To think an English teacher should know poems that AREN'T on the examination syllabus?

[Shiningbaubles]

And be familiar with Shakespeare plays other than Romeo and Juliet?

Friend is training but 'hates poetry" and 'hates Shakespeare.'

Or am I being harsh?

Mean and lion - in my department we have a teacher who has a degree in a differen subject and is trained to teach that. She studied English to A Level. A colleague was off ill long term and the teacher was sent in on supply - six years ago .. She was so fabulous and inspiring a job was created for her.

An English teacher who hates poetry?

I've got a degree in English literature, and a PGCE, and worked as an English teacher for 10 years. I would be aghast at someone saying this if they intended to teach English. I'd think they were ignorant.

I'm scared of someone like that teaching my children.

"You would be hard pushed to find any job where someone knew every single aspect of their field when it is so vast."

Yes - but to hate poetry?

That's like a music teacher saying they hate classical music. Or an art teacher saying they hated sculpture.

To hate a whole genre!

Suggests a disturbing narrowness.

I'm actually distraught at the thought of an English teacher saying they 'hate poetry'.

I'm going to have to read some poetry now to cleanse myself.

Poetry isn't a genre, is it? It's a form. Which makes it worse, because you might dislike a genre of poetry, but disliking all of it seems strange.

Yes - you are right

And yes - a whole category of literature written off.

Oh, I didn't mean it as nit-picking. Only that she is writing off so much. I don't really understand how, if you're not a child who's decided you don't like the idea of poetry so you won't bother, you can even say you dislike all of it.

Beloved I was more answering the question that English teachers should know everything as suggested somewhere on the thread

I'm an English teacher. My degree is in English Language and Linguistics. I had to learn a lot of Literature on the job.

But I always loved it! I would be to meet a colleague who talked like that.

Having said that, I have met a lot of English teachers who say they hate grammar and some who couldn't use it either. Is that the same?

IHeartKing - It would kill me to meet an English teacher who had no grip of grammar!

Nowadays they fit better with the system. I'm not English, but there is so much pressure to learn content and pass exams there isn't much time left for passion. Our students only do one Shakespeare and they read Of Mice and Men four times to make sure they know it well enough for the exam.

English and maths are so important for schools for ofsted/league tables.

Swoosh, I bet you picture Donne looking like Marcuse?
I do hope she never ever mentions her dislike of poetry or Shakespeare to any class she has. Some of them can't see the point in doing anything like that, they don't need a teacher reinforcing their views.

Swoosh? I mean Squoosh.

Everyone uses grammar. Some of it just isn't standard.

At all the high schools I taught in I had to teach all the Chaucer at A level as no one else wanted to or felt competent to teach it.
I taught with one member of my department who didn't know how to use the semi colon.
I think the worst example I came across was an English teacher who hated Shakespeare and asked me to explain "An Inspector Calls" because it was "too hard".

I was somewhat surprised when I had some work invigilating an English exam that they could bring the book in to refer to it. I happily remember learning quotes for my Eng Lit O Level.

DS has just "done" Macbeth in year 5.

I must admit, whilst I think I mostly use grammar correctly I don't really know why I use it correctly. I couldn't explain why a semi colon goes somewhere (embarrassingly, my 8 year old almost certainly could!)

I love poetry though :) but loathe Chaucer, sorry

One of my English teachers did Watership Down with us when we were 14, because they were 'real rabbits' and it was such a moving novel. She'd set us homework to write poems and if you didn't rhyme them, she'd write 'rhyme?' at the bottom.

Watership Down is one of my favourite books!

I find poetry teaching hard - but even I know poems don't need to rhyme.

I can sometimes do a decent Haiku as well.

Sorry.

But it wasn't really about likes or dislikes - it was the fact she taught it to us when we were 14. And we were the top set - we could have coped with something a bit more demanding but I don't think she could! There are loads of books I love to read but wouldn't necessarily think are sensible to teach.

Ah, but you can read it on so many levels ...

In fairness, there are lots of VERY undemanding texts knocking about.

I remember having to teach 'Buddy' as an NQT as they were the only texts left in the stock cupboard and making the kids listen to buddy holly that was fabulous!

This article explains exactly what's wrong with the teaching of English Literature today - there's no room/time for enthusiasm, just facts...

It's brilliant - but as it's written by Michael Rosen, that's to be expected...
www.theguardian.com/education/2015/apr/07/key-stage-1-poetry-assessment-wrecks-poems-for-children

Well, she put me off it for life! There were no 'levels' there ... every time we looked a bit bored she'd go off on one about 'real rabbits' as if it was the most amazing thing for someone to write a story about animals.

I'm feeling irritated by it now.

Poor woman, she probably thought we were a bunch of right idiots who didn't appreciate her.

Listening to Buddy Holly sounds more like it.

Another teacher bashing thread.. poor teachers is all I can say! I wouldn't do their job for all the tea in China.

Bik - I love that piece.