Sir Alan Steer has published his review of pupil behaviour, and has said that parents and adults set a bad example for young people. Bad behaviour is a key reason for teachers leaving the profession that has to be one of the most important to the progress of the country.
For those of us without children, it is relatively easy to put all the blame on parents, but as the review points out, young people are also influenced by what they see around them. Greedy and aggressive behaviour will have an influence on all those around us, not just those that we are related to. If what you see around you is the norm for behaviour, and that includes a lot of swearing, throwing V signs at other drivers for real or imagined discourteous behaviour, lack of acknowledgement of the existence of others, lack of basic good manners, and a me-me-me culture, what sort of person do you turn out to be?
So we all have a role to play in the development of young people, but the current norms of society seem to push against us all playing our part. The "wot you lookin' at" riposte and fear of reprisals if one comments on bad behaviour puts a break on what is left of society trying to regulate itself. However learning providers who work with difficult young people say that setting boundaries, not swearing back and telling people when they have crossed the line is important, and develops respect.
Indeed it seems to me that society has become a dirty word in the UK and anything that limits personal freedom is resented. At the same time, we are bombarded with directives from government, health advisers, and a range of "authority" bodies on how we should behave and live our lives, developing an intolerance of the nanny state. However someone needs to remind us when we overstep the line, as it seems that our personal views of limits of acceptable behaviour have been eroded, and while we all demand respect, we are not inclined to give it.
How far the media and its constant building up and destruction of figures in public life is responsible, how far the liberty of the 60s is to blame - two questions for the sociologists perhaps. But as individuals we can all make a difference by behaving with integrity, and doing as we would be done by. If you like being sworn at in the street fine, but if not....
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