To privately not have much respect for a lot of teachers

[parsnipandmushroom]

Obviously I would never communicate this to a child, but when the "teacher knows best" lines emerge on here I often think 'no, they don't.'

I've known so many teachers make numerous basic errors with resources, and give children the wrong information. This wouldn't actually bother me much but coupled with the complaints about pay, working hours and stress, I do often think 'stop whining.'

So I am not accused of being a troll - I only mean some teachers, and so I'm not accused of drip feeding information, I am a teacher.

AIBU?

WayfaringStranger I said something similar about nurses once and got shot down in flames

sparing
"Actually I entirely agree with Constance"

Not surprised.

Pop over onto the Staffroom thread here on MN.

Or look at the job vacancies/Pay and Conditions/Opinion threads in the TES.

You will get some idea of where the discontent lies.

I am heartily glad I do not have to teach in England.

Right actually there are quite a few threads about GPs on here. And the fact their service isn't good enough.
The fact you aren't trained as a doctor doesn't mean you can't judge how good they were!

I think the difference here is that the comment is made by a teacher about teachers so actually few of us can really comment on whether she is right or not, ie if teachers within the school are whinging a lot.

parsnip Yes I am the Mrs Angry At The Supermarket Woman. I understand that you are letting off steam. According the last Ofsted I took part (2013) I am a 'good' teacher. However now I'm a supply teacher because I knew my health was going downhill rapidly and I have a very ill elderly father who lives over 300 miles away I let other people do the planning which takes up all their weekends and holidays. I just waltz in and teach it. I am sad because I was passionate about my job.

'It is not the fault of ignorant and sub-literate teachers that they are accepted on teaching courses. Blame the bums on seats view of higher ed.'

Yes. And it isn't their fault that they are inadequately trained and most what they are trained in is to justify the stance that 30 children of varying ability including SEN with no additional training for those aspects, nor personnel, nor support can all make progress of some pre-set amount according to a forever changing measurement.

Nor is it their fault that they are blamed for every one of society's problems because it enables the politicians to point the finger rather than face the fact that their own policies are lacking.

Nor is it their fault that there is very little pedagogy in their training now.

And, I suppose given the above, it is probably not their fault they are then defensive and unwilling to admit to parents how little preparation and support they are given to enable them to do their job, and so therefore pretend all is 'fine' when it often really isn't.

subject knowledge and teaching ability are two quite separate things.

It is entirely possible through excellent teaching to enable a child to acquire the skills you do not have yourself.

I'd love to see you do a full week's teaching. You wouldn't make it a day. Incidentally, what do you do for a living? What wonders do you contribute to the world apart from making ignorant, Daily Mail-style comments on websites?

Tired, so punctuation on post very poor. In fact 'requires improvement.'

Hey, don't send them to school then. Educate them yourself, at home.

It used to be a vocation, something you did because you wanted to nurture and educate.

That is about as true as most romantic thoughts of yesteryear. There were, and are, teachers that go into the profession with high hopes and big dreams. But there were also women, and minorities, and working class men who went into because it was a profession open to them.

And I am sure as many then as today fell into it due to being smart enough for University, but not brilliant enough to create some other opportunity for themselves. Or unable, despite University being free, to avoid their family's need for them to come home and contribute. Or not risk taking enough, preferring the relative reliability of the job than the risk of reaching for a bigger dream. Maybe they made the best of it, maybe they were bitter, terrible teachers.

It used to be a vocation, something you did because you wanted to nurture and educate.

Did it? Here in the US, some reasons why people became teachers in the past would include:

1. It was one of the few job opportunities available for women.

1. If you were worried about being drafted to fight in Vietnam, getting a teaching credential kept you in college (with a draft deferment) for two years.

1. If you agreed to teach for a given amount of time, you could go to a teachers' college for free or reduced tuition (my parents did this).

You obviously didn't have people avoiding being drafted and sent to Vietnam, but surely you had some people choosing teaching as a career for less than pure motives.

We have some problems with the quality of teachers here, too. I suspect part of the problem is that it isn't an especially well paid or prestigious field. That means most of the really smart people go into something else that brings more pay or prestige.

There might have been more really smart women teachers back in the day, who might not have become teachers if other fields had been open to them. Now they have more choice, and most of them don't choose to be teachers.

Vocations don't pay the bills. All these warm fuzzy thoughts about loving your job and being born to do it doesn't put food on the table or a roof over your head.

Its like the nurses striking, people were banging on about how they should do it because they care, well of course they do, but it doesn't mean they shouldn't want a wage in line with living costs or want people to stop dragging them all through the mud.

I trained a long time ago. I was very lucky in that my first job gave me a grounding in imaginative, committed and inspiring teaching thanks to a HOD with vision and enthusiasm. I moved on to another job which allowed me to refine what I knew and refocus on teaching skills alongside this.

So now, 20+ years in, I have a clear understanding of my own vision and how I want to achieve it, which means that I can adapt to whatever the latest trend bullshit is. Too many young teachers never get time to develop their own pedagogical understanding. God help anyone who is developed by a HOD I know well, who is basically driven by getting kids to jump through hoops: they are learning nothing except how to pass exams and it stinks.

I think many teachers are scared of admitting they don't know stuff, too. I was asked a science question today (not my subject but fairly basic general knowledge) and I didn't have a clue. So I said so, and directed the kids to a Science specialist!

professor the op is a teacher! So I'm sure she is perfectly able to "last a week"

of course there are some crap teachers out there and its shit when your child gets one.

Have a read of this, especially para 15 which gives perspective on the views of certain jobs.

strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/

I think the difference here is that the comment is made by a teacher about teachers so actually few of us can really comment on whether she is right or not, ie if teachers within the school are whinging a lot.

It's also worth remembering anyone can claim to be anything on the internet.

Can send you proof if you like Worra. I seem to remember having had a similar conversation with you before. The reply then was a hastened 'no I don't need proof - I am just saying' which I don't doubt, but it detracts from the thread as you end up with posters who want to disregard what you are saying stating 'oh, the OP is a troll'. I recognise you weren't, of course, insinuating that, but just the same it is worth bearing in mind many interpret it that way when they disagree with your sentiments.

Professor try ten years

I am a teacher and I am doing very well in my career. I agree that the teachers that moan the most often tend to be the worst teachers. We had a teacher who consistently was working below standard and her excuse was always paperwork however I do think paperwork is killing off the best teachers. I am often infront of my class absolutely shattered because I have been up late planning and marking. Each lesson I teach takes half hour to plan, 1 maybe more hours to mark. It is absolutely exhausting! I then are a manager of 2 major subjects, which takes up even more time.

I hope one day something is put in place to allow teachers to focus on the main and most important park of our job... to teach. I absolutely love my job and I am bloody good at in but I don't know how long I can continue at the standard I currently work at.

My reply wouldn't have been hastened at all. It would simply have been a reply.

Many people on the internet claim to be (for example) muslim and then go on to criticise other muslims, or they claim to be anything really, thinking it gives them carte blanche to launch a bit of a tirade that people will then take more seriously.

You may well be a teacher or you may well not be.

Either way, surely you must understand that some people have more stressful lives than others and therefore will whinge from time to time about their careers.

What is the solution to all these hours spent planning and marking?

Smaller classes? Better time management?

It's a pretty core part of the job, so if it's causing the stress... what's to do?

Smaller classes and more PPA are the solution to all the planning and marking time.

The budget says no.

Can send you proof if you like Worra

I distinctly remember someone pretending to be a nurse, someone pretending to be a nursery nurse, and someone pretending to be a lawyer. All have happened over the course of 3/4 years or so. So it's no surprise.