biased and distasteful article. It paints a picture of teachers who can't control classes, of children who are routinely abusive, both physically and verbally. I am sure that there would be a significant number of fellow professions who would actually feel quite indignant at being tarred with the brush that paints us as a bunch of weak, no hope people who have no influence over students. I am sure that I can think of at least 500 young people, and a significant number of parents and guardians who would be personally offended at the generalised description of them all.

We work in a supposed "tough" school - and it is some days. On other days it is deeply rewarding and a real priviledge to work with our students. Ours is a school where the outside world expect to come in and find our children rampaging and hanging from the rafters. but they aren't. It isn't what was reported in the article, that states that so many British schools are full of out of control children and adults who are running scared. Because, we work with children, we treat them fairly and consistently, and we follow up and work with parents. I'm deeply proud of what I do and of being a part of the team that I work with. We are not incompetent idiots hiding from a group of barbaric teenagers!

As a parent I am also offended that a judgement is made about parents generally, that they are unsupportive, lacking concern or equally as abusive as their children are alleged to be. What tosh.

I am infuriated that a newspaper is allowed to published such biased rubbish. It's not journalism, it's outright sensationalism, it does nothing to inspire confidence in a profession that is repeatedly run down by the media and many other sectors of the public who seem to know more than we do in our own schools.

I have a number of things that I would love to say, but they are rude, unprofessional and not becoming of a lady (stage left ...."Where's the lady?")

And breathe...........

In other news:

We're going to Ireland AND Spain in the summer. Woohoo.

My video lesson was great today - haven't watched it yet, but it was a great lesson - the kids worked really well, enjoyed the lesson, I forgot about the cameras about 30 seconds in (and then giggled later when I told them that they needed to start packing up because it would take ages, as they had "spread out like wet lettuces" - and remember that my little flippant remark would be captured forever on video. Don't think that is going to be used by OFSTED or DCSF as an example of good practice!!!). I know that I missed a section off the end of my lesson (reviewing their progress), but what the heck...it was good at least, and the kids were buzzing (and want to go back in there on Friday!)

Am knackered though now, so I am going to have a glass of Rioja, run a bath and read the second book of the Millenium trilogy (The Girl who played with fire).

Buenos Noches
xx