How does the school deal with bullying of teachers?

This spring, an incident occurred in Pfäffikon in the canton of Zurich that caused quite a stir. A homosexual teacher lost his job after being heavily criticised by conservative parents.

This conflict began with the sex education lessons taught by the teacher in question. Although, according to media reports, he discussed the content and delivery of the relevant lessons with his teacher colleague and a school assistant was always present in the classroom during the lessons, he was massively attacked by a group of parents. Despite strong support from his colleagues and another group of parents, the school management and the school authorities caved in and dismissed the teacher.

This story epitomises a phenomenon that the Swiss Federation of Teachers (LCH) has already made public in its 2023 study on violence. This study revealed that two out of three teachers had experienced violence in the past five years.

The results were based on a representative survey of teachers at all levels in German-speaking Switzerland. They were most frequently subjected to psychological violence in the form of insults, verbal abuse, threats or intimidation. And the most frequent source of this was their parents or guardians.

This case unsettles many

Back to the case in Pfäffikon, which is problematic in two respects. Firstly, the teacher concerned did not receive any sustained support from the school management, even though, according to current knowledge, he was not guilty of any offence. Secondly, it is clear that the teacher was not discriminated against and bullied by parents because of his teaching, but because of his homosexuality.

Roman Heggli, Managing Director of Pink Cross, knows from a lot of feedback how queer or homosexual employees feel in a homophobic (working) environment and says: «A case of discrimination like this not only has an impact on the person directly affected, but on the entire community - and especially on people in similar situations. This case has also unsettled other queer teachers and they are asking themselves whether this could also happen to them. It is therefore all the more important that society does not leave them alone in such situations, but stands up against discrimination and shows civil courage!»

The professional ethics of teachers

The story described above is an isolated case to this extent. Nevertheless, it is a sad example - and it raises questions about how we deal with each other, the various tasks and responsibilities of teachers, school management and authorities at school.

Primary school is the last link in society. It is a place where pupils from many different countries, family models and educational backgrounds with different political views, talents, religions and diverse gender orientations and appearances come together.

The professional pedagogical actions of teachers are based on legal principles and recognised conventions. They must respect the human dignity and personalities of all those involved and treat everyone with equal care and avoid discrimination.

Parents/guardians may not influence the content of the lessons.

In an individualised world and society, this requires a high level of knowledge, sensitivity, tact and understanding towards young people on the part of the teaching staff. The aim is to create a school in which all pupils are protected from all forms of racism, prejudice, violence and discrimination based on gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, religion, political views, social and economic status.

Tasks of teachers

The main task of teachers is the targeted planning, organisation and implementation of lessons, the reflection of teaching and learning processes and their systematic evaluation based on current scientific and practical professional knowledge. These professional activities are based on the content of the currently valid curriculum. The content and competences to be taught are binding for teachers.

Everyone involved must contribute to making the school a place where people treat each other with respect, tolerance and without fear.

Teachers also have a responsibility towards parents and guardians. They see the support of pupils as a joint task of the school, parents/guardians and other professionals involved in the school. Systemic work with legal guardians is an important basis for school success and the general well-being of children and young people.

The legal guardians are responsible for the education of their children, their regular school attendance and the fulfilment of compulsory schooling. However, they are not allowed to influence the content of the lessons.

Cooperation instead of division

High-quality public education and upbringing is a cornerstone of every democratic society. It is a valuable asset and can only function if the culture of mutual respect and appreciation is supported by everyone. Mistrust, vehement exertion of influence, discrimination and even bullying against teachers weaken the primary school in an already tense situation.

Just as teachers can be expected to act with pedagogical professionalism and accept and respect their pupils for who they are, the same can be expected from parents and guardians in the opposite direction.

The vast majority of parents respect and value the role and task of their children's teachers. This is also clearly reflected in the latest LCH job satisfaction survey. Teachers give cooperation with parents a good rating. Teachers depend on this constructive cooperation in order to remain healthy in their profession in the long term.

Everyone involved in the school has the task of contributing with conviction to ensuring that the school remains a place where people can live and work in a fear-free, respectful and tolerant environment.

This text contains sentences taken from the recently adopted and updated professional ethics of the LCH. The LCH professional ethics describe the responsibilities of professional conduct and will be publicly available at www.lch.ch from autumn 2024.