Should teachers banter with their pupils? | Lola Okolosie. As a child, anyone throwing the “your mum” refrain as the ultimate diss did so knowing a fight would surely ensue. It was the verbal equivalent of walking up to someone and spitting in their face – an assault. A put-down utilised by the pathetically stupid, it’s universally accepted as beyond the pale even for the most heated of arguments. Quite how then 54-year-old teacher Michael Rankin thought it acceptable to frequently lob “I shagged your mum” jibes at his students, some of whom were as young as 12, is beyond me. Banter with your pupils is one thing; any abuse of your very real power is another. The case does highlight questions around boundaries between teachers and their students.
A guiding principle should be remembering that power centres the relationship. No one likes a bore, least of all adolescents tied to their desks 30 minutes before a lunch break. A positive working relationship between teachers and their students doesn’t have to be an all-singing all-dancing act. What’s it like being a new teacher? A teacher who is not dogmatic is simply a teacher who is not teaching.
I’ve been very fortunate to spend time with a variety of new teachers recently. Whether they’re on PGCE placements, NQTs, RQTs or Teach First participants they are all, without exception, impressive, hardworking, compassionate, dedicated and brimming with enthusiasm about the difference they hope to make. There is however one consistently ugly blot on this bright landscape. It’s not the workload – they’re up for that. They’re still young and supple enough to cope with the absurd demands placed on a teacher’s time.
No, what most blights the careers of all these able young torch bearers is the blithe manner in which experienced teachers systematically undermine their efforts to instil discipline and maintain order. But worse, schools’ behaviour systems seem designed to crush all prospect of teachers getting a chance to learn their craft. Do any of these apply to your school? If so, you work in a bad school. Like this: 'I used to teach English GCSE with a baby on my hip' | Teacher Network. Across Northamptonshire there are nine units for children who are unable attend mainstream schools. Seven of the sites are for students who have been excluded, or are at risk of this happening, and two cater for school-age mothers.
Together they form the Complementary Education academy led by long-serving teacher Bobbie Kelly. Starting as an English teacher more than three decades ago, Kelly joined the academy in the mid-nineties. She started her career at a secondary school and further education college, before becoming the team leader of an emotional and behavioural difficulties support service for schools. Kelly and her team trained staff in behavioural management; at one point they created programmes for 101 schools across Northamptonshire to help them support young people with difficulties. It was in this role that Kelly began working with young mothers. “They [the young mothers] are amazingly resilient,” she says. “People generally learn parenting skills from their parents.