To be sick of the current public slating off teachers!

[Belle15]

Just feel teachers are criticised from all angles at the moment and we work damn hard for very little financial gain or thanks!! Would like to see any of the people moaning about us actuallu spend a day in our shoes.Needed a rant!

Blissx, I'm not projecting anything, just saying that you take the rough with the smooth. Some aspects of people's are enjoyable or rewarding in some sense, but others suck. That's life really and an unfortunate reality for a lot of people. I'm not saying it's right.

Fwiw, I developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder regarding the teaching profession when I relocated, had no family near by and didn't really know anyone. I was extremely ill and had to travel to the other side of the country for a couple of operations. Due to the way the NHS does things, I couldn't see anyone in my local area until all the admin went through.

DP worked away and I had no choice but to take my son with me so my mum could look after him. My parents refused to come and do it here as they had to work. Unfortunately, I was very ill after one op with sepsis and a really bad infection. They put me on IV antibiotics and was in for ages until I was well enough to leave.

Talk about shitty and DSs teacher was a complete bitch about it and said that I just couldn't do these things. What part of "I have no choice" did she not understand? I explained everything to her. For the record, my mum is a teacher and thought the school were being total aresholes. Their threats about escalating the matter really pissed me off.

When things were good in the private sector ( I know because I was working in it) I didn't see people wanting teachers to have the same benefits as private sector employees. I had free gym membership, pay rises, bonuses - DP didn't. And my salary was greater than his.

But as soon as things are tough in the private sector teachers are told they need to live in the real world? What a load of guff.

I can't think of very many professions in any sector that are subject to the same levels of scrutiny and accountability as teaching.

Paul, sounds like the school were the same with you. It was explained to me the schools get fined and told off over student attendance, so torture families under strain to stop the school getting into trouble.

I was also disgusted at the attitude to SEN funds, the attitude is the money is the schools overall budget, theyforget they are given money to help a child and they effectively hog the child's money and torture a child, yes pain when it is not necessary is torture, witholdiing equipment Drs say they require

alistron try lawyers or doctors, constant scruitiny, and accountability, regulations, rules and contracts also being changed constantly. Funding cutbacks etc.

People will usually think their profession or those of a spouse/partner/close relative is harder than some others. DP's sister is a midwife, I think she has it easy compared to me, she thinks it's really tough.

What get's a lot of people is the pension point, and the underpaid arguments. They just see the holidays and think that's it.

I am also confused about the potential implications of performance related pay. (I'm not a teacher although I have a vested interest as I've been considering training to be one for 5 or so years, and although I'm currently teaching tefl overseas, hope to move back to the uk in time for ds1 to start primary school). I love my job but I have very little paperwork, no inspections, very little interaction with parents (although the ones I do meet are fantastic) no pension, no holiday pay (contracted sept-June) and only 1k a month so annually 9k!

I went to a grammar school which took the top 11+ performers (it wasn't enough just to pass it) and there was not a D grade or below in my year group, at a level only 2 students chose not to go to university out of 200-odd. Surely a teacher at this school would sail up the pay scale?

I had an excellent, inspiring French teacher who was much loved by all his students. He left to teach in a challenging school because he genuinely wanted to make a difference to his students and felt he could do more good in a lower performing school. Under performance related pay, would not more teachers like him be compelled to stay at the 'easier' schools? You would have to have an incredibly strong sense of vocation not to do so.

Ergo, would not higher performing schools be able to employ the better, more engaging and hard working teachers, whilst the lower performing schools be left with lower performing teachers, thus creating an even larger discrepency in education standards?

Have I got this completely wrong? Don't get much Gove-news overseas (thankfully!)

deepfriedsage

How well would you do in a class of thirty?

Yes, I think it was all about maintaining their outstanding status. It wasn't like I was dicking around. I had been having health issues before I left and had had some tests. I didn't hear back for ages and assumed all was ok. I then got a call telling me that I had to come in for an urgent operation and could only have it done by the consultant I'd seen.

It was a crisis situation and I was too ill to stand up for myself at the time. My employer was very angry about the fact that I had the temerity to be ill and end up in hospital! Which also added to the stress. Meanwhile, I felt completely ill and shitty.

Anyway, time for me to start work!

There are good and bad teachers just like good or bad people who work in other jobs. PRP is a good idea, proving your results and efforts is better than everybody simply moving up the scale.

Most teachers and TA's i know work extremely hard but am sure there are a few that do the bare minimum, recycle the same work and dont do any clubs or get involved with PTA events.

As for bad press, they have it easy compared to social workers. Just google comments on social workers to see the slating they get in a very high workload low paid job considering what they do.

Paul, yep, outstanding school here too. They were fuming the children on 50% roughly attendance did better with me teaching them, with my health issues than they with their qualifications could achieve, they were despirate to prove I was the problem at every turn, everything showed they were the problem.

The private, ed psych wouldn't touch their referral when I gave evidence and explained what school had done

PRP is a good idea, proving your results and efforts is better than everybody simply moving up the scale.

Again what are the standards for the results?

How do you prove your efforts?

I didn't realise it was in teacher's contracts to be involved with PTA events. Will that be a PRP measure?

Alston that is rubbish,I was a teacher so know full well that other sectors family and friends are in are scrutinised just as much.

Ever heard of share holders,clients,managing directors- they all want maximum results,profit and progress just the same.Workers have to stump up with results and they do with zero bellyaching or unions arguing against every single attempt to raise results and standards.

The fact is whether teachers like it or not teaching has to keep evolving and if we are to keep up with the rest of the world standards and results have to be improved,scrutinised and stretched.

There is also zero money to fund gold pelted pensions,pay rises simply for arse time in the classroom etc,etc.

If things are so wonderful elsewhere then leave,it's simple.

Maybe OFSTED should rate teachers on how many cup cakes they can shift at the summer fete?

MrButtercat

You do know that around the world the UK system of education is widely copied.

Butter - I worked in a competency based profit driven environment. It in no way compared to the scrutiny teachers face. If I worked harder I got a reward - eg a bonus. If a teacher works harder so many factors influence the outcome ( eg how children perform in statutory tests)

You say you were a teacher - my DP has been in the profession for 17 years. Year on year there have been significant changes and goal post shifting. When did you leave?

"I was a teacher"
"gold pelted pensions"

these two statements do not go together. (ignoring the spelling)

And wouldn't it be a shame if pay and conditions forced skilled and dedicated teachers out of the profession?

Boney - sorry to nitpick, but you do know that there is no such thing as a UK wide education system?!

I think one of the problems that teachers have, is that after a while, it becomes apparent who the worse teachers are.

Worse teachers affect a lot of families.
If there are say worse civil servants, it does not directly impact many people, at least not in ways that are so visible and so meaningful.

But I do agree with the op that not many of us wish to do it yet we give them a bad press.

Re spelling Ipad woes,have no intention of scrutinising every post I do thanks.I type quick.

SirChenjin

"Boney - sorry to nitpick"

Yes, I was being sensitive to our neighbours.

Hmmm when my dp goes through an IT release with millions of £££££,data etc riding on it believe me (having lived through both) it is every bit as stressful.

MrButtercat

I did say "ignoring the spelling"

You didn't need to mention it,it's irrelevant as most posters are on some device such as an Ipad etc.Have noticed spelling etc get chucked in often during these threads to belittle posters.