R2OK!

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

Watched what turned out to be a rather mediocre edition of this quiz show earlier this evening but it led to my youngest son and I having a humorous discussion re school in general.

We agreed that suspension is probably the most pointless punishment ever devised.

Once, when I was in the Lower Sixth, a classmate was suspended for a week and duly went off youth hostelling whilst the rest of us worked on.

Where's the punishment in that?

Ian.

Cherskiy · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 8:16 am Post subject:

Suspension was almost akin to a 'badge of honour' among the bad lads when I was at school. Do something wrong, then be told you don't have to turn up to school for a fortnight? "Get in!", as the phrase of the time went.... Rolling Eyes

ISTR it more or less encouraged them to go off the rails.
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gfloyd · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:59 am Post subject:

The opposite of suspension being detention. That was the most disliked punishment that I remember. Crying or Very sad

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Cherskiy · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 1:55 pm Post subject:

Especially when it was completely pointless, i.e. the teacher was just wasting your time to make a point about behaviour.

I was only ever in detention once - a student teacher thought she'd make examples of five of the class who were just being their usual boisterous (but not unruly) selves. We had to write out something 200 times, then she collected all the sheets in and tore them up in front of us. "Now you can go home."

One lad missed a dentist's appointment because of this and his parents weren't too happy - on turning up to pick him up at the normal time, they tried to ask the school to re-arrange the detention for another night but the student teacher apparently refused. I'm not sure that would happen now.
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SantaFefan · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject:

Red Baron · Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 120

In our school, if a pupil is 'excluded' they spend their time in an exclusion unit. There, they are supervised for the whole day, have their breaks and lunch in there with a member of staff and have to do relevent work in total silence. Schools have responsibility, these days, to make sure any excluded pupil is not having an extra holiday.

24 hours notice is given for detention. They are not allowed to refuse to do it - though many will try and many parents will try and refuse - but the law is still on our side. Failure to turn up to detention leads to higher sanctions - HOD, House or even Senior Teacher detentions. Failure to turn up to these results in an exclusion - which of course, goes on their record, so normally they give in!

RB

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Back in my schooldays (average state grammar school, 1963-1970), the sanction of suspension was relatively new, but I recall it was used once, for a boy who set off the fire alarm to draw attention to the fact that there had been no fire drill for two years.

I agree that it seems to be something of a badge of honour these days, despite the fact that it goes down on your record. If employers look at a school report (they're more inclined to rely on the CV, psychometric tests and interview technique) a suspension shows spark and spirit.

Detention was the common punishment then, and now, I believe. The cane was still around, but never used on anyone in my classes.

As to Saturday's edition of School Days, the reason it was mediocre was probably because the three contestants were knowledgeable (even Jo Brand, who looked fed up, as if contracturally obliged to appear) and knew most of the answers.
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Ron

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

Jo Brand (whom I usually enjoy) appeared bored to tears throughout. And her ex-gym mistress could hardly get on and off again quickly enough. No love lost there!

Ian.