[SENco-forum] FW: Media: Real Story: The Teacher Squad (BBC1, 7pm, 13 Dec)

I also saw the programme and I was glad that these issues got an airing, but
also depressed that there was a teacher who wanted to change and didn't have
the preparation time to do it, and another who wasn't going to change on any
account. I felt that the latter set Daniel up to fail by taking him into her
set and then refusing to help him with his organisational problems. That's
like yelling at a child with a physical disability for not being able to
run. But so many don't see it like that. They just think if these children
had some discipline and some structure and just TRIED harder they would be
able to remember things better.
I think there are two types of teacher who can keep good discipline and
manage behaviour in a secondary school. The first are the assertive ones.
They know what they expect from the children and they make sure they get it,
but they are confident enough to know that they can do this by insisting on
it and never ever putting a child down, while offering them interesting and
challenging work that is just within their capability. Easier said than
done, and a joy to watch when it happens. The children LIKE such a teacher,
and feel disappointed with themselves when they let her/him down. The second
type is the bully, who keeps discipline by ruling with a rod of humiliation
and sarcasm. The children hate such a teacher and do the minimum they have
to, to keep him/her off their backs, resentfully. They go from that person's
classroom and let rip in the classroom of the poor unfortunate teacher who
happens to have them next.
And saddest of all is the fact that if the children with learning
difficulties got the right support at the right time they wouldn't need to
develop these layers of behaviour strategies to protect their self-esteem in
the first place. Not all of them, of course, because some will be struggling
with problems outside the classroom too. 
So, on balance, I think the programme had nothing new and was a little
depressing but realistic, and it needs to be aired and addressed because the
answer is unpalatable - to give teachers MUCH more time to prepare their
lessons as well as proper training to better understand what goes on for the
children in their classes.
Well, that's my opinion anyway.
Mary

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of chris white
Sent: 16 December 2006 09:29
To: 'Becta Senco'
Subject: RE: [SENco-forum] FW: Media: Real Story: The Teacher Squad (BBC1,
7pm,13 Dec)

I watched Real Story on the BBC website.
What I want to know is : Where are the support assistants at the school?
Don't any of the pupils have statements?
Does the Senco's job at this school consist entirely of teaching lower band
classes?

I can't really believe the teaching shown on the programme was a
representative sample.

I somehow think the programme didn't give the full picture.

I'm not surprised that all the behaviour problems were not solved during the
intervention.

If anything what has come out of the programme is:
1) There are no magic pills!
2) Multi sensory teaching programmes work.
3) They increase the workload of teachers (initially anyway)
4) There is more to improving the behaviour of children with specific
learning difficulties than improving literacy skills.
5) Teachers resent so called experts coming into school and telling them how
to do their jobs!

Basically --nothing new!
Chris
Secondary SENCO
West Mids

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