Why do so many people dislike the teaching profession?

LucyLastik · 2022-08-31T22:09:54+00:00

As the thread title asks. I'm really interested to know where this negativity has come from. I'm suspecting Covid but if we don't get to the root cause of it, will the teaching profession ever be seen in a positive light? Random musings...

ElizabethSchuyler · 31/08/2022 23:12

Where have you seen this? I don’t know anyone who looks at the teaching profession as a whole in a negative light. You sometimes get posters have a bit of a moan about a specific teacher at their kids school but that’s it.

Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:13

I suppose it's from here really. A wider demographic.

There's always interesting comments about the teaching profession on here

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Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:14

Actually not being goady. I'm genuinely interested

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EarringsandLipstick · 31/08/2022 23:15

Random musings...

Oh really?

Not an invitation to join a goady thread designed to wind MN up?

Give it a rest.

stayathomer · 31/08/2022 23:16

I’m in awe of teachers, I think they’re amazing!!! Most people I know think it’s a vocation because it’s such a tough job. Definitely don’t get paid enough in my opinion!!

Lesina · 31/08/2022 23:16

For me it’s because I have a neurodivrse child who struggles. His teacher could not be less interested. But the inclusion of ND children predate her entry into university and into the profession, she should have been aware that in taking over a classroom, ND children would be part of it. To claim no knowledge is shoddy. Would not be accepted in my profession.

BlueRidge · 31/08/2022 23:19

So, @Lesina , you dislike the entire teaching profession because of one teacher whose attitude you didn't care for?

BlueRidge · 31/08/2022 23:20

And anyway, haven't we had this identical thread in the last week or two?
Of course, it soon descended into a mass pile-on. Is that what you intended, OP?

solarbirdscalm · 31/08/2022 23:23

I don't think most people dislike teachers, but I think a lot of people dislike schools, particularly how inflexible and uncommunicative they are. I'd welcome a fundamental rethink of how schools and education work now that most families have two working parents and grandparents that are going to be in paid employment until over 65. Part of the solution is a lot more funding though, which people never want to give.

Isausernameavailable · 31/08/2022 23:28

Maybe stop the uniform crap, the stupid 'strict' performance, and work with adolescents towards the people they could emerge into.

Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:28

Nor intended to be goady at all.

I am a teacher and I am wondering where it has gone wrong 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm keen to know so I can right the wrongs in my own practice.

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Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:30

Lesina · 31/08/2022 23:16

For me it’s because I have a neurodivrse child who struggles. His teacher could not be less interested. But the inclusion of ND children predate her entry into university and into the profession, she should have been aware that in taking over a classroom, ND children would be part of it. To claim no knowledge is shoddy. Would not be accepted in my profession.

That's really interesting, thank you for sharing your experience.

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Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:31

solarbirdscalm · 31/08/2022 23:23

I don't think most people dislike teachers, but I think a lot of people dislike schools, particularly how inflexible and uncommunicative they are. I'd welcome a fundamental rethink of how schools and education work now that most families have two working parents and grandparents that are going to be in paid employment until over 65. Part of the solution is a lot more funding though, which people never want to give.

I agree with you that reforms are needed.

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Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:34

Isausernameavailable · 31/08/2022 23:28

Maybe stop the uniform crap, the stupid 'strict' performance, and work with adolescents towards the people they could emerge into.

Also agree about uniform but can see how it could be useful for some families.

It's the expensive logo stuff that winds me up. I teach Primary with a fairly relaxed stance on uniform but my own kids go to a secondary school that insists on expensive uniform

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Cynderella · 31/08/2022 23:37

Also a teacher. I'm no longer in mainstream, and although I loved classroom teaching, God, it was hard work.

I think parents and everyone else have much higher expectations of teachers now than when I first started. In fact, there is sometimes a sense of entitlement. Many of these expectations are perfectly reasonable, but classes are big, demands on teachers' time are many and whatever it is, it's too expensive. I've worked with some lazy and incompetent teachers, but they are a tiny minority. Most of the teachers I know and have known are doing their best.

Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:39

Cynderella · 31/08/2022 23:37

Also a teacher. I'm no longer in mainstream, and although I loved classroom teaching, God, it was hard work.

I think parents and everyone else have much higher expectations of teachers now than when I first started. In fact, there is sometimes a sense of entitlement. Many of these expectations are perfectly reasonable, but classes are big, demands on teachers' time are many and whatever it is, it's too expensive. I've worked with some lazy and incompetent teachers, but they are a tiny minority. Most of the teachers I know and have known are doing their best.

That's the same in my experience but from reading threads on Mumsnet, that doesn't seem to be the norm.

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mondaytosunday · 31/08/2022 23:39

All the people I know have a lot of respect for the teaching profession in general, though there are some crap teachers just as there are crap lawyers/doctors/waiters.

Original poster

LucyLastik · 31/08/2022 23:40

mondaytosunday · 31/08/2022 23:39

All the people I know have a lot of respect for the teaching profession in general, though there are some crap teachers just as there are crap lawyers/doctors/waiters.

Absolutely!

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stardust40 · 31/08/2022 23:42

Most of the issues that people raised are to do with the education system but they just blame the teachers. They have no idea that teachers a just a cog in the machine who actually make very little decisions! The lack of training for new teachers is shocking.... they may have one lecture on teaching a subject and be expected to teach it. In terms of ND children there may be no training in their training at all! This however is down to the watering down of expectations of a teacher training course by the government because there is a lack of teachers.

EweCee · 31/08/2022 23:45

I don’t think that there is a general dislike of teaching profession as such; I think we all acknowledge the impact they have on our children! However, I certainly have gotten tired of the seemingly constant refrain over the past 3 years from teachers along the lines of ‘no-one works as hard as teachers/ works such long hours/ gets a poorly paid for the jobs we do’ etc etc and whilst I love my children’s teachers and school, I get tired of hearing it when it’s just not true and shouldn’t be a race to the bottom. (And Most of my social circle IRL are teachers too so it’s not just on MN!)

MiddleAgedTraveller · 31/08/2022 23:46

Almost everyone went to school and so they think that they understand education. That means that they believe that they have a view on all aspects of education that is equally as valid as any teachers.

As a child I played Operation. That doesn't make me think that I could walk into an operating theatre and carry out heart transplant surgery.

DelphiniumBlue · 31/08/2022 23:48

solarbirdscalm · 31/08/2022 23:23

I don't think most people dislike teachers, but I think a lot of people dislike schools, particularly how inflexible and uncommunicative they are. I'd welcome a fundamental rethink of how schools and education work now that most families have two working parents and grandparents that are going to be in paid employment until over 65. Part of the solution is a lot more funding though, which people never want to give.

You make some interesting points.
Schools in the UK were not designed as childcare facilities, and most people's working lives are not child or family-friendly. The wrap around provision that is provided in some other countries is only provided quite haphazardly here - it depends very much on the individual school if care outside lesson time is available, and it is often limited, or expensive. For shift workers, the situation is particularly bad.
Teacher education is not as comprehensive as it might be around neurodiversity and SEN, and support for teachers in the classroom is also very limited.
If there is only one adult in the room, it really restricts provision for individual children, and conversely, if a teacher is dealing with an individual child for any length of time, it affects the others, who need to know the teacher is also watching them.
Teachers are not responsible for a lot of the decisions that annoy parents, eg uniform, timings, holidays, homework.
There are not enough hours in the day to do it all properly and communicate with parents, plan and mark work, change library books, deal with minor injuries/illness/playground spats/bullying/impose consequences for behaviour and so on, let alone deal with SLT and Ofsted requirements, whilst teaching remotely and face to face at the same time.
But mostly, I've found that parents really appreciate how much most teachers care about their pupils.

Ganymedemoon · 31/08/2022 23:49

I have a huge amount of respect for teachers in general. More specifically the ones that actually care and do a great job under very challenging circumstances. As a parent I have only come across one teacher who I thought should have chosen another profession as she clearly hated her job, maybe she was burnt out? Who knows but she had a very negative inpact on my daughter and she's my priority. But I would never tar all teacher with the same brush. Like in all professions you get the bad, the good and the amazing.

I think the system is in need of a change, far too much pressure on kids at a young age and too results driven.

As a fellow public sector worker, The NHS. I agree that expectations can often be waaaay too much, I am not sure why that is now but in 20 years in my job that has certainly been a very big change I have noticed recently.

BarkylLoner · 31/08/2022 23:49

Some people did not have a good experience of school. They associate teachers with the bad experience

Whatfunwehave · 01/09/2022 00:03

I have a huge amount of respect for teachers. I understand they do a very difficult, and thankless job. I am the child of teachers, and have many family and personal friends who are teachers, so I understand just how hard they work. But, despite this understanding, I do find the attitude of some of the teaching profession frustrating. There is a general sentiment that no one else works as hard as them. And it just isn’t true. I very clearly remember my mother (a teacher) expressing surprise when she realised that I worked as many hours and as hard as she did in the (many) peaks of my work, but without any of the troughs she used to experience (ie without taking more than a week off ever as otherwise we wouldn’t to be able to cover childcare in the school holidays). I also find that the approach if the teaching profession can be inflexible and not very understanding of some of the realities for other people’s lives: I think a big part of the problem is that many teachers have never done anything but education in one form or another, and many teachers (understandably) are friends with other teachers, so there is a general lack of insight into the rest of the world.