Discipline in British Schools
1. Teachers in Britain refuse to teach pupils who disrupt their classes. If
necessary, they should force headmasters to expel troublemakers. That is
the drastic advice to its members by the Ministry of Education. Classroom
discipline is so bad now that, unless teachers themselves take tough action,
many schools will soon be facing anarchy. Experienced teachers all over the
country are leaving their profession, because violence and disruption of
lessons make it increasingly difficult to provide meaningful teaching.
2. What is the cause of the growing number of cases of violence in British
schools? There are as many as thirty different causes, given by the Ministry
of Education. Top of the list come modern teaching methods, the lowering of
standards in society, the fact that less authority is given to teachers.
Headmasters, education authorities and government ministers are blamed
for pretending not to notice the lack of discipline in the classroom.
3. The only answer to the problem is for the teacher to refuse to teach in any
class in which there is a disruptive child until that child has been
removed "in the interest of the majority". Already, as a direct result of this
kind of pressure from staff, thirty schools have expelled troublesome pupils.
4. But classroom violence does not have an effect just on teachers. It is
also
directly connected with the problem of truancy in schools. Every day, more
than half a million children in Britain play truant and do not appear at school.
According to Dr. Boyson, it is not always the tough, bad pupil or the backward
child who decides not to go to school. Dr. Boyson says, "Some good pupils
stay at home for their own safety. They are able to follow radio and TV
school programs under more peaceful conditions than they would experience
at school."
Bibliography/Works Cited: Discipline in schools. Report of the Committee of
Enquiry, chaired
by Lord Elton, 1989, Department of Education and Science and the Welsh
Office. HMSO, p.58. Angela Harrison, BBC News Online education staff in
Bournemouth: “Teachers to boycott violent pupils.” 23 April 2003. BBC News:
Pupils fear school journey attack.6 June 2008
Discipline in British Schools - Comprehension Questions
1. In paragraph 1 the writer says: “That is the drastic advice”. What advice
does the writer refer to?
_____________________________________________________________
2. What may happen to schools if teachers don’t take tough action?
______________________________________________________________
3. Complete the following sentence:
Violence and disruption of lessons don’t allow meaningful teaching.
As a result, _____________________________________________.
4. What are the THREE major causes of the growing number of cases of
violence in British schools?
a. _______________________________________
b. _______________________________________
c. _______________________________________
5. What is the reason for blaming headmasters, education authorities and
government ministers?
_________________________________________________________
6. Paragraph 3:
How did thirty British schools solve the problem of the lack of discipline?
Complete the sentence using ONE word in each space.
Troublesome pupils were _______________in thirty schools because
teachers _______________to teach in any class in which there was a
disruptive child.
7. What idea do the statistics of truancy in paragraph 4 illustrate?
________________________________________________________
8. a. Is the following sentence true or false? (circle your choice).
Only bad students miss classes.
True / False
b. Quote from the text to support your answer.
_________________________________________________________
9. Who are “they” Dr. Boyson is referring to?
___________________________
10. Dr. Boyson thinks that good pupils stay at home because
a. they like to watch amusing TV programs.
b. they cannot listen to the radio at school.
c. the atmosphere there is safer and quieter.
d. tough and backward children don't go to school.
11. What is the main idea of the article?
a. Violent students should be expelled from school, since they cause
truancy among good students.
b. Many good pupils don’t attend school because they are afraid of the
violent pupils.
c. Headmasters, education authorities and government ministers are
blamed for pretending not to notice the lack of discipline in the classroom.
d. Violence in British schools causes so many problems that drastic
measures should be taken.