New research has discovered that children of teachers, garda∅ and farmers are teased the most in Irish classrooms.
The research says that while the sons and daughters of teachers attract most teasing, the other groups often have to endure hurtful comments about their parents' occupation. It reveals that children use this to undermine fellow pupils.
Dr A. K. Groeger, who undertook the research at the University of Hull, surveyed more than 500 Munster students and found that many children of teachers faced a "daunting prospect" every day because of abuse and jibes in class.
"Teasing, whether intended or not, whether harmless banter or not, appears from this research to be widespread among young people" says Dr Groeger.
In a summary in the journal Learn, he says the teasing of farmers' children often involves phrases like "smelly", "backward", and "bogman". Comments about farmers' wealth centre on tax evasion, "cute hoors" and other idiomatic expressions, says Dr Groeger, who now works as a school principal in Cork.
One farmer's son said: "They mock me about the smell but there's none there. I help dad and they tease me. They say it is only fun, but it hurts me."
Dr Groeger found that comments about children of garda∅ involved nicknames such as "shades" and "pigs". One regular aspect of the name-calling was to create a "diminutive", with the father described as a "pig" and the son a "piglet" or "bacon".
One teacher's daughter outlined the problems she experienced at school. "Especially in first year, people would ask stupid questions such as, 'do you call him Sir at home?' or 'could you get us expelled?' Sometimes walking down the corridor I'd hear, 'that's the principal's daughter'."
The children of teachers were acutely aware of being a teacher's child in school, he found. "Many felt that teachers treated them differently, both in terms of praise and punishment.
"Other students also treated them differently, sudden silences when they appeared, conversations restricted when they were present etc."
The teasing in general was mostly about the father's occupation. "Sad to say, much teasing of mothers relates to comments about their sexuality and morality."