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Should Pupils Stand Up When A Teacher Enters The Classroom?

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I went to a school where we did it; generally greater respect toward teachers in that school. It wasn't just that symbolic gesture that did it though, it permeated the place.

As for the arguments against it, they're laughable. It's not disruptive, and if the kids have to line up outside beforehand then obviously it isn't applicable. What's the problem?

Reply 41

apolocreed

I remember the head of housekeeping or something along the lines complaining because we didn't greet her. Unfortunately respect isn't served on a dish, and when someone starts demanding it there's all the more reason not to dish it out.
You should stand at the start, and after that only when the head comes in, or it can get repetitive.

Reply 42

BefuddledPenguin

Only slowly, sarcasticly.

Reply 43

adeena123

*american accent* Oh hell noo! Honestly, we give much respect as it is and now they say we don't? Jeeezzz....

Reply 44

politics_student

Yes.

When I was in the lower school, classes were required to wait outside in lines with girls in one row and the boys in another in silence. Then we were allowed to come in and wait until the teacher said we could sit down.

I believe it is a good idea in promoting good behaviour and respect for the teachers. I would go further than that in terms of discipline. Although the school I attend (state comprehensive) is quite good, a number of unruly students think it is acceptable to create a poor working environment.

Reply 45

Ra Ra Ra

At my old school we used to have to stand for the headteacher. He was an absolute tosser, though - kids used to dare each other not to stand :colone:

Just before I left one kid tipped a Pasta King pot over his car and blamed it on a seagull. It was beautiful :biggrin:

Reply 46

hannah1994

We did that in younger years - it is a bit outdated, but an effective way of getting the class to shut up so why not!

Reply 47

AJCSShp

I use to live abroad (Goa). In Goan schools you had to stand up when a teacher entered the room, and say good morning/ good afternoon to them. The teachers had a lot more authority and the students did as they were told and were very respectful of them.

It was quite a shock coming back to England. Where you don't call the teachers Miss/Sir, but by their first names or Mr 'Smith'. I realised in a few weeks that English teachers have no authority over their pupils,and some (selective) students even actively 'backchat' and insult their teachers.

With a few simple traditional rules, such as pupils standing up when a senior member of staff or headmaster/headmistress enter the room. Students may become less unruly, and therefore more respectful of their teachers.

This is just my opinion. :smile:

Reply 48

skittlesaremydrugs

they used to make us do that but everyone always forgot and it was too much effort for both pupils and teacher's because it made the kids start talking because they could see the teacher was distracted (by a colleague) and the teacher had to then quieten them down and prompt them to stand up so it was seen as just not worth the effort, the teachers didn't really care if you stood up when they entered or not anyway. I think it died out around late year 7 / early year 8 time. I have nothing against it myself though

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 49

Strawberrycayk

I think it is bit disruptive. I recall a few lessons (all English) where the class was focused on their work and a teacher walked in, we all had to stand up and we were made to stay standing up until there was absolute silence, by the time we were allowed to sit back down half of us had lost track of the essays we were writing and couldn't get back into our work.

Our school didn't really have any kind of policy on teachers disturbing lessons so they'd really just walk in and out at their own pleasure and it did get frustrating when we were interrupted several times in one lesson because another teacher needed paper, a board marker, needed to pass a message etc.

Would be fine if we only had to get up for the head and the deputy head.

Reply 50

lebron_23

Ha! That's a pathetic idea.. Standing up when someone walks in.. Psht.. Who do you think they are? God?

Reply 51

Folks

I had to stand up, bow and say 'hello, how are you?' (wait for reply and question) 'I'm well' in unison with my class in Japanese at the start of every Japanese lesson. At the end we would bow again, say 'thank you, goodbye'
I found in quite annoying, but thankfully we don't have to do it in the a level class

Reply 52

babit

We used to have to do that in the lower years but not so much in year 10 upwards. I think the younger years still do it though

Reply 53

CoffeeStinks

In my secondary school we had to stand up. It doesn't really cause any disruption because after a while it becomes an automatic response.

Reply 54

sherbet_lemons7

I think it's a good idea. We do it in assemblies when the head and the school ministers/chaplains walk in but the only class I've done it in is Modern Languages.

That was something that they started when you were in S1 and S2 and had to line up outside before coming in. You then had to have your books out, bags away and be stood behind your chair for the teacher to say god morning and stuff in whatever language you were doing. Like in German it would go:

Teacher: Guten Morgen Class!
Class: Guten Morgen Frau...
Teacher: Wie gehts?
Class: Gut danke. Und Ihnen?
Teacher: Gut danke. Setz dich bitte!

And then we'd start the lesson. It actually worked really well- everyone got ready quicker than if they would have if left to their own devices and it got silence in the room. You had to do it at the end as well- stand behind your chair and say good afternoon/have a nice weekend or whatever.

In primary school you didn't have to stand up but if another teacher came into the room they'd say "Good morning children" and the class would reply "Good morning Ms/Mr...". You did that with your class teacher at the start of the day and at the very end as well and it was just a nice polite way of getting everyones attention.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 55

Left Hand Drive

Its pointless really.

Reply 56

alexlduffy

We would only do that in Spanish. We'd wait outside the class until the teacher let us in, and we'd have to stand behind our desk until our teacher greeted us in Spanish, and we'd greet her back. We could only sit down when we answered a question in Spanish (in many lessons I was blessed with getting easy questions such as ¿qué tal?). The class was generally pretty respectful.

That's not to say we were respectful because of this. I think it certainly helped, but I think a lot of respect came from having a teacher who was the right balance of strict and enjoyable. For instance, standing when a teacher enters in my German class wouldn't have worked because it wouldn't have affected many of the people in my class essentially bullying the teacher. I feel really sorry for that teacher, god knows how she's coped at that school for nearly 10 years.

Reply 57

Ra Ra Ra

Original post by tasha96

Slightly off-topic but we had to do a similar sort of thing in Year Seven German. We'd come into the class and the teacher would start singing:

'Guten Morgen, Guten Morgen
Wie Geht's, Wie Geht's?
Gut, danke, gut, danke
Auf Wiedersehen, Auf Wiedersehen'

while we mumbled the words along with her. It was horrible and embarrassing, but I still remember it six years later :biggrin:

Reply 58

letsbehonest

Original post by Evolutionism

I support student's standing up when teachers enter the classroom not only because its polite but it brings back some degree of formality in the classroom. From my experience (i'm sixteen), students have begun treating the classroom like their home; they eat in it, some ridiculous people walk around without shoes on and you see people slouching or falling asleep, talking is out of the question when the teacher is at the front teaching. In fact in East Asia the young have responsibilities to the elderly like you have to pour tea to your elders with both hands and at the dinner table you have to call all your elders individually. In South Korea people have to do 90-degree bows, standing up is nothing compared to that.

My english teacher eats, takes her shoes off, swears, slams door in peoples faces - shes a bit of a nutter. She's head of KS4 and English too. Teacher should show us some respect too.