December 2008 Archives

A Government-backed teacher training scheme suggests that teachers should "high-five" failing students to improve their exam results.

Establishing a good personal relationship with pupils is necessary for teachers to develop a mutual respect in the classrooms of struggling inner-city schools, a speaker from Future Leaders told a teacher training scheme.

Sir Iain Hall, Future Leaders' national director of training, said: "When your children come into the classroom, how do you greet them?

"Whether it is a high-five, it is touching a child's hand, it is shaking their hands - we teach our Future Leaders to stand at the classroom door and greet every kid who comes through it.

"It's about establishing positive relationships all the time, shaking the hands of kids that go past, giving those high-fives."

Nick Seaton, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, was not convinced Sir Iain's methods would work in UK schools.

He said: "Teachers will become figures of ridicule - pupils hate it when their teachers try to be young. It's the pupils who should try to be like the teachers.

"To establish discipline in schools, teachers shouldn't reward normal behaviour, they should punish bad behaviour so pupils understand the concept of consequence.

"There's a cultural difference between the UK and America and I don't think they have a great deal to teach us in this particular area."

SANTA has been sacked by his scrooge bosses - for answering his mobile phone in the grotto.

Hapless Father Christmas, otherwise known as Mike O'Donagh, 53, was sacked from his jovial job at Chelmsley Wood shopping centre.

Because he answered a call from the Jobcentre about his benefits.

The dad-of-two, of Moseley, Birmingham, has now been left jobless in the run-up to the festive season.

Poor Mike insists he was only answering his phone because it was a vital call about his dole money.

"I can't believe how Scrooge-like they've been," he said.