Sir, - My daughter and son will be sitting the Leaving and Junior Certificates next June, so some might find it surprising that I support the ASTI in its pay claim.
I am a qualified secondary school teacher and I gave up my job in 1984 to rear my children. I am in a part-time teaching post at the moment and it is apparent in the classroom that big changes have taken place over the past 20 years.
Children are encouraged to have self-esteem, to say "no" to people who might hurt them, to be aware of their rights. This is a welcome development. The abuses which some children suffered in the past were outrageous. However, I feel that the scales have been tipped to the point where children are taught to know their rights without being made aware of their responsibilities, and the consequences of this are manifesting themselves in the classroom.
It was reported in the papers recently that a secondary school sought to expel a pupil for selling drugs to other pupils, while on a school tour. The parents of this pupil took the school to court and the school was obliged to take him back.
It was also reported last week that a teacher who suffered sexual harassment at the hands of her pupils (remarks, graffiti, groping) was awarded damages. The school (not the students who gave offence) was sued.
The questions arising from such cases are: what sort of message is this giving to children? How is a school supposed to protect its pupils from the antisocial behaviour of another if a court rules that he must be taken back? In the case of the teacher being sexually harassed by the students, the school paid the damages. There was no mention of the students who groped the teacher being reprimanded. Why are these pupils not held responsible for their behaviour?
Of course everybody has a right to an education, but what about the rights of other children to feel they are in a safe environment while at school? And what a dangerous thing to undermine the authority of a school which rightly seeks to discipline bad and threatening behaviour.
The message is loud and clear. Pupils can do what they like and expect to get away with it.
These are the sort of situations which teachers have to deal with everyday. While most pupils behave and co-operate, the hands of the teachers are tied when it comes to dealing effectively with the trouble makers. That makes a teachers' job very difficult, sometimes impossible.
I will not be encouraging my children to opt for teaching as a career. I would like to say a big "thank you" to the teachers who have taught my children for their dedicated hard work.
For the sake of my children and all the students sitting the exams this year, I hope the dispute is settled soon. I wish the ASTI success, not only in its pay claim, but in dealing with other important issues for teachers. - Yours, etc.,
Barbara Kavanagh, Beechdale, Dunboyne, Co Meath.