REGARDING Margaret Taylor’s excellent article about vulnerable children ("When it comes to protecting children no rule is too tough", The Herald, December 17), there is one group – not called fancy names like Named Person – who are directly in the front line of identifying these children: primary school teachers (my daughter is among their number).
On a regular basis, in deprived areas, they see kids who arrive dirty, unkempt, aggressive, withdrawn, cold and often hungry to school. I have many of these teachers as friends who are frankly demoralised, overworked, suffering from anxiety and depression because of the pressures they are under. Long gone are the days of simply teaching youngsters the three Rs. They have to be social workers, "police officers", accountants, report writers, and face being constantly "retrained" to contend with ever-increasing legislation.
Just one incident described to me was an eight-year-old boy picking up a pair of scissors and running at his teacher shouting: “I am gonna effin stab you, bitch!” Said teacher managed to get the scissors from him and forcibly take him to the school’s padded room and lock him in for his own safety and others around him. Yes that is correct, I did say padded room. What would you do? Phone the police? The police don’t want to know, as there is little they can do. Call in the parents for a chat about parenting skills? Are you kidding me? The parents often have more serious problems than their children, and live with addiction, abuse, mental health problems and poverty. You try talking about parenting skills from your safe, warm, well-ordered middle class Mumsnet world. You’d be as well trying to explain the theory of quantum physics to a three-year-old. One girl, late for class explained: “Sorry I’m late, Miss, we had to stop off to get mum’s methadone on the way.”
Frankly there is a world out there about which most of have little or no conception. Inclusion is a good idea. It simply does not work for the most damaged kids. They need to be listened to, supported, taught on a one to one basis in a safe, secure, understanding environment …and yes, shown love. Scotland is a compassionate, caring country, but there is almost no provision for them.
We spend hundreds of billions on Trident. We make billions from sales of arms to the Middle East so that the Saudis can bomb women and children. Could a tiny, tiny fraction of that money not be spent working with these desperately sad children who make dedicated teachers’ lives a misery? I honestly believe it is only a matter of time before a teacher is seriously injured at work, or worse. Many say they "would never recommend teaching to anyone considering the profession".
If most of us are content to turn away and say “Sorry, not my problem, pal” then we are all guilty of crass, unforgivable indifference.
Name and address supplied.
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