Brutality in classroom is not education

IT is sad to read that such a significant public figure as Sir Alex Ferguson is, in effect, advocating physical punishment of children in primary schools for “stepping out of line”.

This approach simply turns the teacher into the biggest bully in the classroom.

Did the tawse resolve wee Fergie’s school yard conflicts? Did it stop him fighting? I suspect not.

Poorly trained teachers with over-sized classes, teaching children to jump through the hoops of 11-plus may have needed to resort to such brutality to maintain “discipline”, but that is not “education”, it is training.

Mrs Thompson was clearly a decent woman to have commanded such respect again I suspect that was not because of the belt, but because of her personality.

During my first teaching experience in a deprived secondary modern on Teesside, I saw that teachers used the cane freely and it was always the same boys; yes, only boys, who were thrashed. I found that the pupils behaved much better if they had something to do that involved and interested them and when they were treated with affection.

Reservations for turbines

From: Captain Paul Hughes, St Helen’s Mews, Howden.

THE M62 Ouse Bridge provides a prospect of nine wind-farms bearing 60 turbines.

Our seaward arrays bear 
higher turbine densities, but much of our landscape bear neither wind-farm nor even a single turbine. Could we not usefully find a place for a few turbines along our motorway central reservations?

Lack of scrutiny

From: William Dixon Smith, Welland Rise, Acomb.

With regard to my letter concerning the threat to the statue of William Etty (Yorkshire Post, February 24), the intention was to accuse York councillors of “complaisance”, not “complacency”.

I deplore that councillors, who claim to represent residents, snuggle up to officers to such an extent (100 per cent faith in them declared) that they are unwilling to criticise or even question the assertions of senior officers.

As to complacency, I leave others to be the judge of that.

Faiths must take blame

From: Leonard J Sandford, Highgate Avenue, Lepton, Huddersfield.

TALK about history repeating itself. Nothing is more evident of this old adage than the demise of the organised secular ideologies of the 20th century.

If we rewind the clock back to the times before Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, or even Napoleon, we find ourselves in a period of history similar to the Holy Wars of pre-modern times.

The difference now is that anyone so minded can equip themselves with modern destructive and murderous devices, and seem to have little regard for their own lives or that of the innocent (Father Guy Jamieson, Yorkshire Post, February 27).

We all know of the disrespect, violence, intolerance and even murder caused by individual nutters that we have the misfortune to have living in our midst.

But when this sort of conduct stems from the world’s faiths, it is not good enough for the elders of these faiths to condemn the outrages of their brethren, instead they should be held responsible like any other leaders and shoulder the blame for the uncivilised actions which occur in their name in a seemingly endless stream of death, destruction, human indignity and the heartache it brings to so many who just want peace and a full life.

There are too many natural and earthly obstacles for us to face without unnecessarily adding to them by the attitude of belief in sectarianism.

War grave located

From: Mr C Ball, Finkil Street, Hove Edge, Brighouse.

FURTHER to the letter from Clare Chalmers (Yorkshire Post, February 28), the wonderful and respectful website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (www.cwgc.org) records the following:

Jones, Reginald

Private

Service Number 15/533

Date of death 01/07/1916

Age 25

West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own) 15th Bn

Buried in Grave Reference IB9, Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps.

Son of Joseph and Frances Thornton Jones of 155, Willifield Way, Golders Green, London.

The site also gives full details of the grave location within the cemetery and directions to find the cemetery itself.

One can also print out a certificate recording the details.

Hope this will be helpful.

From: Edward Baker, Broomhill Crescent, Leeds.

with reference to the letter from Clare Chalmers (Yorkshire Post, February 28) regarding her uncle killed in 1916, I am surprised that she correspondent hasn’t tried www.cwgc.org – the Commonwealth War Graves site. I found what I assume is her uncle very quickly.

Working 
class hero

From: Maurice Finn, Leeds.

AS the £300k a week deal 
which Wayne Rooney has secured does not come out 
of taxpayers’ money I am delighted to see a working class lad earning a fortune (Tom Richmond, Yorkshire Post, February 22).

If he was a businessman 
who made his money on the 
back of paying national minimum wage to his staff he would be receiving pats on the back for his success.

The fact that his success 
annoys so many jealous hypocrites who would take the money as well just makes his good fortune all the sweeter.

Stories like this give hope to every working class kid that if you have the talent, the dream can come true.