'Murder attempt' teacher remanded. Teacher's Mansfield pet?

As I write this I see that Peter Harvey, the teacher accused of attempted murder, has been remanded into custody by Mansfield magistrates. He will appear before Nottingham Crown Court on 27 July.

This sounds like a very sorry tale indeed. Unlike other tragedies befalling schools, there appears to be a genuine lack of understanding as to why this should have happened. The BBC is just reporting the basic bits. However, there now seems to be two sides to this story. Teaching in this brave new world of education is not all it is cracked up to be, especially by that verbal waffle-maker par excellence, Ed Balls. Some papers are suggesting that Mr.Harvey, who has his devotees as an exceptional teacher, had a previous breakdown and a stroke. It is said he may have gone back to teaching too soon. What made him flip was that a pupil said in class, allegedly, "Why don't you go and have another f*****g stroke?".

There are plenty of decent, hard-working, eager to learn children in schools today. There always have been. But there are some really nasty children. Now I have no idea what really happened on that fateful day, but the consensus that is emerging is that a well-liked and well-respected science teacher just got to the end of his tether. Ed Balls talks a good game, but I have eyes in my head. I see potential everyday for possible grief. Being a teacher today is a thankless task. Rude parents just add to a teacher's day.

We live in an increasingly selfish world and it is no use denying it. People push and shove. They drive cars as if they have a personal right to go as they please. Rudeness and crudeness is on the increase. No wonder people flip.

Some years ago I was working for a taxi firm. On occasions, I drove cars when we had a shortage of drivers. Taxi drivers know a thing or two about life. It sits the back! On this occasion I had to ferry unruly children from school to their "home". These were children the council deemed required special treatment. To say that they were feral is putting it mildly. These children were like ticking time bombs. I had the misfortune one day to be ferrying a really frightful child. His demeanour was as if he was on permanent self-destruct mode. All angry and very difficult. We had got half-way in the journey when, despite several warnings from me, he attempted to throttle his fellow passenger. Only ten and he seemed to have the strength of a heavy-weight wrestler. I stopped the car and just let rip at him. For the first time he appeared shocked and for the rest of the journey sat in glum silence. I never drove those kids again.

What society does with thoughtless, mean-sprited children I do not know, but I think it is about time we realised that society does have a broken spine and cannot hold itself up high. We owe it to ourselves to make things better.

I do not know what holds for Peter Harvey, but this court case will unravel the ills and indiscipline in schools that our present government is so desperate to hide. For unless the truth is addressed nobody will want to teach any child for fear of an early grave or the prospects of a prison cell.