Teachers

I was schooled in the 70’s. Primary school wasn’t nice. I got put into remedial lessons as I wouldn’t bond with others and my spelling / handwriting was terrible and still is.  I then went to Secondary school and learnt to stay under the radar. My English teacher would mark my homework in the classroom in front of the class and laugh at all my spelling mistakes and get me to repeat the words in front of the class and how I spelt them. She would say that if I didn’t improve then I would be put into the lower sets with, “ the pond feeders”. Turns out obviously that I’m dyslexic.  Physical violence was quite normal with some of the older male teachers as they had been in the war and discipline is all boys understand.

Martin said:

We had the strap at school, called a 'tawse' in Scotland. Most of England had canes for corporal punishment, but some areas, such as around Manchester, the strap was in use. They were about a foot long, made of thick leather. Hard to imagine today, but companies actually manufactured 'weapons' for hitting children with. Totally barbaric.

The 'good old days' when my mum used to say to me 'children should be seen and not heard'.

Luckily for her I talked infrequently and when I did I stammered.

Martin said:

was entirely pointless.

It is

unless your mind works that way and you treat it like mental excercise, and you can actually do it faster than 'proffessional calculator operators' I had at college, except they already had jobs as accountants LOL while I never got one

We had the strap at school, called a 'tawse' in Scotland. Most of England had canes for corporal punishment, but some areas, such as around Manchester, the strap was in use. They were about a foot long, made of thick leather. Hard to imagine today, but companies actually manufactured 'weapons' for hitting children with. Totally barbaric.

Though my maths abilities in general are reasonable, I have never been able to do mental arithmetic and I have difficulties remembering things that do not interest me, so I could not reliably remember 'times tables'. At primary school, having to stand up in class and work out some addition or subtraction in my head or recite a 'times table' was horrendous. I remember getting my first electronic calculator and thinking that all the trauma of trying to master mental arithmetic was entirely pointless.

A teacher singled me out by asking 2 words which I couldn't say (crisp and potato); wrote this in my end of year report.

In history and geography had to sit in front of the class. Teacher had to help me whole duration.  Only subject I was good at was ICT.

One student was allowed a learning support assistant. 

Once the school bus failed to turn up, I had to get the normal bus to school and teachers didn't believe me. I got pinned against a wall by fellow students. 

Training college afternoon session decided not to attend. My friend tried to persuade me. The tutor was taking it out on everyone because she had problems at home.  Think I saw her on the local news.

Lucky I don't see those nasty people anymore. Only kept in touch with one.

I could write a book. 

On reading this, and the harrowing accounts above, my experience in the junior school of being pulled out of the class by my hair by a female teacher seems like nothing.

When I was at school pain was part of the curriculum in the form of corporal punishment. Slippers for the girls. Cane for the boys.

I remember in infant school a little (non white) girl regularly being forced to stand crying facing the wall all day. 

In junior school I remember a teacher forcing a boy to stand facing the classroom with his arms out. The teacher then piled heavy books onto the boy's hands.

My main bullying, physical and mental, came from other pupils.

i was slammed against the wall by my neck, fhat teachet fot struck off. i was just bored and counldnt concerntrate, so he got frustrated, but yeah thats pretty bad.

these days you would get counselking for it. but in the 90s becauss i am male i suspect, they assumed i would be ok with it. they encouraged me to stand uo for myself.

I then got bullied, so i broke that kids nose. the bullying stopped and i got suspended.

but i have always resented having to defend myswlf for just being a 'colourful character' (autistic). Im actually a very gentle, soft, thoughful individual who, if i love you, you will find im very loyal.

But often, at school, kids are arseholes to each other. So you will see a lot of defensive behaviour in that most alien of environments - from the teachers included!

I went to primary school in September 1986, so shortly after Chernobyl disaster in april and moving out of my granpa's house in a village to the nearest city in august. we got a flat in a block. I didn't realise it back then but now I think that being bullied by some teachers and students initially was an outcome of my dad being drunkard. Everybody knew. But it quickly became apparent that I'm not like others and I'm not one of the obediant kind, I wasn't because I can;t stand shouting at me. plus my ADHD was distracting me, there was so many completely alien to me things and people everywhere, so I was constantly berated by teachers for not paying attention, while I did, I still don't understand why answering question asked by teacher was not proving that. Most of the time short answer was what was needed so I was hiding my stammering. it was coming out only when emotional or confronted, so I often remained silent to hide it. By middle of 3rd year I was already losing my mind, I was punished for everything I did at school by my dad when I got home, and my mom did not want to hear anything, and so I came with brilliant idea that if I burn the school down I won't have to go there. Unfortunately I was caught by janitor and dragged to principals office (I've been there before many times). I was expelled I don't know how my mom managed to arrange it, but I started going to different school the same year. It was exactly the same there. Even math teacher was against me I think he thought I must have found a way to cheat because it wasn't possible for me to have max marks from tests always.

It went like that until 7th year when we got new math teacher. She quickly realised that I actually understand it, and I'm the only one in class that does. After some tests she decided that I'm actually more than just that and approached me with offer to train me for math olympiad, Since then I had a bit of respite at school, and something to focus on.

But literature teacher hated me, If I did write and essay myself i always got ''2'', it was the lowest grade, crossed everywhere with comments ''idiocy', ''out of context''. ''ridiculous'', and out loud they often said that I shouldn't be allowed to do it because it offends them to read it. if I copied somebodys work I did get ''3'' and so I stopped writing on my own. I struggle to  remember names as well so whenever i was called to answer during classes I always got ''2'' as well because first question was always ''what's the name of main character?'' 

I wouldn't be allowed to sit down GCSE in polish if I failed classes by getting ''2'' at the end of year, but my math teacher arranged the deal. that if I joined school theatre to get those roles nobody wants they would be leniant and let me pass.

At uni I had physics teacher that didn't let me pass exam  because I wasn't able to 'talk at length about the matter'', the reason why I dropped out, 3 years of failing to get a pass was enough for me.