Discipline debate: The unruly behaviour of some students is "killing" teachers and driving them out of their jobs, the TUI congress heard yesterday. Delegates heard about weapons being put to teachers' throats, teachers being threatened and having their cars vandalised.
Some teachers were falsely accused of sexual harassment if they bumped into a student, Donegal teacher Mr Eddie Taggart told the conference. "Where is it all going to end? CCTV? Security guards?" he asked.
The delegates unanimously passed three motion seeking procedures and legislation "for the defence and support of teachers who are subjected to physical and emotional abuse". They demanded that the Department of Education become pro-active on the issue, and asked the TUI to use all available means to improve legislation on the issue.Castlebar teacher Mr Tony Deffely said some unfortunate pupils were so hurt and wounded at home that they came into school and inflicted the same damage on their fellow students and teachers.
"This, at the end of the day, is killing teachers. It's driving them out of their jobs and I think we as a union have to take very, very serious steps in this regard," he said. Part-time teachers were almost afraid to report disciplinary matters in case their contracts were not renewed.
"There is a place somewhere - if we could find it - for good, tough, fair authority in schools," Mr Deffely said, but teachers were not finding evidence of this in anything offered by the Department of Education. Mr Seamus Mullaney from north Tipperary said part-time jobs were giving students disposable income to spend on alcohol and substance abuse. "And that leads to a bad attendance record but of course we all know that that can be covered by a note by the parent, most times not telling the full truth."
Donegal teacher Mr Brian McGivern said some teachers dreaded a 35-minute class of "undiluted harassment from a new breed - a very unpleasant young person, encouraged out of the house by his loving parents to be baby-sat by second-level teachers until 4 p.m."
If they were suspended, they would laugh in their teacher's face and tell them it was a two-day holiday. Expulsion merely gave them the chance to sell drugs and alcohol to fellow students.
Cork teacher Ms Margaret McSweeney said she would love to "shake the living daylights" out of an unruly student. "But you can't do anything. We are tied."
