to ask WHY in the name of Gove are teachers striking again?

[loftyclopflop]

DD's school is closing on 1st October because they have chosen to strike. Is it over pay, pensions and conditions? Did they achieve anything by striking a couple of years ago other than massively inconveniencing a lot of parents?

I know Gove is a twat but do they really expect to change anything by taking the day off?

I don't agree aris, the older students that I work with know a little about my career. My husband, family and friends know a little. The parents of some of my students know a little.

Teaching isn't some great mystery only revealed to those who pass the initiation.

Teachers don't claim that they have the hardest job in the world but they do moan about things and don't make clear that the things they find difficult are not unique to teaching. That is, sadly, part of being a working parent .

Add message | Report | Message poster echt Sat 21-Sep-13 12:36:22
What I have seen, and consistently in 35 years of teaching is teachers defending themselves against accusations of being 9-3.30./12 weeks holidays/gold-plated pensioner/ snow day shystering whingers.

I keep saying this on here but apart from the odd poster on MN and the Daily Mail most people seem to have a sense of awe about my job that it really does not deserve. They think my job is much harder than it is in reality and that I must be some kind of saint. In reality I spend my time talking about a watered down version of my degree to students who have to listen and planning my next holiday.

Talking a watered-down version of my degree to students who have to listen sounds great, but that's not my experience of teaching! Maybe at sixth form, but for me, a large part of my day is attempting to get students to understand concepts that are very far removed from my degree and trying to make them listen.

My degree and my teaching have very little to do with each other.

it doesn't matter whether teachers work harder or not - they have the right to be treated fairly and they have the right to strike to protect those rights that they were sold and now are going to be changed.

A strike by its very nature is supposed to cause disruption, if it didn't then it would be ineffective.

I went back to TES recently and couldn't figure it out at all, the latest revamp seems completely bonkers.

I teach a lot of sixth form and GCSE, although even lower down the school I use my degree

Just goes to show that even teachers can have very different experiences of teaching, Aris. I teach a bit of sixth form, a GCSE class and a lot of KS3. Maybe my job is harder than yours and I am a saint

I agree that they're right to be pissed off about pensions. Teachers, as wewll as other public service professionals, will have paid into these for their entire careers and now, as Ivy says, their pensions are being changed to their detriment, having to pay more and longer for less basically.

I teach in a comprehensive / secondary modern.

I teach history , so not light on marking but not as bad as English.

Most teachers on MN seem to work far harder than me , although I do my fair share , from 7am until 6pm in school and a few hours at home each night.

You're SLT too, aren't you, Aris? Reduced timetable? I expect that helps with behaviour management too.

I must admit I'm wondering about this school where pupils, have to listen

And I also wonder about the fact that the description sounds entirely teacher led

I was describing what I do which is why it sounded teacher led . On a whole my lessons are quite pupil led , good for the students as they tend to learn more and good for me as it requires me to do less.

Behaviour management is no doubt easier when you are SMT. Although most teenagers are fairly compliant as they want an easy life.

I also teach fewer classes, again less to mark - but I do other stuff too! Mainly controlling the behaviour of 1500 students and ensuring our staff are not overworked.

Although most teenagers are fairly compliant

In your experience, maybe.

Behaviour management is no doubt easier when you are SMT

Very much easier. If you work under a weak SMT it can be horrendously draining.

I do other stuff too! Mainly controlling the behaviour of 1500 students

Well, if they're mostly compliant that can't be too onerous.

I agree about weak SMT, I see my main goal as making life for our staff as easy and as stress free as possible. For that to happen I need to be energised which I can't do if I am martyring myself trying to be the hardest working person in the world. I really hope our staff are not as stressed and overworked as many teachers on here.

Each of our departments has admin support, we actively discourage our staff from working in the holidays . We work with other schools to plan as a team so that the workload is shared. Our TAs have time to do displays for class teachers .

Ilovesooty touché about the compliant students .

Although in a community of 1500 the minority who do not comply can still be quite a number.

I am not saying teachers do not work hard, I have posted my hours - but it is not quite the all consuming life draining misery that some would paint it.

Wow! Every department has admin support. That's living the dream!
Although sometimes, just sometimes I find the admin tasks therapeutic!

I'm not saying teachers don't DO admin. Clearly they do.

What I am saying is they are not likely to be especially efficient at it because it isn't what they went into teaching for and their teacher training course did not prepare them for it, or include fluency examinations or completion against the clock as is the case in other high admin roles.

Those teachers who have come from such admin-dominant professions (rather than straight into teaching) are likely to have trained and become experienced in processing paperwork efficiently.

Also, many teachers (and absolutely not all) don't appear to understand the importance of data informed planning, and tend to feel the data stuff is a chore to prove progress to SLT and Ofsted and do it begrudgingly, whereas it could and SHOULD bring excitement with regards to the feedback it affords and the ability tweak performance and grow as a teacher.

Many teachers ime tend to separate the admin/data from the teaching as if it is an additional and unnecessary burden (which some of it probably is) without 'enjoying' what it can do to raise attainment.

Of course I do not mean ALL teachers. But I do mean significant proportion.

Ooooh I love a bit of data dredging. Can be very enlightening. That's not the stuff that saps my will to live, it's the constant paper. Why is there still so much paper. All the time.