Indefensible

So the Ministry of Education is monitoring even the Northland Age.

I refer to a letter to the editor, from a David Wales, who calls himself national manager learning support. Pity that he hadn’t spent the time understanding our problem instead of trying to defend the indefensible.

David Wales’ response shows a total lack of understanding of our problem. Remember, this is the same person who stated that if we had violent children we should call the police, even if we were a 100km away from a police station.

His response misconstrues what our concerns are, and treats us like country bumpkins who don’t understand how helpful his guidelines actually are for us. David also makes out that all those attending the meeting in Wellington were totally in agreement with the ministry stance, which we know is totally untrue, and he basically laments that we at the coal face don’t understand.

Let’s be clear.

I have never said that the Ministry of Education prohibited teachers from physically restraining children who are behaving dangerously in school. However, we have given at least one example of a principal following ministry guidelines who as a result, was put through a 31⁄2-month investigation by police and treated like a criminal, with no support from the ministry.

What David Wales and his ghost writer in the ministry fail to grasp is the unintended consequences of the guidelines with regards to dealing with children who are not being a danger to themselves or others.

The child smashing equipment or destroying a room . . . guidelines say remove all the other children and leave the child in the room, presumably until they have destroyed everything. David, do you really believe that that is what most people would consider was the best way to handle such a situation, or is it Mad Hatter territory?

The 5-year-old throwing a tantrum because they don’t want mum or dad to go and leave them at school and keeps trying to run after her or him. A school, under the guidelines, is not allowed to restrain them and calm them down, as we used to for years.

David, do you really believe that that is what most people would consider was the best way to handle such a situation, or is it Mad Hatter territory?

The child refusing to get out of a car and walk into school . . . we are not allowed to pick the child up and carry them in to school, as we have done for years.

David, do you really believe that that is what most people would consider was the best way to handle such a situation, or is it Mad Hatter territory?

The child running out of the school grounds we are not allowed to stop . . . we are told we cannot restrain until they put themselves in danger. So we run after them and wait till they run out on the road in front of a truck? David, do you really believe that that is what most people would consider was the best way to handle such a situation, or is it Mad Hatter territory?

I would love David and his officebound colleagues to actually deal with the daily occurrences we have to deal with in our classrooms. Then instead of spending time defending the indefensible, they just might do what they are paid to do — actually help us.

David Wales obviously does not understand the real need for change with regards restraint. He also forgot, coincidentally, to mention that the ministry responses at the meeting in Wellington were so pedantically up to expectations that it is laughable if it wasn’t so sad. The ministry refused point blank to look at an amendment to legislation, which is what really is needed.

It’s Cuckoo Land, run by the Mad Hatters, and all David has done in his response to the editor of the Northland Age is a flim flam job to cover ineptitude and denigrate those of us actually dealing with the problem created by his ministry.

What a pity that David could not put the same effort into actually helping schools with this problem.

PAT NEWMAN President, Te Tai Tokerau Principals’

Association

on this any time soon, nor any word from church ‘leaders’. LEO LEITCH Benneydale

Hawke’s Bay. He must be seething since the case I’ve cited. H WESTFOLD

Miramar