Letter: Learning respect

George McMillan (Letters, 29 March) is right to say that the greatest problem faced by teachers in state schools today is the attitude that they are there to be challenged, mocked and abused.

A miner's son like me could have been a handful, but in the 1950s there was a shared concept of reasonable behaviour which united teachers, parents and the police.

The Butler Education Act allowed me to move on from the west-central coalfields to the high school in the nearby town, where I joined a tsunami of bright working-class kids.

Recently there has been no lack of trendy initiatives designed to remedy state school problems and lift the life chances of children from the industrial graveyards of Scotland.

Everything, in fact, except what was critical in my escape: iron discipline, a strong work ethic and the "three Rs" as the passport to a fulfilling life and career.

(Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews