What's your thoughts on this

Cian1997

In school we learn that we must be respectfull of others and treat others with equality but at the very centre of where we learn this, in school there is hierarchy of inequality. Most teachers make their students call them 'sir ' or 'miss' and a lot of schools also require a student to stand when the teacher enters the room. In my opinion this is ridiculous and all students should be treated as respectfully as teachers.

Mr Rhode Island Red

I can understand the addressing teachers by "Sir" and "Miss" but standing to attention when they walk into the room is really a bit much in today's world.

In my school anyway I've really taken notice of how Junior students (1st, 2nd, 3rd Year) are treated like peasants and metaphorical punch bags for teachers.

However, teachers tend to treat TYs, 5th Years and LCs as equal, near-adult members of society.

With the senior uniform comes great power and respect

emersyn

We're supposed to stand whenever teachers enter the room too, it was enforced quite strictly during the junior cycle but most of the teachers don't care too much with the senior students apart from a couple of the really tyrannical ones who won't start teaching until everyone has stood up. Laughable in my view

vamos!

peasants and metaphorical punchbags?????

DarraghF197

emersyn wrote: »

We're supposed to stand whenever teachers enter the room too, it was enforced quite strictly during the junior cycle but most of the teachers don't care too much with the senior students apart from a couple of the really tyrannical ones who won't start teaching until everyone has stood up. Laughable in my view

The only good thing about it was the laugh we had when none of us stood up, or none of us sat down again

Cian1997

emersyn wrote: »

We're supposed to stand whenever teachers enter the room too, it was enforced quite strictly during the junior cycle but most of the teachers don't care too much with the senior students apart from a couple of the really tyrannical ones who won't start teaching until everyone has stood up. Laughable in my view

Still enforced even in senior cycle in many schools. An well haha

DarraghF197 wrote: »

The only good thing about it was the laugh we had when none of us stood up, or none of us sat down again

Really akward aswell when not one ****ing person stands up!:)

BlueWolf16

Wow, what the f***? I honestly thought this was a joke, does that really happen? LOL, this is hilarious. Knowing my group we'd probably get down on our knees and bow too, that type of nonsense would soon get abolished. Calling Miss/Sir is understandable and should be obvious when addressing seniors, imo. I never did the standing in any school I went to, and the teachers are very nice with every student, though I do understand it depends on the individuals. Can honestly say some of the recent 1st/2nd years are c*** bags, but then again, at some point we all were. Even our principal is very down to earth and goes to talk to others about football at times. Seriously, tell your parents, go contact the board or something. This is borderline degrading.

BlueWolf16

Cian1997 wrote: »

Yep crazy stuff. I mean if u think of it if a teacher told a student to shutup it would be considered normal enough but if a student said that to a teacher it would be considered very disrespectfull.students receiving respect is Something I feel very strongly about for some reason. Everyone should get the same respect . Find it very bad also how if I was to perhaps call a teacher by their first name I would be risking a detention. Doesn't make much sence

To be fair, saying "shut up" is disrespectful whether said to a teacher or not. You should always treat older people with extra respect, it's ethical at the very least. Teachers should be respected and respectful, but teachers aren't your 'pals'. I would guess your issue is towards all authority altogether, but simple fact is - teachers are higher than you in a hierarchy. They are your teachers, and you aren't theirs. It's not up to you to discipline them, not for you to consider what is the correct behaviour or not. Not everyone has to be treated as equals.

If you seriously feel that teachers are being specifically mean to you, talk to your parents, go and inform your school board. Maybe you have a student's council or something, inform them and let them deal with it. These kind of issues can often be resolved, and though I don't want to sound like an asshole, but most likely you are the problem there. You can always switch schools too, there's no shame in that.

Cian1997

BlueWolf16 wrote: »

To be fair, saying "shut up" is disrespectful whether said to a teacher or not. You should always treat older people with extra respect, it's ethical at the very least. Teachers should be respected and respectful, but teachers aren't your 'pals'. I would guess your issue is towards all authority altogether, but simple fact is - teachers are higher than you in a hierarchy. They are your teachers, and you aren't theirs. It's not up to you to discipline them, not for you to consider what is the correct behaviour or not. Not everyone has to be treated as equals.

If you seriously feel that teachers are being specifically mean to you, talk to your parents, go and inform your school board. Maybe you have a student's council or something, inform them and let them deal with it. These kind of issues can often be resolved, and though I don't want to sound like an asshole, but most likely you are the problem there. You can always switch schools too, there's no shame in that.

Nope no problem with teachers being specifically mean to me but just with the way most schools seem to be run. I can see where your coming from but only about40/50 years ago(mayby even less) physical punishment was aloud in school and people back then generally felt' its just the way it is, teachers should be able to do that' . In my opinion everyone is equal regardless of the setting wheteher that be in terms of religion or colour in other countries or in this topic the school.

seavill

I have taught in probably 10-11 schools including all subbing, and not one of those required students to stand up when a teacher entered a room, i think that may be more down to tradition in a particular school, which I would suggest is very rare these days (I'm guessing maybe schools with a strong religious history and still a strong link). I had one teacher when i was in school myself that insisted on it, but she had come from another country and soon stopped (so not just an Irish thing).

I don't fully agree everyone is equal, I'm not equal to my boss. I would expect him to treat me with respect and vice versa but that still doesn't make me equal. The whole sir miss thing is not something teachers have control over, that is a whole school issue so directly blaming teachers for that one isn't exactly fair.
I would be involved with a lot of my student outside of school with sports, outside of school the majority would call me by my first name, some don't feel comfortable doing it but I go with whatever they want. In school I expect them to call me sir purely because it's what they do to all other teachers and it can sound like they are taking the piss out of me if others overhear leading to them getting in trouble if the principal hears them. If we are out at a school match again if they call me by my first name I don't particularly have an issue with it, some do some don't I just go along with it.

Saying teachers being mean "is the way most schools are run" is a very sweeping statement. I'm not saying some teachers are not mean but it's not fair to generalize with things like that. I could say all teenagers are spoilt brats that don't know how to behave these days. Yes its true of a certain portion but it's certainly not true across the board.
In reality you don't have experience of many schools, I'm presuming, so you can't judge that properly. Second hand stories of this or that don't really count either. You will find, that teachers are stricter with junior classes as due to their age and maturity level 1-3rd years don't generally deal well with a level field between the teachers and students. As teenagers mature into senior cycle they are more able to deal better with it and respond better to it so teachers can relax to a certain extent and be a bit more "friendly" for want of a better word

Cian1997

seavill wrote: »

I have taught in probably 10-11 schools including all subbing, and not one of those required students to stand up when a teacher entered a room, i think that may be more down to tradition in a particular school, which I would suggest is very rare these days (I'm guessing maybe schools with a strong religious history and still a strong link). I had one teacher when i was in school myself that insisted on it, but she had come from another country and soon stopped (so not just an Irish thing).

I don't fully agree everyone is equal, I'm not equal to my boss. I would expect him to treat me with respect and vice versa but that still doesn't make me equal. The whole sir miss thing is not something teachers have control over, that is a whole school issue so directly blaming teachers for that one isn't exactly fair.
I would be involved with a lot of my student outside of school with sports, outside of school the majority would call me by my first name, some don't feel comfortable doing it but I go with whatever they want. In school I expect them to call me sir purely because it's what they do to all other teachers and it can sound like they are taking the piss out of me if others overhear leading to them getting in trouble if the principal hears them. If we are out at a school match again if they call me by my first name I don't particularly have an issue with it, some do some don't I just go along with it.

Saying teachers being mean "is the way most schools are run" is a very sweeping statement. I'm not saying some teachers are not mean but it's not fair to generalize with things like that. I could say all teenagers are spoilt brats that don't know how to behave these days. Yes its true of a certain portion but it's certainly not true across the board.
In reality you don't have experience of many schools, I'm presuming, so you can't judge that properly. Second hand stories of this or that don't really count either. You will find, that teachers are stricter with junior classes as due to their age and maturity level 1-3rd years don't generally deal well with a level field between the teachers and students. As teenagers mature into senior cycle they are more able to deal better with it and respond better to it so teachers can relax to a certain extent and be a bit more "friendly" for want of a better word

THink you read what I said wrong. I said I have no problem with any teachers being particularly mean to me but just with how schools are run( I meant how the sir/miss stand up thing is in many schools) sorry should of been more clear. Good points made and thanks for your input

spurious

We had the stand up thing when I was at school, but I haven't seen it in any school I've worked in or visited since. Admittedly I don't hang out much in old style religious schools. As a former teacher, I can see the value of it from a classroom management point of view, getting attention focussed and having a moment of silence before class starts.