Teachers : what's the worst thing about the job now?

@FontainesDH
That is terrible. We would have combined classes or someone would have covered if pacing corridors. Terrible.

Also this.

It’s not schools. It’s schools that are at the cutting edge of the change in society to individualism. My parents taught for decades retired early 2000a and their biggest issues were always always other teachers. Parents basically respected school and disciplined their kids. Automatically took schools word for it. Kids were scared of a “letter home” because they then got it in the neck from parents too. Bog standard rural comp so not massively middle class demographic either.

I suggest leaving classroom teaching all together - it's only going to get worse.
I left primary teaching in December after 20 years in and best decision I made.
Now an EOTAS Tutor so can pay my rent (more p/h than I was on before). It's a great job 🌟

My Head has exempted theirselves from the timetable - it’s not possible to have them on cover at all as the system can’t block out their time. They are also an Ofsted inspector so out on inspections regularly. I think it’s important SLT are out and about - in corridors especially - but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered that in all my years!

@FontainesDH
That’s absolutely shocking! So glad you have recovered and are in a better place now.

@FontainesDH, what an appalling situation .
Our Head doesn't actually teach at all and in my recollection (I've been there a long time) has never covered a lesson.
I don't think that's an isolated example and means that SLT have no idea what it's like to do the daily grind. They seem to have forgotten on their way up the ladder and regard teachers as robots.

Thank you. I know, when I think about it or tell people now, I can't believe I was actually treated like that. Simply, no one in SLT liked teaching and so they tried to avoid it at all costs. The head could've covered me but apparently they had the do not disturb sign on their door. So, the office didn't bother him and told SLT instead.

When one of them did finally come in, five minutes before lunch, they said why didn't you tell us it was this serious?! Ummm, I did, and you could've checked how I was two hours ago!

Your post really resonated with me, you are spot on. What you say about watching what you say all the time. This has happened to me even more since having children. I notice myself and other Mums endlessly narrating what our children are saying, subconsciously, but it feels like we are acting. I feel like we intervene in an artificial way during periods of misbehaviour in public/altercations with other children, which on the surface sounds like we are trying to teach our children pro social behaviours, but truthfully is often for the benefit of the other adults listening, so we are not judged for being a bad/disinterested/shouty Mum. It sometimes feels less authentic though, and I actually feel relieved when I hear a Mum just lose it a bit rather than all of this inanely parroted scripted stuff. I hope this makes sense- I just don’t think parents years ago had to over-think and over-analyse every word they said or the tone they said it in in the way I notice myself and others doing now…

That is terrible!!! I feel so sorry for you that you collapsed and nobody would help you for those 2 hours, this is honestly the most distressing post I’ve read on how society treats our teachers! Much of what you said sounded sadly familiar to me, but I have never heard of anything like how you were treated when so unwell 🥲 Sending you my best wishes from a fellow ex-teacher ☺️

Being in a constant state of anxiety. I've left teaching for good now and its amazing how relaxed I feel. I used to cry each and every morning, dreading the never ending negative comments from SLT, the violent behaviour of the children, the threats from parents and the relentless high and pointless workload.

I was very unwell one day, won't go into details but I collapsed in the classroom. I was told I couldn't leave to go to hospital until someone came to cover me. Over the next two hours (I was slumped in my chair feeling delirious, kids were running riot), three members of SLT were pacing along the corridors, doing the rounds, popping into all the other classrooms to check everyone else was doing their job properly. Not one came into my room, they all avoided it and so nobody was available to cover me. No TAs around that day either. I ended up seriously ill and in hospital for a fortnight. Was told I could have died if I had waited any longer.

Also, the fact that we had to pay the school for the laptops they gave us to use in school! They were rubbish as well. Still can't believe we had to pay to use school equipment to be able to do our jobs!

Normally happens after school.

For me the issue is parents who think they know what is going on in at school and hassle you / complain to sort out their child who is being bullied, when in actual fact their child isn't being bullied AT ALL, it's just been completely made up... They just happen to believe every single piece of information that comes out of their children's mouths like they've written a novel. And then they raise complaints with the head because you haven't dealt with the bullying (which didn't exist in the first place). But parents don't want to see that their child is twisting the truth / not telling them the whole picture. It's like gaslighting.

My ASD daughter had never hit anyone.

I used to be a teacher. We had loads of ASD kids. I only remember one who hit anyone.

Yep.
During their first term of reception, you have to do a formal baseline assessment. 'Activities' to assess communication, literacy and maths. I have to sit with them 1 to 1 on a computer, asking inane questions and clicking yes or no for their correct/incorrect answers.
It's time consuming and a waste.

Secondary teacher.

1. lack of accountability from students .
2. students have no independent skills.
3. parents making excuses for their child , said child realises this and acts out .
4. general behaviour - slt in schools working against classroom teachers .
5. workload

School week is 5 days a week. Some kids go to afterschool care, but that's games/sports/fun stuff.There is reading and some maths after school to do, 15min or so each. It's 3-4 yrs for Bc and 1-2 yrs for Masters, depending on what course.
Preschool specifically doesn't teach reading/writing before school starts. Some kids will naturally learn it before then as interested in letters. The only things kids should know at 7 is colours/count to 10/know orientation (up/ down/left/right), have a good eyesight and being able to sit down. Lots of kids get postponed too by a year, because EP (who is tehre when kids enrol) deems them not ready. My nephew has eye problem and she got postponed.
Kids are in mainstream abroad but are much better able to cope with shorter day/no uniform/smaller classes. Much less of it about. Schools are much more flexible with attendance.

Does it have a 6 day school week? And/or hours of homework each day to make up for the lack of teaching hours? So essentially parents or the kid teach at home. And an excellent wraparound/extended day provision as standard? Or do kids walk home and let themselves in from a young age because the population is fairly static and they are safe, the way it used to be here 30-40 years ago?

And are uni degrees 5 or 6 years rather than 3 or 4 in the uk to make up for the lack of learning at school?

As for starting at 7 - they don't just turn up at school at 7, having being babied and enjoyed a free play rich childhood - they will have covered the same curriculum as in infant school here, having learnt to read and write - it's just not called school, I bet.
Much of infant school here is not more formal than nursery in other countries.

As for the pressure of learning- in infants/ks1 primary learning is all about 2 hours a day and the rest is fun and games.

SEN kids aren't there in those classes because disabilities aren't acceptable, they'd be mocked and bullied no end and no sane parent would put a SEN child into a mainstream school. UK is one of the most accepting and tolerant societies in the world for sen.

The uk has classes with 15 -20 kids or leas, in rural areas.

Apples and pears.

And the uk achieves the best results, for a country that is gentle and nurturing in its approach and values its citizens and childhood.

From what I know of teaching in private schools, the behaviour is better, because it is expected by the parents and the SLT in school.
But it is worth noting that it is still high pressure coming in from parents and SLT. But it is a big hammer to be able to wield, but its not the only reason why behaviour is better is private education.

Yep, and introduced that bloody e baccalaureate nonsense!

@Scrubberdubber
Seriously? That is absolutely shocking! 😮

Does that make the teaching experience ‘better’? I assume so. I presume they still have issues with difficult parents and SLT?

Cover supervisors who cannot speak good English are already commonplace in some schools.

Other schools use office/admin staff as cover.

My nephew is doing a pgce and often ends up teaching the class he is supposed to be observing, as the pupils cannot understand the cover supervisor and vice versa (this is an ofsted good school btw)

The ridiculous thing is that the very parents who make life impossible/difficult for teachers are the ones who will complain wide eyed when there no-one is willing to do the job and little Jimmy is in a gym along with 70 others being "taught" by oak academy on a screen.

I'd love to know how this AI/tech will spot signs of abuse/county lines/mh issues/illness...

I really do wonder what we are doing to our young people.

@PassingStranger Then they'll just put unqualified staff members in front of classes and label them as "teachers."
Ah, wait a minute...that's already happening 😞

What does this involve? Do you have to formally assess 4 year olds?!