I've just gotten around to watching the BBC programme "Classroom Secrets", and oh my god, these are primary school pupils if the kids at my school (Eastglade Junior - 1984-1989) had acted like this there would have been hell to pay. Mr Allison, Mr Donnelly or Mr Dexter would have been down on you like a tonne of bricks sorting such bad behaviour.
Kids getting up to go for a drink... or sharpen a pencil... or go through draws... you could not do that in my day! In fact, I don't remember hydration being a major issue at school we didn't ever go thirsty, but we were not allowed to just up and go get a drink from our chair.
My memories are all of being told to stay where you were, unless you asked for permission to move... And I had some of the loveliest teachers at that time.
There was this regimented scheme, not to oppress you as an individual, but to make sure you covered the information you had to, to make sure that the teacher who was alone in the classroom had the confidence to know you were all safe.
But I'm looking at this programme, at these children and I can't believe what I'm seeing... teachers getting support workers left right and centre, all the staff (or nearly all) being female, its all so woolly, all so touchy feely...
And I just heard the head teacher calling a child by a nick name "You alright Betty Spaghetti"... my head teacher would never ever have called you by your nick name.
If this is the school system my children will be going into I'm seriously thinking about home schooling them.
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