Discussion
Many teachers at my secondary school constantly told me I that wouldn't amount to anything - and I believed them. So I gave up trying.
After leaving school not a single college would accept me – because I only had one CSE. Eventually a chap called Pete gave me a break, because he saw that I did have potential under my shy and unconfident exterior. He used to tell me “you prove to the world that you’re not worse than anyone else” – he was inspirational. He gave me a job for £12 a week and my duties included cleaning the floor and making the tea. Because I was in close proximity to the shop floor, I used to watch the blokes operate the machines and I would offer to help them if they were behind schedule. After a few years I found that I was a reasonably competent operator. To cut a long story short, I was promoted within the company and eventually I had the confidence to go into business on my own. I was encouraged all the way by my employer who gave me a break in life.
I now earn more than 10 times as much as the teachers that were keen for me to know that I wouldn’t amount to anything! Nowadays, I have nothing but contempt for my old school, but huge gratitude to a man who saw my potential. Equally, when employing people I tend to be biased towards those who have been thrown on the scrapheap by society, but have potential.
I bet there are loads of ‘unsung heroes’ out there – mine’s Pete.
After leaving school not a single college would accept me – because I only had one CSE. Eventually a chap called Pete gave me a break, because he saw that I did have potential under my shy and unconfident exterior. He used to tell me “you prove to the world that you’re not worse than anyone else” – he was inspirational. He gave me a job for £12 a week and my duties included cleaning the floor and making the tea. Because I was in close proximity to the shop floor, I used to watch the blokes operate the machines and I would offer to help them if they were behind schedule. After a few years I found that I was a reasonably competent operator. To cut a long story short, I was promoted within the company and eventually I had the confidence to go into business on my own. I was encouraged all the way by my employer who gave me a break in life.
I now earn more than 10 times as much as the teachers that were keen for me to know that I wouldn’t amount to anything! Nowadays, I have nothing but contempt for my old school, but huge gratitude to a man who saw my potential. Equally, when employing people I tend to be biased towards those who have been thrown on the scrapheap by society, but have potential.
I bet there are loads of ‘unsung heroes’ out there – mine’s Pete.
Because of an "incident" at school with the computers (I won't bore you with it), the head of computing bollocked me in front of the whole class, ending his rant with "Mark my words, with your attitude, you'll never work with computers...."
Ho ho ho...
So no quite a hero, perhaps a anti-hero
neil.b said:
Because of an "incident" at school with the computers (I won't bore you with it), the head of computing bollocked me in front of the whole class, ending his rant with "Mark my words, with your attitude, you'll never work with computers...."
I reckon some teachers are responsible for a fair bit of the crap in society. Publically humiliating someone who's going adolescense could affect them for a long time.
Most teachers are now paid between 30-50k per annum.
Are you on half a million?
It's easy to hate teachers and think they had it in for you. In reality, most teachers genuinely want kids to succeed - they do the job because they do want to make a difference.
Time after time teachers will encounter kids who don't make any effort, are disruptive and have no motivation or respect. On occasion they might be justified in saying "If you carry on like this you'll never get anywhere".
And they would probably have been right.
The fact is that you changed, and therefore succeeded.
Teaching is a tough profession, with more stresses and complexities than most people will ever know or have to deal with to be honest.
I can say this because I have been both a successful businessman and an Senior Teacher in Schools, Colleges and a University Lecturer.
Of course there are bad teachers, and when I was at school the standard was often mediocre at best. Standards have risen drastically over the past ten years....unfortunately parenting standards have dropped equally drastically over than time frame.
>> Edited by alexkp on Friday 10th December 14:09
Are you on half a million?
It's easy to hate teachers and think they had it in for you. In reality, most teachers genuinely want kids to succeed - they do the job because they do want to make a difference.
Time after time teachers will encounter kids who don't make any effort, are disruptive and have no motivation or respect. On occasion they might be justified in saying "If you carry on like this you'll never get anywhere".
And they would probably have been right.
The fact is that you changed, and therefore succeeded.
Teaching is a tough profession, with more stresses and complexities than most people will ever know or have to deal with to be honest.
I can say this because I have been both a successful businessman and an Senior Teacher in Schools, Colleges and a University Lecturer.
Of course there are bad teachers, and when I was at school the standard was often mediocre at best. Standards have risen drastically over the past ten years....unfortunately parenting standards have dropped equally drastically over than time frame.
>> Edited by alexkp on Friday 10th December 14:09
Yes Alex, your calculations are correct.
The only point of reference that I have regarding secondary school was my experience there. The place was a disgrace - as were most of the teachers. Some were good.
Nowadays, I send my kids to a private school.
The point of my thread is: Don't underestimate how much impact a positive or negative influence those in authority can have on someone's life. It wasn't that I "chose to change" - it was that I was "allowed to contribute".
>> Edited by srebbe64 on Friday 10th December 14:14
The only point of reference that I have regarding secondary school was my experience there. The place was a disgrace - as were most of the teachers. Some were good.
Nowadays, I send my kids to a private school.
The point of my thread is: Don't underestimate how much impact a positive or negative influence those in authority can have on someone's life. It wasn't that I "chose to change" - it was that I was "allowed to contribute".
>> Edited by srebbe64 on Friday 10th December 14:14
A couple fo years ago I took over as manager of a team which had an appaling sickness and attendence record, there was one guy who was on his final written warning for this.
When I left he took over from me and wrote me a lovely letter thanking me for my time and unwavering belief that he could do the job, apparantly throughout his life everyone else had just dismissed him.
When I left he took over from me and wrote me a lovely letter thanking me for my time and unwavering belief that he could do the job, apparantly throughout his life everyone else had just dismissed him.
neil.b said:
Because of an "incident" at school with the computers (I won't bore you with it), the head of computing bollocked me in front of the whole class, ending his rant with "Mark my words, with your attitude, you'll never work with computers...."
Ho ho ho...
So no quite a hero, perhaps a anti-hero
Odd that
Same think happened to me
The head of IT could not figure out how id done it - I was only 14 
Had to write another small program to undo the damage which took me 7 mins, after they had been working for 2 hours
Head of year also told me that she thought I was autistic, probably retarded in other ways and tried to refer me to a psychiatrist... also told me she wouldnt employ me to sweep the car park.
FU all school!
srebbe64 said:
Because of an "incident" at school with the computers (I won't bore you with it), the head of computing bollocked me in front of the whole class, ending his rant with "Mark my words, with your attitude, you'll never work with computers...."
I reckon some teachers are responsible for a fair bit of the crap in society. Publically humiliating someone who's going adolescense could affect them for a long time.
Maybe so, but a child is in school just 13% of their time over the course of a year. All the rest is holidays, weekends, time at home.
I think it's a bit much to expect teachers to not only educate these kids to a high standard, but also to provide the parental guidance and discipline that so many parents now fail to instil at home in that time.
Kids whose immediate response to being given instruction is "You can't make me" are being told at home that teachers are some kind of enemy.
Many classes of 30 kids who are unruly, disrespectful , disruptive and violent, are extremely difficult to control. Add to that Parents who will come down the school and swear in front of kids tht "If you effing tell my kid what to do I'll deck ya" don't help.
Do you think you could do it?
anonymous said:
[redacted]
My problem at school was not that I was disruptive or ill-mannered in any way. I also came from a very good family. However, I was extremely shy and I wasn't very clever - I used to struggle to understand the the work.
To my mind, it is unforgivable for teachers to throw people like me on the scrapheap.
srebbe64 said:
My problem at school was not that I was disruptive or ill-mannered in any way. I also came from a very good family. However, I was extremely shy and I wasn't very clever - I used to struggle to understand the the work.
To my mind, it is unforgivable for teachers to throw people like me on the scrapheap.
I agree with that - sorry if I seemed a little harsh but I have worked with and had working for me many teachers of the years, and most have been very hard working and dedicated.
The problem is that back when you and I were at school(I was 70's to 80's and you I gues were late 60's to 70's) the system was only really geared to work for the average student. If you were too bright there was nothing, if you needed extra encouragement there was little to help.
Teachers back then received almost no ongoing training and were publically undervalued by successive governments. The culture inside many schools was not a positive one, and there was no real incentive to improve significantly.
Regardless, standards have risen considerably, but unfortunately so have social problems and negative influences on children.
For the record, most of my teachers were pretty poor, but that is measured against standards now. For the time they were adequate.
srebbe64 said:
My point of this thread is in the title and the majority of the content relates to an 'unsung hero' friend of mine. It's interesting though, that people have naturally responded to poor teachers reference. Maybe I've touched a nerve, I don't know?
Oh you have with me - lol - and you and I are usually in broad agreement on most issues...
Having been on both sides of working life I have a fairly unique perspective.
The bottom line is you suffered from an unsatisfactory education - and you shouldn't have. But times have changed - most kids now get every chance at school - but not all will take it.
I should just add - that in my opinion teachers are an easy target for blame from parents who don't parent, and a society that believes scrotes are always "victims". You can't win.
>> Edited by alexkp on Friday 10th December 14:39
Nice one srebbe64, but if you've now got your own business and draw half a Bernie each year, why not channel that anger and frustration by sponsoring a Business and Enterprise specialist school near you? Help kids get the kind of education where talent and enterprise flourish and you don't have to be an academic genius. Anything from £1k to £50k would help enormously, each aspiring specialist school has to raise £50k and in return the education department give them a one-off £100k capital grant and then £129 extra per pupil for each of four years, decent money and the per capita element can be re-bid for over a further 12 years at present. And it makes a big difference. Interested?
>> Edited by turbobloke on Friday 10th December 14:47
>> Edited by turbobloke on Friday 10th December 14:47
anonymous said:
[redacted]
As I say, because of my personal experience my natural tendency is to run a mile from comprehensives - so my kids are educated privately.
I know what you mean about parents. I'm a Governor of a local primary school and the crap that some of the teachers have to take from some parents is astonishing. I wouldn't have the patience for such a vocation.
turbobloke said:
Nice one srebbe64, but if you've now got your own business and draw half a Bernie each year, why not channel that anger and frustration by sponsoring a Business and Enterprise specialist school near you? Help kids get the kind of education where talent and enterprise flourish and you don't have to be an academic genius. Anything from £1k to £50k would help enormously, each aspiring school has to raise £50k and in return the education department give them a one-off £100k capital grant and then £129 extra per pupil for each four years, decent money and the per capita element can be re-bid for ocer a further 12 years at present. And it makes a big difference. Interested?
Some years ago I started a charity which supports elderly widows in India (thrown on the scrapheap by their familes, can you believe). Much of my surplus cash goes into this.
Mine was my personal tutor at uni.
I left school when I was 16 after being told by teachers that I wasn't clever enough for further/higher education, so I went out and started working as a secretary. I got married when I was 19 and started to want a bit more out of life so I did an A Level in English Literature at evening classes. One night after class my teacher took me aside and said I should consider applying to go to University.
I did and got accepted to Oxford Brookes but ended up having to get divorced because my ex husband didn't want me to go to uni and tried various methods to dissuade me including beating me up. Anyway, the first term was a nightmare, I was skint, living in an awful house with 4 awful people, working a 40 hour week as well as studying and I seriously considered dropping out because I didn't think I could cope. One day I had a row with a lecturer and walked out of class. My personal tutor, Adrian, found me in the corridor in tears and spent the next hour talking to me and convincing me that I could do it. He took the time to find out my background and my problems and to try and help me, which no-one else had done.
The upshot was that I finished the course and got a 2:1.
And I would probably not have done it if it hadn't been for him.
I left school when I was 16 after being told by teachers that I wasn't clever enough for further/higher education, so I went out and started working as a secretary. I got married when I was 19 and started to want a bit more out of life so I did an A Level in English Literature at evening classes. One night after class my teacher took me aside and said I should consider applying to go to University.
I did and got accepted to Oxford Brookes but ended up having to get divorced because my ex husband didn't want me to go to uni and tried various methods to dissuade me including beating me up. Anyway, the first term was a nightmare, I was skint, living in an awful house with 4 awful people, working a 40 hour week as well as studying and I seriously considered dropping out because I didn't think I could cope. One day I had a row with a lecturer and walked out of class. My personal tutor, Adrian, found me in the corridor in tears and spent the next hour talking to me and convincing me that I could do it. He took the time to find out my background and my problems and to try and help me, which no-one else had done.
The upshot was that I finished the course and got a 2:1.
And I would probably not have done it if it hadn't been for him.
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