ABSTRACT

Sabia is an experienced teacher and is head of the ICT department in a large inner city secondary school. She prides herself on her perceived ability to manage student behaviour. She demands respect from her students, insists on silence in her lessons and always expects students to comply with her instructions without question. However, Sabia has a reputation for losing her temper in class, and many of the students are fearful of her. In addition, her relationships

with colleagues are strained and those she line-manages feel unsupported and vulnerable, owing to her insensitivity and short temper. Let’s discover more about Sabia by looking at a typical classroom scenario:

It is the final lesson on a Wednesday afternoon and Sabia feels obliged to cover a Year 11 class of 15-to 16-year-olds for an absent colleague. In three weeks’ time, these students will be taking their final ICT exams. Sabia makes her apologies and leaves a senior management team meeting that has overrun and she arrives a few minutes late to cover the class. As she approaches the classroom, she can hear loud raucous laughter and the sound of furniture being moved. Sabia quickens her pace and feels her heart pounding and her jaw tightening as she prepares for the inevitable confrontation.