It wasn't until I started Technical college at the start of my Apprenticeship that I found out that I was really quite good at all forms of Mathematics, Algebra, Trig, and all the others. My Secondary Maths Teacher was a Welshman. failed Rugby Player, and a complete Bully, waste of time and fresh air, the Lecturers at Tech were far more tolerant, and taught me loads, if I had listened to Ivor the Maths Bully I wouldn't have become an Electrician, different nowadays with all the short courses but wondered if anyone else had fallen foul of the 60s Teachers, there were some good ones. but mostly bad. love to get your experiences for comparison to mine.
Don't be too miffed at what happened in the past, you actually did OK, got on an apprenticeship and progressed. For today's kids, there isn't much hope. Few are really looking for apprenticeships, they'd rather be Youtube Influencers, pop stars, cyber criminals or drug lords ( I swear, I have seen these things written on questionnaires handed out by a teacher, looking for some background on a new class at a secondary school)
Of the few that are looking for apprenticeships, a good chunk have no interest in the trade, they are just buckling to the pressure from parents telling them a brickie/sparky/plumber is a good trade guaranteed to be in demand far into the future, so grudgingly sign up.
So, those "bully" teachers that used to give out the twack (cane) or launch board rubbers at our heads etc are all gone, but guess how effective today's teachers are...
Yep, most of them, "not very". It's not their fault, I know of one keen, dynamic, intelligent teacher, who has been ground down by the conditions in school today, and I imagine they will be baling out to do something else shortly. Discipline is about zero, parents all back up little Jimmy when emails are sent home about his behaviour, and there's very little the teacher can do to motivate the little turds, ahem, angels to even shut up, let alone try and work diligently.
Having seen some of the test papers handed in for marking, once I finished laughing at the spelling and punctuation, I was told that they weren't actually the retard class, as I assumed, but they were the top set. I think my old headmaster would have flogged us round the rugger field had we dared hand in such garbage!
Even the kids with a bit of common sense and an eye on their life ahead don't get much of a chance. It only takes one other disruptive little scrote to kick off and ensure the whole class learns nothing, whilst a despairing teacher hands out Bad Behaviour slips and awaits the school Intervention Specialist's arrival to talk the troublemaker down, I kid you not.
Meh, just
one thrashing, that's what I'd give him, and I GUARANTEE, that class would listen in rapt silence from then on - but hey, that's apparently why I wouldn't make it through teacher training!
Um, I guess what this essay meant to say was that the best teachers were somewhere in between hero and villain, back in my day - so long as you did the work, you could learn a lot and get away with a little banter and high-jinks. But, overstep the mark, or push your luck, and you'd get a brain piercing crow-peck or be pulled out of the class by your nipple and literally booted out to see the Head. Those who just didn't like the cut of your jib, you'd avoid, or keep a low profile in their presence.
That's actually a great life lesson, and just as important as the subject the bully taught - that there are many complete butt-holes out there in the real world, and you have to deal with them as best you can and learn to thrive
despite them (instead of, as today's kids might do, wetting your pants and having 6 weeks off due to stress, whilst your parents berate the nasty man who upset you)
