Important

A good friend of mine is currently looking for secondary education jobs and has realized that, well over half of all newly qualified teachers are unprepared when it comes to dealing with aggressive pupils. This is obviously a bit of a concern, because violence erupts so frequently in many of today’s classrooms. But I think we should be concentrating more on why it is now such a huge issue. After all, it never used to be like this.

There has always been the exceptional case, but teaching was once a ‘safe’ profession to work in. Kids wouldn’t even dare to be cheeky to a teacher, let alone attack one. But that was back in the times when people had a degree of respect; in modern day there is precious little respect to be found for anyone in a position of authority.

It seems totally wrong that a teacher should have to be trained to deal with violence. After all, they have chosen to go into this career because they want to teach; not to fight. If they had wanted to be involved in something with a little more action then they’d have opted for a career in the forces or nightclub security.

What a horrible situation for our schools to be in; it is now necessary for tutors to be trained in self-defence. That says an awful lot about the state of our society, doesn’t it? This all needs to be looked into on a far deeper level. Yes, teachers do have to learn how to protect themselves, but we need to tackle the root of the problem. There will be a reason why young people are becoming more violent and this is what needs to be addressed.

Have a look around you; what sort of role models do children now have? Drink, drugs, violence and a disregard for others are all often made to look pretty cool. Is it any wonder that we are now reaping the rewards?