Teacher Charged With Attempted Murder

I wrote an article a few days ago about the youth of today and my experience of disruption, ignorance and vandalism at a local college. Only a few days later the news came of a teacher who battered one of his pupils so badly that he has been charged with attempted murder.

The attack which happened at All Saints' Roman Catholic School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on Wednesday morning after a schoolgirl swore at him and tore up a textbook. In retaliation Mr. Harvey is alleged to have kicked her bag, telling her: 'If you damage school property, school will damage your property.' As she fled to reception, Mr. Harvey’s class is reported to have started singing 'I'm staring at the psycho in the mirror’; a take on Michael Jackson’s hit Man In The Mirror.

Mr. Harvey, an experienced teacher who recently returned to work following a stress related stroke, snapped after 14 year old Jack Waterhouse swore at him. He dragged the boy into a storeroom and hit him with a 2kg metal weight from a set of scales. Waterhouse is said to be in a serious condition at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham with head injuries.

According to many children at All Saints, past and present, Mr. Harvey was an outstanding teacher.

A current pupil said 'Mr. Harvey was an amazing guy and an outstanding form tutor.'

Former pupil Tom Blythe, 19, said Mr. Harvey's bald head and beer belly - accompanied sometimes by a beard or 'wacky' moustache - made him look like 'a kind of Nutty Professor'. But he added: 'I never saw him lose his rag. He'd shout at you but never got physical.'





We all expect our children to be safe at school and never expect a thing like this to happen but there are a few points to consider.

Firstly, was Mr. Harvey fit to go back to work? Is there a procedure in place to make sure someone is fit to return, especially if someone suffers from stress? Mr. Harvey was allegedly seen talking to himself in the school corridors and shaking in lessons.

Secondly, we all know there is no respect for teachers these days. It is impossible to chastise pupils without the fear of losing your job, being taken to court, or both. Some children use this to their advantage and terrorise teachers because they know they will get away with it. Will those in power now put measures in place to teach children the valuable lesson of respecting others, especially their elders? Will those in power help us to teach children that the teacher is the one on charge and not the children?

I doubt it very much. I hate to say it, but under present legislation this type of incident is likely to become more frequent.

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