There was a shocking incident at my old Secondary School (where my youngest two siblings still study) this week.
There has always existed an urban myth amongst students at the school that every year a “St Benedicts vs Philip Morant” fight takes place. Aside from a few isolated incidents this largely doesn’t happen (we always remember it as being an annual affair but when asked to call more than perhaps one scuffle to memory can’t).
This year some kids from outside schools did make it into St Benedict’s - a student unlocked the gate for them. However they weren’t here for a schoolyard rumble, they had brought knives with them.
One of the St Benedicts teachers (Mr Deaney, who wasn’t there when I was at school) managed to restrain a few of them but took repeated blows to the face and ended up heading to hospital. Eventually, after 5 phone calls the police arrived.
Then the next day, at Thomas Lord Audley school (the Secondary school where I have been working as an exam invigilator) Lesley West, a family friend, was punched in the face then repeatedly kicked in the shin, leg and chest whilst she was on the floor by a year 8 who she had sought to restrain during his lunch break.
In both of these incidents the teachers had to use as little force as possible and sustained injuries that necessitated a trip to Colchester General Hospital.
What the frack is going on? What about trying some damned parenting!?
At the same time, here in the UK a pressure group is calling for an all-out ban on smacking. For pities sakes people, I know that smacking isn’t going to alleviate instances where there is quite simply no parenting going on at all but legislating to remove tools from parents at a time when we have huge problems with unruly children just seems patently stupid.
There’s a reason why we don’t prosecute children under 18 as adults - there is a presumption at law that they aren’t capable of discerning the differences between right and wrong. It’s just plain impossible for a child to grasp some concepts and reasoning with them at an age when their mind isn’t sufficiently advanced to work these things out is foolhardy.
Smacking can easily be distinguished from physical abuse and I’m sick and tired of badly behaved children who’s parents refuse to take responsibility for them - stop tying the hands of willing and capable parents and start prodding the irresponsible ones into action.
Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a house filled with post-modern furniture which was worth millions of dollars and had an area of about 6 foot square to play in, or because I had been disciplined to the point that my sister and I could be taken to any expensive restaurant, wedding, christening or mass and not make so much as a sound but I’m getting that old man “kids are so ill mannered these days” reflex at the age of 21.
Anyhow, onto other local matters - Colchester United.
The U’s have had a ridiculous run as of late. I remember back when I was talking about Colchester’s 3 game run and now we’ve been defeated in 1 out of our last 18 games and have taken the top spot in League One. We’re going up to the Championship - it’s a done deal. Why? Because of the comedy value of Colchester United being a Championship (formerly Division One) side and playing on a ground like Layer Road.
Layer Road is poor for a non-league ground. So bad in fact that the common chant on game day is sung to bell chimes: “Shit Ground, Loyal fans! - Shit Ground, Loyal fans!”.
I have only gone to see Colchester United about 4 times, 3 times at Layer Road and another time at Wembley when we played Torquay in what was then the Division 3 playoffs. We won 2-1 and joined the 2nd Division. To be in a position now where we’re looking at Championship play is just amazing. I’m going along to the deciding game for sure - hell, I might actually be a lucky charm.
Might make up for Coventry’s latest form (although we did win 6-1 at Derby on saturday, we’re still languishing mid-table).
Later
John
Posted by John Swaine at January 22, 2006 11:36 PM