TheParagon-Education

May 31, 2013.Children’s behavior in classrooms throughout the United Kingdom has significantly degenerated in the last five years, according to a poll by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

“A teacher at a secondary school in Dudley said: ‘I’ve been sworn at, argued with, shouted at, had books thrown at me, threatened with physical abuse and had things stolen and broken,’” an ATL press release stated.

Another teacher told researchers about a five-year-old whose conduct “ranges from being very caring and wanting a lot of attention to swearing at staff, punching, kicking, hitting staff and other children, smashing up furniture and equipment.”

In another account, a male teacher stated, “I was cyberbullied-pupils created a pornographic Photoshop image of me.”

Of 844 ATL-member teachers, heads of school, and other support staff surveyed throughout the UK, “62% said there are more children with emotional, behavioural and mental health problems than two years ago, and 56% said there are more than five years ago.”

Almost 80 percent of those involved in the study blamed “lack of boundaries at home” as the principal reason for the spike. Other common reasons include “emotional problems (68%), wanting attention from other students (64%), a lack of positive role models at home (61%) and family breakdowns (61%).”

A POPULAR teacher was killed when she was repeatedly stabbed in front of terrified students at a secondary school yesterday. Anne Maguire was attacked at Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds yesterday morning. A 15-year-old boy was held by teachers before police arrived to arrest him. The victim, who taught Spanish and religious education and had been at the school for 40 years, was taken to hospital where she died from her injuries. Students reported hearing screams and saw pupils running from a classroom. Others said Mrs Maguire, 61, was stabbed in the back as she took a lesson.

A TEACHER killed in front of her students was last night described as the ‘school’s own mother’ by shocked staff and pupils.
Tributes have poured in for Anne Maguire who was repeatedly stabbed while she gave a lesson.
The 61-year-old was attacked in class shortly before midday yesterday, and Chf Supt Paul Money said staff and students were in a ‘state of shock’ after witnessing the stabbing.
Some pupils told officers they had heard a boy making threats to stab a teacher hours before the attack.
Police have recovered a knife from the scene and a boy of 15 remains in custody after the attack at Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds,
Pupil Jacob Hill, 16, was told Mrs
Maguire was stabbed in the back.

He claimed the suspect was ‘really clever’ but struggled in Spanish and suffered from depression.

‘I’m still in shock she would never hurt anyone,’ he added of Mrs Maguire’s death. ‘She was always trying to help people.’ Speaking outside the school gates, another pupil, Georgina Kilroy, also 16, said: ‘I don’t know anyone who didn’t like her. You couldn’t ask for a better teacher.’ Distraught pupils spoke of a ‘legend teacher’ on social media websites last night.
Lucy Melia said: ‘Everybody has nothing but pure love for Mrs Maguire. She was the heart of that school.’

Another wrote: ‘RIP Mrs Maguire, by far the most caring teacher in that school. She’s now a star in the sky.’

The 1,000-pupil school, for students aged 11 to 16, remained open despite the killing, with floral tributes being left at the gates by pupils and parents. Prime minister David Cameron was one of the first to pay tribute to the teacher. ‘My thoughts are with the family of Anne Maguire, as well as the staff and pupils of Corpus Christi school,’ he added.

Leeds city council’s chief executive Tom Riordan assured parents the attack was ‘an isolated incident’ and said there was ‘no ongoing risk to pupils or staff’.
But Russell Hobby, of the National Association of Head Teachers, said of the tragedy: ‘Teachers carry a great weight for our society and we owe them so much. It is terrible that they should be asked to pay this price, too.’