Staff turnover in schools. A major issue for schools across the country.
Many teachers claim poor behaviour is the cause of their leaving the teaching profession; others speak of rowdy classrooms, violence against teachers, intimidating Year 11 boys, charged with testosterone and looking for a fight. Sometimes teachers leave the profession over workload, stress and long hours despite the bell ringing noisily at 3.30. Others leave due to management, bullying by other members of staff who seek to intimidate anyone who tries to criticise their regime and their school.
Upon reflection, sometimes silence is always a virtue in schools. When the outspoken and rowdy student, opinionated about sexual matters, well-versed in modern-day expletives utters words unutterable by decent society, the professional remains calm, preferring to calmly address such obscenities in a measured tone; carefully avoiding drawing too much attention to the student in question, after all, giving them an audience exacerbates and encourages. As he – we always assume it’s the testosterone-charged male – sits down in his own time, taking care to expertly catch the eyes of any heavily made up, doe-eyed females within his gaze, the teacher barely acknowledges his tirade, choosing to swiftly, silently gloss over and continue with the precious learning slipping away through her fingers, like grains of rice in the school cafe.
Silence in the staffroom is always a virtue and yet we feel compelled to share: the battle with those Year 10s, the great lesson we had with Year 11 because they were so willing to work, the overly-keen Year 7s who wrote 7 pages for their last assessment. The emotional highs and lows of the profession never change and will probably remain until education is replaced by the future, otherwise known as vocational qualifications. In reality, it’s the creative teachers, the English teachers, those who came to the profession to instil a love of literature, those who want everyone to gain the most important GCSE of their lives who suffer the greatest emotional highs and lows. English Faculties as a rule are generally passionate people, sentiment playing the highest part in their teaching, pushed through the bars of a rigid English teaching system, shackled to a curriculum which seeks to enrich lives through sub-levels, SATs and the decimal point, we soldier on.
Occasionally, some of us forget that silence is a virtue. Occasionally, some of us dare to venture into that unknown abyss of management to express some dissatisfaction, make a suggestion, and voice a minor concern. It is at these times that it becomes apparent that very few teachers genuinely care about their students. It is love of students and all that we want them to become that drives us down into the pit where none dare venture. It is this love that gives us the passion and drives us to confront the power living in the lair about the situation, ask questions, and raise concerns about how we cheat our students, our future out of an education by not providing for their needs.
Once this is done, there is no going back. The rule book has been broken, shredded and thrown out the window. One is perceived and couched as a trouble causer; a hopeless no-hoper who does not wish to inspire students and instead is intent on belligerent badgering of management, which will neither do the teacher any favours or help the students. The silence is shattered, a vial of poison in a thousand pieces on the floor, seeping slowly into the generic grey carpet of the staffroom.
The silencing of such renegades who dare to question or make suggestions, offering their head on a platter to Salome, like the sacrificial lambs on the pilgrimage to Mecca, oblivious to their fate, guided by the only hand that rules them – passion for their students and their well-being – is as much like the muffling carried out by the testosterone-charged teenager. The same naked, raw aggression, the same intimidating testosterone, shooting sharply out of their pores and mouths like oppressively warm semen, quashing any attempt to speak out, gagging the belligerent, smothering the rebellious with a viscous coating, the concerns masked forever by a tirade of words and accusations, so far-removed from the macho male teenager, a yet so closely placed in aggression that one mirrors the other. Where the teenager used expletives, the management male uses accusations; where the teenager made explicitly offensive sexual references, the male in management, differing only in his physical size and suit, uses aggression and the voice of authority.
So I reiterate, in schools, silence is a virtue. We would not want to speak out in the interests of our students, lest we’re accused, aggrandised as a revolutionary, a radical who hates to educate. Any voice is perceived as a negative, mutinous and anarchic, a voice who seeks to endanger rather than educate our nation’s children.
Silence is a virtue, because apparently it is in our silence we benefit our students. Silence is a virtue; one that in school, I hope I never start to practise.
I’m find your mirror comparison of the aggessive male teenager and manager (prinicpal) to be very similar to my own experience except that mine are female. Young females, mad and agree at the world, their parents, authority and anyone who dares question them spew profanities and non-grounded accuassations professing to be equals and continually whispering “it’s a bad day” morning and afternnoon to dismiss their actions, their screaming tirantes and their accussations. I turn, deeply breathing, only to have staff – female – burst in and replay parts of the previous pageant. In either case, accused I stand because of my maleness. As I spend time visiting classrooms, it is not the male aggressiveness that I witness. No, instead it is a new aggression – a female aggression and, if any way it is suggested that this is not permissible, a rant begins that only ends in angry tears with no hope of discussion or conversation.
In silence, enduring accussations and hateful slanders, I continue to work to bring people together – working to build a community where many are trying to tear it apart. There is silence – my silence – lest I am seen to be in any way improper because I do not want to endure the never ceasing cacophany from the young females who are mad, frustrated and being empowered to profess this regardless of how. As I endure in silence, I wonder when it became permissible to abuse someone regardless of their sex. And to be sure, this is just those in the school – as I continue to be the receiver of these people’s “rights” without any of my own – having mothers pickup this torch when the rights of their “child” are hurt regardless of the rights they have destroyed.
As I work to create the best for the students in the school, looking for any way to grab an advantage for them, I endure in silence because to use my voice would have me drawn as “The same naked, raw aggression, the same intimidating testosterone, shooting sharply out of their pores and mouths like oppressively warm semen, quashing any attempt to speak out, gagging the belligerent, smothering the rebellious with a viscous coating, the concerns masked forever by a tirade of words and accusations, so far-removed from the macho male teenager, a yet so closely placed in aggression that one mirrors the other.” while, in turn, I have two females, both screaming of anger and frustation, standing at different points along life’s line yet both equal in their vehement battle for their rights – stamping on others to have it recognised.
I have witnessed a shift in the aggressors in the halls – no longer being the males and their testerone as they have been successful deballed. Instead, I watch the vicious and utterly unforgiving hate that takes place with the females, slashing and stabbing each other in the back while holding hands and smiling face to face. Educators, professionals, adults doing the same so that the two exchange places with only the lines of time separating them.
You see a male in authority spewing a tirade of words and accusations while I see females spewing hate and destruction, doing whatever it takes to take down anyone in their way behind the back while smiling sweetly and cooing softly slowly destroying the community.
You choose to not remain silent while I, with no other choice, must remain silent or be labelled as a testoterone, semen spewing male.
You, I can relate to a lot of what you are saying about females in schools. Surprisingly, I agree with you. My one post was related to ONE incident with someone who happened to be male, asserting his authority over me by trying to use intimidation and, it would seem, aggressive force.
My argument wasn’t really that he was male per se, it was merely that he was trying to silence me with his male aggression. It was THIS particular male I objected to, not all men in general.
I do agree that there has been a major shift in aggressive females, especially where I teach; and in the teaching world in general; many women in management have adopted the quite macho/masculine persona in order to compete. I personally and religiously feel this is due to women being forced into competing with men. Being a Muslim woman, I am quite empowered, knowing that I don’t HAVE to work, and thus do not HAVE to compete with men, scream and rant and be heard, like you have described.
But you know, I think I should write about this misplaced female aggression in school too…
Thanks for your comment, it was both illuminating and well-written. Please keep leaving me feedback
Peace
silence is a virtue/ silence is a crime.
well written, intelligent, thoughtful, thought provoking.
those who are silent at injustice, cruelty, hatred, suffering, oppression, poverty, bullying, are complicit in those things.
those who are silent, aid and abet.
sometimes silence is the only answer – where are the jews asked the nazis, tell the names demanded macarthy in america… sometimes the truth demands a lie, or silence.
as a former parent governor i didnt mind being a minority voice but discovered that none of the governors had any real say when the management i.e. head teacher decided certain things… as for teachers n other staff voicec – hah.