So I walk into a beijing school for migrant kids, where currently I am under the delusion that i am doing good by furthering the sterotype that english is a white man's tongue. I am confronted with the rather unpleasant site of a well dressed man kicking lumps out of a pair of distraught ten year olds. Having learnt in a night class on chld protection that while violence may be an appropriate remedy for poor housekeeping it does nothing to calm a crying child, I was somewhat perturbed. It brought back the memories of myself getting kicked at school by a number of delightful Irish Irish repbulicans who no doubt thought the "cause" and my prosterior were somehow aligned.
The fact that corporol punishment in state funded schools ended in 1988 meant little to the Irish language movement that continued to subsist on charity, hand outs and elbow greas; and modern theory on child behaviour is little read by the qualified education professionals that subsist on 50 pounds a month, teaching 50 kids with next to no resources.
So I watched the assault uncertain of what to do, until I was ushered by the director of the school up to my class. The thing that struck me most was the anger in the teachers' eyes as he landed blows with foot and fist. Here was not the gravitas that I recall in my fathers eyes as he punsihed me for bricking the neighbours new car. This was the violence of a frustrated adult unable to enforce his will on his charges.
In contrast to my other work, I have four assistants to teach 10 kids.Even with this level of support and, and a wealth of resources at my disposal I feel the anger welling up, and indeed my assistants are often rougher than I would like as they entret the children to do as asked.
The question I ask in both contexts is how much influence I have to change the situation, and how much influence overall will I loose if exertions in one particular area lead to my being fired.
So I can't blame the teacher who lashed out, I've seen it done, and given the school is Dickensian without the warmth, the act must be considered in context.
I brought it up with th director who told me that only for very bad things would one be beaten. Something tells me that the crime was not on par with firing a bus or stoning the army, and even had it been the punishment would likely have been more considered that the angry outlash I saw.
The fact that corporol punishment in state funded schools ended in 1988 meant little to the Irish language movement that continued to subsist on charity, hand outs and elbow greas; and modern theory on child behaviour is little read by the qualified education professionals that subsist on 50 pounds a month, teaching 50 kids with next to no resources.
So I watched the assault uncertain of what to do, until I was ushered by the director of the school up to my class. The thing that struck me most was the anger in the teachers' eyes as he landed blows with foot and fist. Here was not the gravitas that I recall in my fathers eyes as he punsihed me for bricking the neighbours new car. This was the violence of a frustrated adult unable to enforce his will on his charges.
In contrast to my other work, I have four assistants to teach 10 kids.Even with this level of support and, and a wealth of resources at my disposal I feel the anger welling up, and indeed my assistants are often rougher than I would like as they entret the children to do as asked.
The question I ask in both contexts is how much influence I have to change the situation, and how much influence overall will I loose if exertions in one particular area lead to my being fired.
So I can't blame the teacher who lashed out, I've seen it done, and given the school is Dickensian without the warmth, the act must be considered in context.
I brought it up with th director who told me that only for very bad things would one be beaten. Something tells me that the crime was not on par with firing a bus or stoning the army, and even had it been the punishment would likely have been more considered that the angry outlash I saw.
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