Does the size of a teacher make difference to their ability to teach?

[StrumpersPlunkett]

Would you be concerned if your child’s teacher was of significantly reduced mobility due to being overweight?
If you are a teacher in early years/ks1/ks2+
Would it limit your teaching?

Surely most primaries have dedicated staff to teach PE - is this not standard?

No-teachers usually teach at least one PE lesson a week. That’s entirely normal

Surely most primaries have dedicated staff to teach PE - is this not standard?

I've never heard of a primary school having dedicated PE staff. At my kids school PE was just taught by the class teacher, and as far as I know the other schools in the area are the same.

Good luck to the OP.

I don't think it would be a problem for the children at all. However, as other people have said, teaching is a physically demanding job and you would find it much easier if you were able to lose some weight. I'm a secondary teacher on a big site, which I know is different from what you're looking for, but I regularly walk 5k just in the course of my working day according to my fitness tracker.

I'm sorry, I think my 'good luck' might have sounded sarcastic. It really was a genuine good luck.

Good luck!

Don't let it stop you training to be a teacher. I know a few primary teachers and they don't actually teach pe, an outside company comes in to run the sessions so chances are you won't even have to teach pe. That said even if you did you'd be stood there holding the whistle not running around with the kids!

Go for it, I wouldn't bat an eyelid if one of my children's teachers is overweight. As long as they are good at their job and have a passion for teaching (which I think is important!) I wouldn't care.

TwoOddSocks,

IME, no.

If we just think about this practically - a non-NQT teaches their class 4.5 days a week, usually 5 mornings and 4 afternoons. They have 1 session of PPA - non contact time.

Unless BOTH of the mandatory 2 hours of PE are taught in that non-contact time, then the teacher has to teach the other at some point in their 4.5 days.

Equally, in multi-form entry schools, teachers in a single year group may have PPA together so they can work as a team (primary teachin can be an isolating business). It isn't efficient to have 2,3,4 sports coaches all working at once during the same non contact time.

Art the other end of the spectrum, some schools have only a couple of classes - would it be efficient to have 2 teachers + a sports coach in such a school? Money is short enough as it is in such schools.

My experience is that most schools use some external expertise for PE, some of the time - a sports coach working alongside class teachers while 1 of them has PPA, an gym coach coming in for a few weeks to offer CPD to a class teacher, a local sports club offering a few weeks of coaching a class at a time - but not for both hours of PE every week for every class on a permanent basis.

No I wouldn't be concerned as a parent. Not in the slightest. It's just not what I look for in a teacher (as others have said, also wouldn't be phased by a wheelchair user or other forms of reduced mobility).

I think there's a risk that it would be harder to find employment. I have a friend who is a morbidly obese teacher - she's put on most of the weight during a decade in her current job and is finding it impossible to find another job despite desperately wanting to move schools. She suspects this is because interviewers do have concerns about her weight/mobility, though whether that's true or her perception I don't know.

If a teacher's health affects their energy levels then it must impact on their teaching (just as it would on any other job). There are plenty of condition other than obesity that may cause the though and if they were all ruled out, who would be teaching our children?

Hi op I can understand that you didn't want to bias the first post but because you didn't post why it has made posters think your another goady troll.

Can I suggest asking mnhq to delete this thread and then start another one just adding your second post to your first post so people understand what your actually asking about.

Good luck if you go into teaching stumpers.

Yeah, re the foot rubbing. In hindsight that was totally weird. But we all put our hands up to be the lucky sod that got to do it. Go figure.

No need for that ginky. Look at the responses.

Forgot to add, best of luck with it all !

I work with teachers off all sizes. Doesn't make a blind bit of difference.

Though older kids can be bastards and if they think you will react will 'tease' a teacher for any 'weakness'. I'm short and Irish so leprechaun gets brought up A LOT. At worst it's pikey irish bitch. You need to be able to laugh it off and have a VERY thick skin. I teach them to spell leprechaun correctly and they realise it doesn't actually affect me so they get bored of it pretty quickly . But it happens every year with each new cohort. So original. Bless em. Lol.

I am an overweight teacher. I have never had any issues. The profession needs people who are both talented and committed. Weight is sod all to do with that.

No doubt you can be a good teacher. However I would imagine that looking after 30+ of the little blighters would be exhausting for anyone so it would be a good idea to build up some physical resilience beforehand. Good luck! I wish you well.

If you can manage to get around the room, get up and down with the children as required then there's no issue.

Maybe I'll get flamed for this, but if someone was so large they couldn't manoeuvre around a classroom to read work over children's shoulders, address issues etc then I think size would be a limiting factor. I can only speak for myself but I do a lot of wandering when teaching and that ad hoc review of progress is key to teaching. If a teacher was not able to do that then they couldn't comment on class progress during the lesson and then that is an issue with teaching quality.

Thinking about this a little more:

Weight, on its own, is no barrier at all. Brilliant teachers come in all shapes and sizes.

Ability to move around (either independently or with an aid such as wheelchair, crutches, walking frame etc) IS really helpful, and could be a barrier.

Passion for the job is what makes you a good teacher. If you have concerns you're too overweight though don't you think it'd be a good idea to lose some weight anyway (easier said than done I know)? More energy can only be a good thing for someone who's dealing with kids all day. Good luck OP!

Teaching is a far more physical job than you would think. You need a lot of stamina. I’m in secondary and stand up almost all day ie teaching classes, break duties, collecting resources, sorting out issues with pupils, rushing off here and there. Also you need energy for parents evenings, preparing lessons at home for the next day, writing reports on the weekend etc.

I have always coped with the school day but find working late at home really hard and sometimes there is no choice.

Having said that there are quiet times of the year (summer holidays) and some people are lazy whatever size they are so it depends on your stamina, energy levels and work ethic more than actual weight.

Most schools now have sports coaches come in and do the PE

That's absolutely not the case.

Passion for the job is what makes you a good teacher

It’s not the only thing though. You still need to be able to physically do the job, manage behaviour, plan challenging lessons, have good subject knowledge etc etc etc.

Passion is just one of the required qualities.

Passion for the job is what makes you a good teacher.

Passion for the job is one aspect of what makes a good teacher - it isn't enough on its own!

Decent subject knowledge across the whole curriculum, adequate intellect, ability to develop sufficient 'classroom presence' to maintain behaviour management, kindness, empathy, teamwork, organisation... I have seen trainees or teachers who have passion but have been missing one or more of the rest of my list who have been truly TERRIBLE teachers!

Multiple X post! Sorry!

I'm a size 10 but PE is more hampered by my complete lack of ability

As others said, you can get around that- children demonstrate, using a smartboard/youtube videos. Specific PE teachers in primary are rare these days.

Mobility is important though.

OP do ring round some schools and ask to volunteer. Anyone thinking of teacher training really must volunteer so they know what they're getting into. Good luck.

It wouldn’t bother me at all. I hope you go for it because teaching is the most important profession and we need as many brilliant ones as we can get.