Sigh
Just back from a quick trip to the shops. On walking out of Sainsbury's I found myself in the middle of a group of lads, probably aged about 14 or 15 years-old, certainly no older. They had clearly been up to no good in the shop and one was heard to say "I suppose that is me banned for another six months". He repeated it a couple of times so that everyone had a chance to hear him. The smell of stale cigarette smoke on their clothes and on their breath was quite strong and I wondered whether their parents would notice and, if they did, would they care. Did their parents even know where they were?
The thing is, these youngsters have no fear. I am not saying they are fearless. I am saying they have nothing to fear. There are no sanctions for bad behaviour that would prevent a recurrence. Parents certainly don't wield any discipline. Teachers try but are constrained by the law and are not supported by the parents. The police have their hands tied. Those youngsters inclined to misbehave see the paper walls and walk straight through them.
A few days ago I heard a teacher say that she couldn't prevent pupils having mobile phones in the classroom. She could ask a pupil to hand it over but could do nothing if they refused.
The tail is definitely wagging the dog!
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2 comments:
Couldn't find a way to comment on your latest posting so I'll put it here.
AOL reports that the latest edition of the Rough Guide to England describes it as "a nation of overweight, alcopop-swilling, sex-and-celebrity-obsessed TV addicts". AOL's poll so far shows that 44% of the 7320 who have voted think that the description is close to the mark.
Hi Baralbion
I cringe and awful lot and I get angry even more. It is difficult to be patriotic sometimes.
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