Seriously?

At the hotel near school, where I go to get my coffee, they have giant snowmen and polar bears, advertising Christmas parties. It's JUNE for crying out loud.

I am feeling like I need to have a bloody good rant about what is being expected of schools and the seeming abdication of responsibility by others, including parents. I am all for student voice, but we work in schools - our purpose is to educate and to do that effectively, we need parents to engage positively with schools and support us in ensuring boundaries are set and expectations about conduct are met.

Don't get me wrong, I am not talking about my school as such - I have many friends and contacts in a variety of school settings. Seriously, I believe that something shifted in society a few years back, when it became acceptable for some parents to verbally abuse teachers without any comeback at all.

I think we collectively spend far too much time negotiating with young people and them having to justify ourselves to parents, when it is the child that needs to be grilled.

That feels better!