Give pupils some pride
No, Mr Keith McGann, I am not surprised that there have been reports of anti-social behaviour by the pupils of Codsall High School, not if all the teachers there now are of the same opinion as you.
Just because kids come from disadvantaged families does not mean they have to be written off without another thought.
To say that the basic Three Rs is enough for them is a disgusting attitude. No wonder they hate school if that is how they are treated.
Twelve years ago the pupils from poorer backgrounds taught by you would have felt worthless, and now their children are probably attending the school. No wonder they are causing trouble; their parents have probably told them they need not give any respect to the teachers as they will get none from them, and school is boring, a lesson taught them by you, probably.
I do, however, agree with your comment about forcing kids to be academic and some of them resenting it (though I still think teachers with your attitude would make this resentment worse).
Not all kids are academic; some need to be taught other subjects that are sadly lacking in schools today, practical subjects that bright, academic kids may not be so good at, but how good it makes the less brighter ones feel when they can excel at something.
We need many manual workers – have you tried to get a plumber or an electrician recently?
Not everyone can be a computer boffin, accountant or doctor etc. Not all jobs need endless qualifications, so why do we not concentrate on making the less academic feel better about themselves instead of writing them off?
Jenny James, Dock Road, Wordsley.
