The Thatcher Crisis Years

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh at this news item from The Guardian in 1982. A teacher had been hit by a parent but when the case went to court, a London magistrate told the teacher that she had:

• wasted ratepayers’ money by bringing the case
• being hit was a risk that came with the occupation
• she could expect to be hit another six or so times in her career
• the best protection was to have a man around

The whole thing was referred up to Thatcher and the Lord Chancellor when unions went ballistic. But you have to remember, this was a time when the unions would have been accused of being soft or trouble making or politically correct. Here’s the article – see what you think!

Teaching in the 1980s