Page 7 - Phonebox Magazine June 2006

Dear Editor
In response to the article written by Geoff Baccus in your magazine dated May 2006, I can honestly say that I was shocked to read such a biased, ill informed and insulting article. I say insulting because straight off the block he states that only intelligent people would be disgusted by bad behaviour, and goes on to state that the bad behaviour was increasing amongst younger generations. Where is his evidence of this? Why didn’t he state some fact to back up his argument? Why does he refer to Milton Keynes as a crime factory?
Mr Baccus then goes on to blame the education system that was abandoned in the 1960s. Is he talking about the 11+ when children had the direction of their lives decided for them on the result of an exam at the age of 11? A system which separated siblings and divided friends putting them in their rightful place according to... the system. The same system which taught by talk and chalk, shut up and listen techniques.
He then goes on to state that teaching is no longer a profession. I believe there are good teachers and bad teachers, just as there always have been. I have met some fine teachers. Teachers, who work hard in planning their lessons in an imaginative and exciting way, using various techniques to enthuse our youngsters with the result that there is a larger proportion of well educated teenagers leaving school with good qualifications than there ever has been.
As a serving police officer with many years spent talking to and working amongst communities of all types and ages I can honestly say that I find the young people of today, bright, enthusiastic, articulate and extremely well educated. I am writing from a position of knowledge having four children of my own, having met their friends, and my friends’ children as well as being involved in policing the community and being involved in the schools. These young people are encouraged to be free thinking achievers, and not processed robots expected to speak only when spoken to.
Mr Baccus goes on to blame the government, the parents, social services, the courts. What is he blaming them for? Not having our former decencies.
What are these decencies we used to have? I remember the fights between the Mods and the Rockers at various seaside resorts in the 1960s. The regular fights outside my school and the local shops at lunch time and the end of the school day. I remember a teacher being spat at and the pupil responsible not being expelled. I remember pupils being bullied at school and the teachers doing nothing about it. Punk rockers occurred 30 years ago, skinheads 40 years ago, teddy boys 50 years ago. There has always been a tendency to look down on young people as trouble makers by those who don’t understand them and perhaps don’t talk to them to get to know them. Yes, there are some who are anti-social and who break the rules. Those that are just plain rude, cruel, drunk, greedy, disrespectful, the list can go on. However, they have always been there, in small numbers, as they are there today. But not just amongst the young, they are amongst us within every generation, and they always will be. That’s life!
Tony Scott
Write to: The Editor, Phonebox Magazine, Unit 2 Stanley Court, Olney, Bucks MK46 5NH Email: ron@olney.co.uk
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Phonebox Magazine 7
Dear Editor
I would like to thank the people who stopped to help me when I fell on the High Street, Friday 5th May. Particularly the lady who provided tissues to mop my injuries, helped me up and went after my young grandson who had ridden off on his scooter without realising I’d fallen. Thank you again.
Norma Garside