Riots linked to Schooling

[rov1100]

Can we put the blame for these ferel youths on the discipline not being received at school? These louts were allowed to get away with murder under the soft liberals who banned the cane and excused them for their violent behavour.

Those feral youths have grown up to be violent criminals. We are reaping what we have sown, do you agree?

Please don't let us make any feeble excuses for their behaviour!

[Buenchico]

That's a simplistic 'pub' line of reasoning if ever I heard one!

Young people have frequently rioted when they've felt alienated from mainstream society, irrespective of their schooling. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of their actions (which may well be very different across history) that applied in Notting Hill, Belfast, Philadelphia, Soweto and in countless other places.

Those who actually attend to school are encouraged both to respect certain conventions but also (quite rightly) to constantly challenge the norms and conventions of society. The majority of them do so peacefully. It tends to be the young people who rarely ever attended school (and were thus beyond the influence of teachers and allied professionals anyway) that seek out violent conflict.

Chris

[ummmm]

How do you explain the student riots?

[jno]

the ones I've seen seem to be all colours. Why so concerned just about the black ones?

[factor-fiction]

Are things really any worse than 30 years ago, rov1100? I remember the Brixton, Toxteth, Moss Side?
I think even if the cane were allowed now many parents would make sure their liitle darlings didn't get it and we'd see legal action being taken, there would need to be a huge amount of paperwork and evidence before a head dare cane anyone and compensation would no doubt be sought.
School life just reflects the attitudes of parents and society as a whole.

But I would agree that many students go through school feeling they are untouchable- I get things thrown at me by students from balconies as I walk down corridors and 'spit balls' blown at me in class, but if I try to touch a student who won't move away or chases someone round the round or walks out of the lesson then I get claims of assault. Some students are untouchable- they ignore all detentions, parents wash their hands of the situation or are hostile to the teacher and exclusions are very difficult to achieve.

[boxtops]

I sympathise with your situation, factor, the youngsters "know their rights" these days. They are quick to say that "you can't do that". OH has a saying I agree with, that with rights come responsibilities - and these youngsters don't see that, they don't even see that they have responsibilities to themselves.

[Mosaic]

Teachers get blamed because kids have no manners, have no table manners, wear their skirts too short, answer parents back, won't work, won't learn. won't go to bed. won't get up, get each other pregnant, steal, smoke, do drugs......so why not just blame them for the riots too? It's far easier than sorting your problems out.

[rov1100]

Many teachers are leaving the profession because they are unable to control an unruly class. The schools get the blame because their hands are tied but the real culprits are the parents unable to discipline their children.

If the problem was too simplistic it would have been solved years ago. The problem is the failure to know the cause and what should be done about it. Its about time we got realistic and realise only some form of discipline can cure the problem.