Dianna Edwards and Writing
  • About me
  • Short stories
    • Death in the Desert
    • Secrets
    • Airport Drama
    • Acacia
    • Two Chooks in December
    • A Darned Surprise
    • The Sunset Mermaid
    • Friend or Foe?
    • At Rainbow's End
    • Sisterly Love
    • Good Times to Come
    • Being Famous
    • Something Special for Dinner
    • Walter's Secret
    • The Visitor
  • Children's stories
    • The Red Silk Kite
    • The Singing Tree
    • Beatrice Barnfeather
    • Garth's bath
    • Little Dog Tambo
    • Flowers For a Special Day
  • Non Fiction
    • Letter to a Soldier
    • The Body
    • Autumn Saturday
    • A Year With Billy
    • Lunch
    • Harry's Story
    • 2007 bushfires
    • My Father's Kite
    • Death of a Chook
    • Gentle Heartache
    • Shopping with Sisters
    • When I am Old
    • Matilda
    • Fragments
  • Blog

BLOG

An Apologetic Blog

15/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A few days ago I wrote about out-of-control kids -  and parents who neglect their responsibilities.
I now wish to apologise for many of my comments, as it seemed as if I was saying that ALL kids were badly behaved and ALL parents were incapable of caring for their offspring.
I was (and am) certainly wrong about that!
 
I will tell the reasons for my bleat, after this apology is issued.
 
I apologise to parents and children as I have recently been made well aware that there are (still!) many children and many parents who ‘do the right thing’ (to put it plainly).
 
In the news during this week, I read of children who made things to sell and then donated their takings to a charity. There was also a young boy who busked with his guitar, raised a few hundred dollars and gave it all to an organisation that helps refugees and asylum seekers. Then there was the youngster who set up an online petition asking for parking fees at hospitals to be reduced for regular users. (He is a regular hospital patient himself). His petition gained enough support to be very successful.
 
Apart from these good news stories proving that many (most?) kids are good kids, it also says a lot about their parents.
Hooray for these children and their mums and dads!
And, not just these good guys who have made the news…Twice lately, when I have been out walking my dog and have made room on the footpath for passing scooter riders, I have been ‘rewarded’ with big smiles and cheery ‘Thankyous’. Now, that tells us something!
 
So, now that I have owned up to being a biased and grumpy old ex-teacher, I will reveal how this happened.
 
This is the report that set me off (and I quote):
 
(The heading read):  “Australian kids behaving badly in classrooms, OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) report says.”
 

(And adds): ‘Things you would find in a classroom: a student pointing a replica gun at the teacher, an entire class deciding to ignore the teacher in silent protest, chairs thrown, threats and overturned desks.
 
One teacher had three Year 9 boys skip her class and smear their poo all over the school gymnasium walls, while others had been cursed with the full spectrum of profanities.
The list went on…and on.’
 
Some quotes from teachers:
 

"They just didn't listen to a word I said. They shouted across the room, pushed and shoved each other and threw things around the room. The worksheets I handed out got scrunched up, covered in glue or torn."
 
"I taught a boy whose grandfather was a Nazi so he wanted to debate with the class that killing the Jews was in fact the right thing to do."
 
"The whole class tried to stand on the desks or hide under the desk before the teacher turned around."
 
"The brightest student in the year would hold his breath with frustration and anger, then go bright red with a hysterical crying tantrum."
 
Therefore, it would not come as a surprise that two global reports have revealed Australian classrooms are among the most disorderly of the OECD nations.
Australia has a "problematic situation" in terms of classroom discipline, according to the report on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
 
AND…
 
"About one-third of the students in advantaged schools, and about half of those in disadvantaged schools, reported that in most or every class there was noise and disorder, students didn't listen to what the teacher said, and that students found it difficult to learn," the report said.
 
 
And so it went…
And, now can you see what upset me?
 
But I didn’t mean to condemn all parents and all school students…
 
Here’s the response from The Federal Education Minister, Simon Birmingham, who says teachers and principals need more support, as well as parents playing their part (my emphasis) in addressing the issue.
Minister Birmingham states: "Parents must be part of the solution (again, my emphasis) this cannot be something that rests on the shoulders of teachers and principals alone because attitudes, respect are of course formed as much in the home environment and the rest of life as they are in the school community itself,"
 
So, the minister acknowledges that parents have a responsibility. But saying and not doing – that is, not suggesting how we might improve the situation  - doesn’t really solve any problems
That won’t get anyone anywhere, will it?
And so the problem remains.
 
But, in the meantime, I do apologise to all the very many decent people involved in schools, whether kids, parents or teachers.
 
Keep up the good work!
 
 
 
 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author notes

    I choose to comment on social issues and write creatively on a variety of subjects -  for a variety of audiences.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012

    Categories

    All
    Childhood
    House
    Kindness
    On Death
    Social Comment
    Writing

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • About me
  • Short stories
    • Death in the Desert
    • Secrets
    • Airport Drama
    • Acacia
    • Two Chooks in December
    • A Darned Surprise
    • The Sunset Mermaid
    • Friend or Foe?
    • At Rainbow's End
    • Sisterly Love
    • Good Times to Come
    • Being Famous
    • Something Special for Dinner
    • Walter's Secret
    • The Visitor
  • Children's stories
    • The Red Silk Kite
    • The Singing Tree
    • Beatrice Barnfeather
    • Garth's bath
    • Little Dog Tambo
    • Flowers For a Special Day
  • Non Fiction
    • Letter to a Soldier
    • The Body
    • Autumn Saturday
    • A Year With Billy
    • Lunch
    • Harry's Story
    • 2007 bushfires
    • My Father's Kite
    • Death of a Chook
    • Gentle Heartache
    • Shopping with Sisters
    • When I am Old
    • Matilda
    • Fragments
  • Blog