'It's Triggering': UK Teachers Weigh In On Adolescence’s School Episode
There are a few scenes from Adolescence’s second episode which really stuck with me – the school kids crowding around and filming as a fight broke out, Adam explaining incel culture to his detective dad, and that powerful moment where Jade opens up about the loneliness of losing her best friend.
The episode – set in a secondary school – was also littered with glimpses of disruptive pupils, brow-beaten teachers and, well, complete and utter chaos.
And I’m sure it left many people wondering: is this what UK schools are really like?
“I have watched it and feel that it is generally an accurate representation of what is going on in our schools,” Laura Gowers, an experienced secondary school teacher and founder of This is Dyslexia, told HuffPost UK.
She’s not alone – teachers recently opened up on Reddit about the show’s portrayal of secondary schools and many agreed it was “shockingly accurate”, to the point where staff said they felt triggered.
One teacher on the forum said: “It was the most accurate portrayal I’d seen of an English school on TV. I described it to my husband as ‘triggering’ and one of the reasons I left teaching.”
For Gowers, it was the scene where there is a fight and the teenagers cheer and get their phones out which sparked a healthy dose of déjà vu.
“There are also scenes where the teenagers are quite disrespectful to adults in the classroom and this is something I’ve witnessed and have seen increase over 23 years of teaching,” she added.
The teacher and mum-of-two revealed she left her job at a secondary school towards the end of last year, citing poor behaviour, an increase in workload and parental expectations.
Instances of misogyny and a lack of respect toward female staff and students are increasing, largely due to the rise of online platforms where harmful ideas can spread quickly."Charlotte Teagus, assistant headteacher
Not everyone agrees that schools are as bad as the TV show made out, however. For Charlotte Teagus, assistant headteacher and safeguarding lead at Overton Grange School, the portrayal of schools in Adolescence wasn’t inaccurate, per se, but wasn’t representative of her own school.
“The show highlighted the issues and challenges in secondary schools in a sort of ‘super concentrated’ way,” she added.
That said, what stood out for her was how often young people were seen with their phones, “highlighting their complete dependence and addiction to smartphones”.
As Adolescence touches on, both teachers have also noticed an increase in misogynistic behaviour among students.
Teagus said: “Instances of misogyny and a lack of respect toward female staff and students are increasing, largely due to the rise of online platforms where harmful ideas can spread quickly.”
She added “there are concerns” particularly with how some teen boys are influenced by online content.
“There’s a growing issue nationally with certain toxic aspects of masculinity, like misogyny and entitlement, which can, on occasion, lead to unacceptable behaviour in school,” she added.
The assistant headteacher suggested the pressure to conform to certain ‘masculine’ ideals, combined with the unregulated use of social media, can contribute to these attitudes.
I have heard some teachers expressing horror at the way in which some of their profession were portrayed, although none expressing much dissent over the portrayal of pupil behaviour."Julia Hodgetts, teacher
The portrayal of secondary school life has caused “much angst” among teaching staff, according to Julia Hodgetts, a teacher at School Beyond Limitations.
“I have heard some teachers expressing horror at the way in which some of their profession were portrayed, although none expressing much dissent over the portrayal of pupil behaviour,” she told HuffPost UK.
“Some teachers have expressed relief that school life was shown as disorderly, toxic and difficult to manage, as that is what many experience each day. Equally, others have stated that their schools and teachers are nothing like those shown in the series.”
Hodgetts suggested the role of teachers, their effectiveness and commitment varies “hugely” between schools and can be related to a variety of factors like location, funding, social deprivation, fabric of the school and class sizes.
“I have worked in traditional school environments in the past which look much like that which appeared on screen, and many other schools where teachers, pupils and parents are all working in accord to create a positive educational experience,” she added.
Yet one theme has remained constant in her time as a teacher: “Whatever the environment, the increasing role of the mobile phone, and the access it gives to a parallel universe, has largely been a negative.”