The truth? Do tell...

Interesting article in yesterday's Guardian newspaper, titled 'Heads demand fines for false complaints by parents'.  It's about the annual conference of head teachers in Britain, where they're fed up with some parents who have what they call a 'lottery mentality' - they chance their luck that they'll be awarded compensation for accusations they've dreamed up. The heads' union and other teaching associations want fines imposed for this kind of thing. The latest British figures show over 4,000 accusations were made against teachers in 2006/7, mostly claiming assault. One in 20 proved to be true.

Two things worth noting here, I think. One,  who was the idiot who said that teaching was a cushy job with short hours and long holidays? Just coping with youngsters in the classroom today, not to mention the mountain of paperwork every teacher is buried under, makes teaching demanding beyond the understanding of those outside the classroom. Add to that  the lying little creeps and their lying big mas and das who don't mind smearing innocent teachers if they think they can squeeze a bit of money out of it, and you have a job that only the brave can face day after day.  The second thing worth noting is this question: if some children  - 19 out of 20 if we go by the figures -  lie about being physically (or sexually) abused by their teachers,  isn't it equally possible that a lot of children (or ex-children) lie about being physically or sexually abused by Catholic priests?  Or is that one of those things that everyone is afraid to even suggest, in the present witch-hunt atmosphere?