School days no longer best for teachers

Sir, – I refer to recent letters in The Courier on the subject of indiscipline in the classroom, and regard the reasons suggested for bad behaviour as irrelevant to the teacher who is faced with pupils whose only aim is to disrupt.

The greatest deterrent to bad behaviour was the belt and when it was abolished, discipline declined. As a secondary school teacher, I was against the abolition and so were an overwhelming majority of my pupils. And the belt was indeed a deterrent, as, when clearing up my desk prior to a summer vacation, I suddenly realised I hadn’t used it during the entire year. Although it was never in sight, the pupils knew it was there. The belt, of course, is now history, and is unlikely to be restored, as so many well-meaning people, who have never had to cope with unruly teenagers, regard its use as cruelty.

In the 1980s, the only other available sanctions were detention after the school closed at 4pm or lines, and as teachers had to supervise detainees, detention was a selfpunishment option.

Lines created extra work for the teacher, as a note had to be made of the pupil’s name, the number of lines given and when they had to be handed in. If the pupil did not bring them at the specified time, he or she had to be traced, the number of lines doubled and if, once again, the pupil didn’t conform, the matter was referred to an assistant rector.

The best sanction I’ve heard of was brought to my attention by a man who had taught in Mali when it was under French control. A teacher could have a recalcitrant pupil brought in on a Saturday, to be supervised by someone who was not a teacher.

When I entered teaching in 1961, many teachers gave unstintingly of their time; after school hours and supervising football or hockey on a Saturday morning. Due to pressures put on them, this all changed in the 1980s. There are still lots of good jobs in education, but teaching isn’t one of them.

Ian M Malcolm. Morton Crescent, St Andrews.