A new school of thought needed [Independent.ie]
- Published: 24 May 2010
The case of British science teacher Peter Harvey, who was acquitted last month of attempted murder of a pupil who he beat with a 3kg dumbbell while shouting "die, die, die", has highlighted the problems that teachers face in controlling classrooms.
The 14-year-old who was set upon by the teacher had disrupted the class nine times before the attack. The judge in the case acknowledged that the strains of teaching and mounting misbehaviour by his pupils had precipitated the teacher's problems with stress and depression.
School discipline is also a big problem here, and only last month the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) carried out a behaviour and attitudes survey among members about the issue. Eighty-one per cent of teachers said that discipline issues had resulted in an increased workload in the past five years, with the recession adding to behaviour problems in the class.
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