Violence in our schools

London, UK

One of the blogs I reguarly dip into is "Thanet Life" by Dr Simon Moores. Simon is also a Conservative councillor for the Westgate-on-Sea ward on Thanet Council. In one of his latest posts he outlined the seemingly growing problem of violence in schools. You can read it here

One of the comments though really blew me over. Well constructed and hard-hitting "anonymous" (probably a fellow Margate FC supporter) told things as they are. I'd like to add that our education system has also failed to teach our youngsters in the art of ball control from an early age. Hardly surprising that it takes foreign footballers to show our us how to play the national game. Here's "anonymous's" reply in full:

I think I have told this story on thread before .... however here we go:

My wife bought an old barber's mirror because she liked the frame. The mirror rattled a little in the frame so she asked me to fix it.

I soon realised that someone had fixed it before because backing the mirror, inside the frame, was a layer of newspaper.

I read the reports.

There was a report of a classroom incident for which both teacher and pupil were in court. It appears that the lad had refused punishment from the teacher. The teacher had grabbed the lad and a struggle ensued in which the teacher beat the lad's head against the wall. The lad stuck the nut into the teacher and, with more experience "On the cobbles" even at 13 years of age, begat giving teacher a hiding. Teacher ran to his desk and produced a bayonet. Lad, pre-emptively, gets out his own jackknife and stabs teacher.

Then there was a report on an innovative approach to juvenile crime. Trade training. Equipping young rascals with the skills to earn a living and develop self respect. Abandon the barbaric concept of punishment and embrace rehabilitation. And so the new enlightenment piece went on.

The newspaper was from London in the 1890s.

My late father told me about the ...... boys he went to school with in the 30s in Ipswich. The woodwork teacher could not even cow them with a smack from a lump of four by two. The old fella admits to almost feeling sorry for the Germans because the ----- boys all joined up in 1940. Commandos, paras etc. But the old chap joined the RN ended up fighting alongside Italian partisans and thinking "Thank God we got people like the ----- boys on our side" and "f-ck the Germans"

There is nothing new in school violence.

In Thanet there was a new innovation. Magna Carta commits the monarch to appointing as constables only men who know the law and who keep it well. So how come Thanet unilaterally departs from that and the Pc Schools Liaison officer was a convicted criminal liar ? What message does that send ?

We live in the age of the internal combustion engine and three phase electricity. Yet we have an education system which does not teach it. Nor does it teach first aid, lifesaving, self defence etc etc

The education system should strive to change the curriculum and make itself relevant. It has been a particularly offensive joke, causing immense damage to the national economy and to public standards, since WW2.

One of my grand daughters was bullied at school. She took up kick boxing (aged 8). came home from school in trouble. She had decked the bully and stuck the boot in once the other girl was down.

I told her "Well done".

And if the bully's parents want some then old grand dad will be happy to oblige.

This is the reality. The only choice is whether or not to be a victim.