RESPECT FOR OUR TEACHERS MUST BEGIN CLOSER TO HOME
TEACHERS and school leaders accept that managing behaviour is part of their job, but very few expect that the negative behaviours will come from the parents and care givers of the students they teach.
While every public school in Queensland has a behaviour management policy and experienced teachers who have spent years honing their skills and developing strategies for minimising disruptive behaviours, many of those schools are now regrettably forced to spend valuable time and precious resources developing processes for dealing with the increasingly poor behaviour of parents and care givers.
Daily abuse, threats, vexatious complaints and relentless harassment via email and social media are some of the behaviours chosen by parents towards educators across the nation.
School leaders do a wonderful job in managing the expectations of parents and care givers, and most parents and care givers are respectful and reasonable; I’m talking here about the toxicity of the minority.
In recent times there has been a significant decline in the behaviour of parents and care givers, evidenced by increased calls for union legal assistance and support to respond to abusive parents and care givers.
Educators and school leaders on the Gold Coast report being:
Sworn at;
Threatened with acts of physical violence (including rape, mutilation, shooting);
Receiving excessive parent emails at all hours of the day and night (as many as 20 emails from one parent in a single day are not uncommon);
Subject to vitriolic tirades on social media – including accusations of incompetence, bullying, lying and even paedophilia.
The union is very clear – violence in any form is not acceptable. Every staff member in every school has the right to a safe working environment; wilful disturbance is an offence under the Education Act and can be dealt with accordingly.
The Department of Education has legitimate processes for individuals who wish to raise legitimate concerns.
Finally, it is beholden upon us all to remember that teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions. I urge parents and care givers to be mindful of the behaviours they choose when interacting with and talking about our school leaders and teachers. Respect is the right choice.