by Sammy Stein

Created on: August 22, 2008

I would like to propose that lessons be given in the primary classroom on social skills. Not to the children but to the teachers!

All our children went to a selective church school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England and I have never seen such poor social skills displayed by teachers.

I had various things happen to me, from being shouted at in front of other parents by the head teacher, to being shouted at by a very junior teacher with the head teacher looking on. I did recieve a letter of apology but the letter (sent by the head teacher) excused rather than apologised for his behaviour. He stated he had been busy, was worried about his daughter and so on. What was needed was a simple, 'I am sorry' but the head teacher led by example and was a rude, officous, arrogant swine - and his teachers followed suit.

One teacher even chose those parents she would speak to (we joined the ranks of the onspoken to because we commented her treatment of our son with special needs appeared unfair). Instead of discussing things with us,she invented some excuse and refused to talk to us again.

The sad things was, the school had, until recently ,been thought of as a very special place. Parents were really pleased when their children were offered a place - us included. Yet, as so often happens, they got above themselves and began to be selective to the point where appeals against decisions were upheld. They refused a Down Syndrome child entry in spite of the fact they had had a similar child earlier. They held a deliberate campaign- led by the head teacher- to get rid of a child who was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder- even to the point of refusing to sign forms to allow them to get additional help. In short, they got above themselves and began to think they had more power than they did.

It took complaints to the local education authority and seven complaints and an inspection before the school saw the error of its ways, the head teacher took early retirment and a new head was brought in. Few of the teachers remain and the school has completely changed with special needs children getting the support they deserve and the church funded school being worthy of its name.

I would propose the teaching of social skills to the teachers in the form of simple lessons in how to discuss things with parents, basic good manners and how to broach difficult subjects without either breaking down in tears or shouting at parents as if they were idiots.
Then, we might all get along and the children would have the examples they deserve in their school.

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