ABSTRACT
Cooper (1993) studied a group of exceptional pupils in a residential school for difficult pupils. Their views on their teachers and on schools in general are remarkably consistent with those of more conventionally behaved youngsters. They welcomed the opportunity for individual attention that helped them to learn, to cope with domestic trauma and develop their confidence: ‘Since coming here I can talk to my mum better. We get on now. I think I’m ready to go back’ (Cooper, 1993:55). They respected teachers who were not too formal or humourless and who were interested in pupils’ personal welfare: ‘Here they’re flexible…more friendly. Staff will give you more time if you want to talk to them.’ The picture that emerges is of pupils valuing their teachers’ understanding, and one pupil contrasts this with his previous experience: ‘They was trying to make out I was worse than I was.’ This seems to contradict any view that such pupils were merely seeking escape from school, and reveals them to have more in common with the mainstream of young people than might be expected. A similar conclusion can be drawn about some of the excluded pupils discussed in Chapter 2 who, in their new setting, valued strict teachers who enforced reasonable rules and made them get on with their work.
