If I was Principal I'd...

Our kids were pretty relaxed about titles. The principal was always called by his first name, as were a few others - always men. There were a number of teachers with the same surname. One was always called by first name, another by initials, one by subject and one by height. It's strange to hear a kid at the staffroom door asking for Little Miss Whatever as if she was a character in a Little Miss book.

So it looks like Machine Nation is turning into Teacher's Corner - there's half a dozen or so of us here now..

A bit of a diversity of comment here now between you all but the main theme running through it all is ... discipline. I've been subbing as a teacher since the twin towers fell down and I've collected a good little range of experience since then, mostly with primary school children but lately more with adults.

I love teaching children and don't find it too difficult to discipline the behaviour not the child as Kate says - I think it may be in the tone of voice and is easiest to achieve when you deal with situations impersonally. I've had very difficult classes of 6 and 7 year olds but I picked up handy tricks from other teachers for dealing with indiscipline such as whispering to the child like a dog whisperer . Unfortunately there seems to be certain children who are congenitally disturbed and sometimes need extra help. I am of the mind that if these children aren't tended to in time then they become bigger problems for other teachers in future. Often they are a product of their family life so as much as I'd sympathise with cookiemonster's opinion on kicking the feckers out, my solution would be to try to prevent troublesome teenagers by nipping them in the bud as children.

But now, what the hell do we do with troublesome teenagers in terms of discipline? Head in the sand from me, I'm afraid - they are a problem I would rather not have to try to deal with because I believe I haven't the patience with them. I have that patience with classes of children aged 6 to 10/11 but once their hormones start then my patience ends. They just turn into tools and thank God for their sakes there is a type of individual out there who can teach them.

No, I don't have children of my own but if I ever make any they'll be put to work as soon as they are able. That'll shut em up.

Auditor wrote

Quote :

But now, what the hell do we do with troublesome teenagers in terms of discipline? Head in the sand from me, I'm afraid - they are a problem I would rather not have to try to deal with because I believe I haven't the patience with them. I have that patience with classes of children aged 6 to 10/11 but once their hormones start then my patience ends. They just turn into tools and thank God for their sakes there is a type of individual out there who can teach them.

Small kids would do my head in, frankly. Though I can turn on the teacher voice at a birthday party and miraculously the kitchen is clear...

I love teenagers. They are pretty much predictable as far as hormones go - you can tell when they kick in and before long how they're going to react. At the same time as being predictable as a group they do their own quirky thing individually and you have an opportunity to kick in when the going gets tough. It's such a privilege in ways to be a part of the growing up - from the first day they arrive in the school till the debs - seeing them transform into adults who want to buy you a drink but still won't call you by your first name.

To be honest, I always found the good kids a bit dull - I don't know if others have that experience. Give me a 'troublemaker' anyday. If I miss anything about the job, it's the kids. They keep you young, on your toes and make you laugh far more than adults - I definitely laughed more in the classroom than I did in the staffroom.

Good on you with the teenage vampires Kate give me a classroom full of snotty-nosed runts shouting "he said my pitcher was ugly - wah wah !! " anyday than the others. It's a relief to know that someone other than their mother likes em.

Now teachers in the staffroom ... there's a can of worms..

The most important role for a principal is to create a positive, happy atmosphere in the school that and the kids to be scared shitless of being sent down to him/ her.

Well I taught English (TESOL) for about 4-5 years and did a bit of subbing here and there before I got settled into my current career.

Always remember what my mother (retired secondary teacher - so is the auld lad)told me before I went into a classroom for real for the first time: "Dont smile until Christmas" - Best advice I ever got - just be cool,collected and stern and they'll know who the boss is!

that said if I ever returned to that line of work - I'd teach anybody up to the age of 10 and after the age of 18 - teenagers - ya can keep em - a good secondary teacher earns every penny they get.

Edo wrote:

Well I taught English (TESOL) for about 4-5 years and did a bit of subbing here and there before I got settled into my current career.

Always remember what my mother (retired secondary teacher - so is the auld lad)told me before I went into a classroom for real for the first time: "Dont smile until Christmas" - Best advice I ever got - just be cool,collected and stern and they'll know who the boss is!

that said if I ever returned to that line of work - I'd teach anybody up to the age of 10 and after the age of 18 - teenagers - ya can keep em - a good secondary teacher earns every penny they get.

There may be a case for not educating teenagers, as generally they just want to mate. Children up to the age of 12 have great curiosity and breadth of vision. They are easily capable of being taught everything that we teach up to intercert, and could be brought to fluency in several languages with a bit of effort. Teenagers could then be sent out to work, with a bit of day release for theory, and brought back into the educational fold from 20 to 25.

cactus flower wrote:

There may be a case for not educating teenagers, as generally they just want to mate. Children up to the age of 12 have great curiosity and breadth of vision. They are easily capable of being taught everything that we teach up to intercert, and could be brought to fluency in several languages with a bit of effort. Teenagers could then be sent out to work, with a bit of day release for theory, and brought back into the educational fold from 20 to 25.

Are you serious? I hope so. I think you may have struck the motherlode there with the funnybunnies. It's all teenagers want to do and what do we do? put em in big rooms with each other all day and teach em about biology and relationships and expect them to be adult and removed from what they are - bags of surging hormones and little else.

No wonder the boy racers have to blow it off in the evenings with their Subaru Imprezas - it's called sublimation or substitution possibly. Revolutionary cactus in truth - is there an established body of thought on this?

Not in my head, Auditor. But the generation of young men who came back from the army and went to college after WWII were famously excellent students and thinkers. Not that I am suggesting one minute that we put them in EUFOR. Maybe building wind and water turbines or planting trees?

Not in my head, Auditor. But the generation of young men who came back from the army and went to college after WWII were famously excellent students and thinkers. Not that I am suggesting one minute that we put them in EUFOR. Maybe building wind and water turbines or planting trees?

anmajornarthainig2 wrote:

The most important role for a principal is to create a positive, happy atmosphere in the school that and the kids to be scared shitless of being sent down to him/ her.

I didn't get a chance to welcome you yet anmajornarthainig (#2 no less!) but I'm delighted you're here - you've got a great handle on education and it's always interesting to hear what you have to say.

Didn't you mention somewhere else that you were thinking of giving up the day job in favour of something more rewarding?

I'd disagree with what you've said above - though maybe it's semantics more than ethos that I'm concerned with.

Schools should be a happy, safe place for kids - first and foremost. And the principal should be approachable.

Are we saying the same thing if I suggest that kids feel there is a sense that a certain stage has been reached when they end up outside the principal's door? In other words, that seeing the principal for discipline reasons is a serious - but not necessarily terrifying - thing and happens once a series of procedures have been followed. The prinicpal should be seen as a figure of authority as opposed to an authoritarian figure.

I'd abolish PE. My most humiliating memories are caused by the need of some people to impose physical ideals on mere children, like some sort of Hitler Youth. Never mind obeisity, what about the pointless one-up-manship, survival of the fittest, laugh at the weak kid and treat people not physically bigger than you as shit? There's enough of that in the real world without glorifying it. Do people ever wonder why there's lots of it in the real world?

905 wrote:

I'd abolish PE. My most humiliating memories are caused by the need of some people to impose physical ideals on mere children, like some sort of Hitler Youth. Never mind obeisity, what about the pointless one-up-manship, survival of the fittest, laugh at the weak kid and treat people not physically bigger than you as shit? There's enough of that in the real world without glorifying it. Do people ever wonder why there's lots of it in the real world?

905 - I'd abolish your avatar, before I get my first epileptic fit.

cactus flower wrote:

905 - I'd abolish your avatar, before I get my first epileptic fit.

Like (chokes down sob) cutting off my right arm. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? (Runs off and cries).

Kate P wrote:

anmajornarthainig2 wrote:

The most important role for a principal is to create a positive, happy atmosphere in the school that and the kids to be scared shitless of being sent down to him/ her.

I didn't get a chance to welcome you yet anmajornarthainig (#2 no less!) but I'm delighted you're here - you've got a great handle on education and it's always interesting to hear what you have to say.

Didn't you mention somewhere else that you were thinking of giving up the day job in favour of something more rewarding?

I'd disagree with what you've said above - though maybe it's semantics more than ethos that I'm concerned with.

Schools should be a happy, safe place for kids - first and foremost. And the principal should be approachable.

Are we saying the same thing if I suggest that kids feel there is a sense that a certain stage has been reached when they end up outside the principal's door? In other words, that seeing the principal for discipline reasons is a serious - but not necessarily terrifying - thing and happens once a series of procedures have been followed. The prinicpal should be seen as a figure of authority as opposed to an authoritarian figure.

Thanks for the welcome Kate. Yeah if sent down to the principal for reasons of misbehaviour the kid should be fearful that there will be serious consequences. As I said the job of the principal is also to create a positive environment in the school so although kids are always likely to be wary of a principal there is no reason for those who genuinely need something to feel that he/ she is unapproachable.

I`m still planning to get out of the job, the only question is what direction?

905 wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

905 - I'd abolish your avatar, before I get my first epileptic fit.

Like (chokes down sob) cutting off my right arm. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? (Runs off and cries).

Sorry 905, it was just the combination of the eyecatching dancing style with the face of the man who was trying to drop high explosive bombs on my mother as she was hiding with her teddy under the dining room table that was putting me off my pudding. I hope you will not be left naked for long and will find an avatar that expresses your essence better than the old one.