what rights if any, do teachers have?

Fuinseog

teaching in Ireland seems to be a bit of a grey area in many ways especially in terms of any rights teachers may have.

There is of course an ASTI charter of rights , but in my experience largely ignored. union reps in schools I have experienced have been both highly competent and completely inadequate.

A female friend of mine was assaulted in the class. the culprit was an angry young man of 14, and was suspended for the rest of the afternoon. The teacher in question did not make an issue of it, because jobs are scarce and in some schools kids with behavioural problems get away with murder so its not worth making an issue of.


if a parent becomes verbally abusive towards me personally I end the meeting or phonecall immediately, but I notice others put up it.

I feel there are people out there who treat nurses, guards and teachers like dirt because and this is entertained because its part of the job.


how is it in your school? is there a school policy and what will be entertained and what will not?

Art Teacher

Taken From Tony Humphries book - A different kind of Discipline



Teachers
The Rights of Teachers
Violations of the rights of teachers have increased enormously. No teacher should have to tolerate the minutest violations of their rights. This equally applies to a student or a parent.

There is something radically wrong with a school and educational system when such offences are allowed to perpetuate.
It cannot be left in the hands of an individual teacher or students or parent to vindicate their rights. Such a policy has left many teachers feeling isolated in classrooms, stressed students without advocates within the school and concerned parents helpless. It can also mean that teachers under pressure can resort to abusive methods of control or throw in the towel and let chaos reign.

This is not to say that individual teachers, managers, students and parents have not responsibilities to mutually respect and uphold each others’ rights but there are individuals (students and teachers) within schools who are so emotionally troubled that they are not in a mature place to exercise such responsibilities. In situations like this it is the school system that must have clear and strong structures that ensure safety for all.
There are teachers who spend considerable amounts of time attempting to control one or more students who continually disrupt the order of the class. It is well documented that students who persistently offend the rights of teachers and other students come from troubled homes and it is only when the inner and outer conflicts of these children are resolved will they be ready for learning.

Every child has a right to education but some students in classrooms are learning little or nothing because of their distressed states which are manifested in undisciplined conduct. Some teachers and principals are reluctant to remove these students from classrooms as they feel they will be accused of violating the student’s right to be educated.

The contrary is true: by allowing these students to stay in classrooms, where it is clear they are not ready for learning and that they need considerable help before they will be in a fit emotional state for education, teachers and parents are neglecting these students’ right to be educated. Furthermore, the responsibility for helping these students’ family-based problems must rest squarely on the shoulders of parents with the support of the school system.

When parents are refusing to exercise their responsibilities the school needs to contact the Social Services. Putting a child out of class does not mean the school ceases involvement in the child’s education. However, the school needs to recognise that the problems of particular students cannot be allowed to be a source of the violation of teachers’ and indeed other students’ rights. It is amazing how both teachers and parents forget not only about the rights of teachers but also the right to be educated by the motivated students in classrooms where learning is disrupted by the undisciplined behaviour of students who are troubled.

It is not only students who violate the rights of teachers! Passive or aggressive leadership can result in many teachers feeling abandoned by a school system. Poor morale, staff conflict, few staff meetings, poor communication and an ineffective discipline system are products largely of ineffective leadership.

An effective school system will have structures (for example, recourse procedures to Board of Management, School Inspectorate, Department of Education, Parents’ Association) that empower teachers to voice difficulties about principals and vice-principals and ensure action on their concerns. Such actions are caring in nature, not only of the rights of teachers and students but of the principals who are not coping effectively with their responsibilities.

Private industry would not tolerate the ineffectiveness and neglect that some school leaders perpetrate. These individuals deserve professional help to resolve their personal difficulties and increase their professional effectiveness.

Teacher’s Rights
I have the right to physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative and sexual safety.
I have the right to respect from students, colleagues, leaders and parents.
I have the right to teach in an atmosphere of order and attention.
I have the right to demand social structures within the school that guarantee respect for my rights.
I have the right to ask for help when needed.
I have the right to fair, just and effective leadership on the part of the school principal and vice-principal.
I have the right to express any need or grievance I may have.
When any of my rights are violated, I have the right to have recourse to social structures within and outside the school that protect those rights.

Fuinseog

thanks for that. any insight is helpful, though the article seems only to highlight the issue and it is clear to us all that there is a wide gap between the way things should be and the way they are.

I have learnt many thing the hard way, but I have pity for any newly qualified teacher starting off. they seem to learn little of relevance in the dip. Even schools themselves shy away from sitting down and discussing how to deal with less pleasant students.

I have experienced very few schools with something like a home school liaison officer and unfortunately in the current climate such positions are regarded as a luxury, but if a child is constantly in trouble and the parents are ignoring any issues has the school not the responsibility of contacting social services?

Fuinseog

I see Tony Humpries has two books out that would be of relevance to teachers. Has anyone read 'A Different kind of teacher'. Do his theories work?

Art Teacher

I read a different kind of teacher a few years ago - it is excellent, and simple. But i gave the book to a NQT so I havent read it in a while.

A large problem in teaching is solidarity with colleagues. For example when I first started teaching, my first job was in an all boys tech - city centre. ( I did my teaching practice in convent). My first class there was - awful. The students were off the wall and two of them climbed up the electrical cables and were hanging from the ceiling. I was about to abandon not only the class but teaching as a career when the woodwork teacher burst into the room and brought things under control for me.

Years later, I find that teachers do not support one another as much, anymore. For example a male colleague of mine was assaulted by student on the corridor last year, he said that the other teachers around him, who were big tall men just walked away, and left the student at the teacher! Teachers need to stand up for each other and protect each other.

spurious

In our school (inner city vocational) we do not tolerate any nonsense from parents - raised voices at a meeting about their child and the teachers will be told by the principal/vice principal to leave the meeting. Our staff do not come to work to be threatened or shouted at. I will not have a 12 year old shout at me the way he shouts at his mother.

We will call and have called the guards to deal with abusive parents. Up til last year we had a parent who was barred from the school property and had meetings through the railings.

Yes some will whinge and say we are 'too strict', but that is what is getting their lovelies to Leaving Cert. Higher Level exams in an area where ten years ago huge numbers were still leaving after Junior Cert..

The apples don't tend to fall far from the tree, so we often have to teach the same lessons to parents as we have had to teach their children. We make no apology for having high standards of behaviour in our school, even if the parents don't seem to have any in their own homes for their children.

gaeilgegrinds1

On paper...LOADS.
In reality...SFA.
Just my opinion of course!

Art Teacher

Fuinseog wrote: »

There is of course an ASTI charter of rights , but in my experience largely ignored. union reps in schools I have experienced have been both highly competent and completely inadequate.

A female friend of mine was assaulted in the class. the culprit was an angry young man of 14, and was suspended for the rest of the afternoon. The teacher in question did not make an issue of it, because jobs are scarce and in some schools kids with behavioural problems get away with murder so its not worth making an issue of.

Assault, and much indiscipline is a health & Safety risk. The rights of teachers to a safe working environment is protected in the Health, Welfare and Safety at Work Act 2005. No teacher, including your friend should fear penalisation for making a complaint about being assaulted or otherwise put in fear for their welfare. If any teacher is victimised for complaining about behaviour that compromises their health & Safety then they are entitled to take this to a Rights Commissioner. . They need to use this form

Fuinseog

Art Teacher wrote: »

I read a different kind of teacher a few years ago - it is excellent, and simple. But i gave the book to a NQT so I havent read it in a while.

A large problem in teaching is solidarity with colleagues. For example when I first started teaching, my first job was in an all boys tech - city centre. ( I did my teaching practice in convent). My first class there was - awful. The students were off the wall and two of them climbed up the electrical cables and were hanging from the ceiling. I was about to abandon not only the class but teaching as a career when the woodwork teacher burst into the room and brought things under control for me.

Years later, I find that teachers do not support one another as much, anymore. For example a male colleague of mine was assaulted by student on the corridor last year, he said that the other teachers around him, who were big tall men just walked away, and left the student at the teacher! Teachers need to stand up for each other and protect each other.

sad but true. I have worked in schools where they are was great cooperation among the staff but others where they were several cliques and as a new teacher you were made to feel like an outsider. politics can be very strong in the staffroom.

Fuinseog

spurious wrote: »

In our school (inner city vocational) we do not tolerate any nonsense from parents - raised voices at a meeting about their child and the teachers will be told by the principal/vice principal to leave the meeting. Our staff do not come to work to be threatened or shouted at. I will not have a 12 year old shout at me the way he shouts at his mother.

We will call and have called the guards to deal with abusive parents. Up til last year we had a parent who was barred from the school property and had meetings through the railings.

Yes some will whinge and say we are 'too strict', but that is what is getting their lovelies to Leaving Cert. Higher Level exams in an area where ten years ago huge numbers were still leaving after Junior Cert..

The apples don't tend to fall far from the tree, so we often have to teach the same lessons to parents as we have had to teach their children. We make no apology for having high standards of behaviour in our school, even if the parents don't seem to have any in their own homes for their children.

fair play. This was decided some time ago by the principal or how did this come about?

spurious

It was a decision by the previous Principal. We were an amalgamation of two schools, both of which had almost a culture of abuse of teachers. We got a new building, new school, new start and laid down the law from the beginning.

We still have our battles and still have children coming to us from homes where the parents have allowed some outrageous behaviour to be the norm, but all in all, it's a much more pleasant place to work, from the teacher safety point of view.