| Greetings! I'm new here (please, call me Mimi) and am positively thrilled with the quantity--and quality--of information I've already read on these boards. I look forward to learning more as I go through the process of relocating to UK for the coming school year.
Honestly, I can't believe how simple it all seems!
Anyway, to the question portion of this post:
I currently teach at an alternative school in Texas. I've read about the much-posted "what if a student throws a chair at you" question, and it makes me smile. At a school like mine, this is a somewhat normal occurence. But my question is, are there alternative, disciplinary schools in the UK? Outside of the prison system, I mean? And do you think my experience in this environment (relatively low on the academic scale, but high on behavior management!) will help or hinder finding a position in the UK? |
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Hi, and welcome!
Yes, it IS simple! Lots of work, but still simple. Days you'll want to run away, but still simple! Days you'll realise you HAD to be mad to do this, but still simple. Days you'll wonder why any teacher living here would do this, when they have the option of another job of any sort they want . . . but it's simple! LOL!
And to answer your question, years ago there was such a thing (similar to our US Alternative Schools), but no longer, except a few really specialised places for kids with medical/psychiatric needs. Probably half the kids at my school would qualify for Alternative School!
Yes, I worked in one in the US, even did my student teaching there, and had flying chairs and desks from the first day. The second day a filing cabinet took such a beating we never got it open again. In November, the same boy tore the door off our building and it was snowing that day (it was in Maine). Oh, the good old days! I've also had a kid with a gun in my room. So whilst the behaviour is appalling here, it's mostly very childish, and a few fights, no stabbings or similar yet.
Anyway, best of luck!
ET
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Hi Mimi,
I think any school would find your background in multiple behaviour management techniques very useful. We've had 3 stabbings in my school...not very serious ones mind...more bluster and bluff than malintent. We've also had a few teachers struck, but mainly because they got in the kid's face and kept yelling when emotions were very high...dumb move huh? We had an Newly Qualified Teacher leave our school to go work in a prison school because he found behaviour too difficult and wanted to work somewhere easier.
As for alternate behaviour schools, I haven't really heard of any as such. There's a school just down the road that specializes in severe learning handicaps, but the behaviour problems just get shuffled from one school to the next...they seem to stop or linger for a very long time in our place though.
I think if you can deal with the more street-wise American toughies, you wouldn't have too much difficulty over here. The behaviours are tough, but more childish over here.
Meli |
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| Yes, we've seen a few teachers struck as well (two in the past month), and the kids are usually excluded for a week, but the teachers don't know how to diffuse a situation -- they tend to get in the kid's face and challenge them. |
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Fabulous! Okay, honestly, that's just what I wanted to hear. That I'd get a job in a regular school, but that my experience would be a positive, not a negative, when it comes to finding a job.
As far as dealing with behavior...my students are 80% in gangs. If I can manage gang warfare in the classroom, I suppose some temper and some testing of boundaries will be tolerable.
Now, then. To get hired... |
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