IPPN

Troubled pupils are kicking and punching teachers [Independent.ie]

Published: 02 March 2011

KICKING, punching, and screaming. These are just some of the problems teachers are facing every day with troubled pupils at disadvantaged primary schools.

A study has found that teachers often feel helpless, with one admitting she often cries with frustration.

One teacher described a disruptive pupil who could not sit down.

"She would scream and shout, push children out of the way and she would hit children," the report said.

"And if you tried to remove her, she would scream and she would kick. It was very distressing for her, for us to have to physically remove her from the room, and then it was incredibly distressing for the rest of the class."

Another described a young boy who had been violent to children and adults.

"Numerous teachers I'd say at this stage have gotten kicked and punched when he lashes out".

Full Story: www.independent.ie

Diary of a schoolteacher: The most cunning of them all? Miss Gossard... [Independent.ie]

Published: 02 March 2011

Thanks to the general election providing us with a paucity of female TDs, sexism is back on the staff room conversation agenda.

Now, I've always defended sexism as an vital source of humour (just between guys, naturally) and one of my favourite jokes goes like this: Question: Why did the woman cross the road?' Answer: Who knows? Who knows why they do anything?'

That's as bad as I get, to be honest; I'm too afraid of women to make jokes about them. Still, last September when we guys set up the online staff fantasy football league just for a laugh I included a person who knew absolutely zilch about soccer -- Miss Gossard -- and so it is that she is the only female 'manager' of a team.

Hilarious, I know, and this is what I am saying to my fellow male School Fantasy Football League managers in the staff room on Monday.

The PE teacher, still amazed to find himself working with people who have actually been to university, is thrilled to have the chance to explain the subtleties of the rule in this case. Though because he is a PE teacher, he lacks the verbal skills to clarify the issue one iota and we just ignore him.

Also there is Tim the Villa fan (manager of the fantasy team 'That's Enough from You, Murphy F.C.'), Finnegan who supports QPR and so is irrelevant, and of course our esteemed colleague and sole female member of the league, Miss Gossard for whom I picked players and named the team 'Barbie County' when we set up the league online in September.

Full Story: www.independent.ie

Teacher fury over FG plan to publish exam results [Independent.ie]

Published: 02 March 2011

Parents could soon be able to check the Leaving Cert grades of each schoo. The new Fine Gael-led Government is set to find itself on a collision course with teachers over its plan to publish the Leaving Cert results for each school.The plan to enable parents to check a school's performance in the Junior and Leaving Certs will be met with furious resistance from teachers and others in the educational establishment.

The TUI has already issued a circular to its branches warning of the threat in the FG election manifesto. The ASTI has also issued a statement opposing publication of the results. Under the party's plan each school will have to publish an annual report showing exam performance.

Troubled pupils are kicking and punching teachers [Independent.ie]

Published: 02 March 2011

KICKING, punching, and screaming. These are just some of the problems teachers are facing every day with troubled pupils at disadvantaged primary schools. A study has found that teachers often feel helpless, with one admitting she often cries with frustration.

One teacher described a disruptive pupil who could not sit down. "She would scream and shout, push children out of the way and she would hit children," the report said. "And if you tried to remove her, she would scream and she would kick. It was very distressing for her, for us to have to physically remove her from the room, and then it was incredibly distressing for the rest of the class."

Happiness is...living and eating with your parents [Independent.ie]

Published: 01 March 2011

Children who grow up in a traditional two-parent family and regularly eat an evening meal with their parents are more likely to be happy with their lives, according to a landmark UK report published today.

The study, which is tracking members of 40,000 households across Britain, concludes that eating a family meal at least three times a week is key to building strong bonds between parents and their children.

However, it warns that the longer a couple stays together the more dissatisfied partners are likely to become with each other. Parents of children under the age of five come under the greatest strain.

The findings are among the first results to emerge from Understanding Society, a £50m, government-funded study following the lives of 100,000 people in 40,000 households across the country.

Conducted by academics from the universities of Essex, Oxford, Warwick and Surrey, the research details individuals’ attitudes towards politics, climate change, family relationships, work, health and education. The first wave of findings, released today, comes ahead of the government’s own separate initiative to measure national well-being, which will be launched in April.

Today’s study reinforced the central importance of the traditional family unit to children’s development.

Married couples are most likely to be happy with their relationships, while family breakdown does more damage to children than living in poverty, the study found.

Full Story: www.independent.ie