“Fat bastard” jibe sparks fuss about rights to education – but what about teachers’ rights?

So what should be done to a 12-year-old brat who called his teacher aide a “fat bastard” in front of classmates (after prevously being stood down for seven days for fighting with another student and accidentally elbowing a teacher who tried to break up the altercation)?

In the good old days a bloody good caning might have been appropriate, although expulsion probably would be better.

Ah, but it transpires this lad was spawned by a mum who has kicked up a fuss because he was suspended.

She is banging on about an abuse of his rights to an education.

But whoa there – when did publicly funded education become a “right”?

It’s a damned privilege, the way Alf sees it, and if you abuse the privilege, you lose it.

In this namby-world, of course, that opinion is regarded as seriously uncivilized.

Hurrah – UK’s champion of physical force to deal with unruly school brats should guide us, too

Our Government should take note of what’s happening in Britain, when it comes to unruly brats being treated much too leniently in our schools.

The Education Secretary there, Michael Gove, has declared war on ill discipline in the classroom.

He aims to loosen rules on the use of physical force by teachers and increase penalties for parents who allow their children to play truant. Hurrah.

This sounds like the green light to bringing back the strap and the cane, although Alf would go further and bring back the stocks and the dunce’s cap.

Most fundamentally, Gove is vowing to show disruptive pupils who wreck the schooling of millions of other kids who’s boss.

It’s great to see the brats being disciplined but six of the best (and maybe the stocks) would be better

Suspensions are better than nothing - but what about bringing this into our schools?

Three cheers for the West Auckland principal who is taking a zero-tolerance attitude to unruly students at his new school.

Even better would be six of the best for those of his charges who misbehave.

Roy Lilley, who took over at Bruce McLaren Intermediate in Henderson in April, is cracking down on a range of schoolyard indiscretions such as verbal abuse and fighting.

His hardline policy has led to eight students being stood down in a week, but he makes no apologies, vowing not to tolerate bad behaviour of any kind.

One case ended up before the board of trustees, which ultimately suspended the student, and support agencies are now deciding the child’s future.

None of the eight cases involved drugs, alcohol or serious violence, according to the Herald.

But Alf could draw up a long list of offences that justify suspensions, at least, and as this Lilley bloke says, each student stood down displayed behavioural issues needing to be addressed.