[senco-forum] RE: 1977 versus 2007

I was teaching in a 8-12 middle school-that didn't catch on permanently did
it, but fun while it lasted.I was worried that all the parents would think I
was too young! We were not constrained by curriculum and did lots of topics.
Maths was Fletcher. After a year or so I was given a small class with
"reading and behaviour problems." I still have their reading scores list -
average chronological age of 11 years,only about 2 or 3 were  below this and
the lowest was 10 years! I suppose all the others were in special schools.
The worst behaviour problem was a boy who "ran away from home because he was
failing at Maths" -the parents rang when they found the note and  the head
looked outside the school entrance (by the way no security gates then!) saw
him hanging around,invited him in and everything carried on as usual! There
was another boy who I think looking back was dyspraxic. When told to place
the rounders balls into a bucket after PE, he managed to throw the ball
erratically and hit me on the temple. I walked the class in and went to the
head teachers office and said I am going to lie down in the staffroom as I
was feeling really faint by them. A few minutes later a hysterical boy was
brought to me. He had to reassure himself I was alive as the other children
had told him that if you killed a teacher you were really in trouble! This
all happened  in a small Midlands ex-mining town, the only job I could get
as there were too many teachers and not enough jobs then.  
After a few years I was initiated into the mysteries of the phonic box. By
1982 phonics were out, real reading was in and I had a job as a literacy
advisory /support teacher in London. Jobs by then were plentiful! 
Linda 

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