Okay, about teachers...

[KitKat1985]

Okay I'm being brave here. I know a few people who happen to be teachers. Whenever they talk about their jobs, there's a real 'no other profession has to work as hard as us' vibe to their speech. I am fully aware and in agreement that it's a stressful job with long hours and ridiculous amount of pressure if you don't count the long holidays but it's hardly the only profession that has these issues. I myself am a nurse, and 14 hour shifts on an under-staffed ward with no breaks and several severely ill / abusive patient to look after are hardly a picnic either. But whenever I discuss work with teacher friends there's a definite 'if you want to talk about stress you should try being a teacher' element to the conversation, and it's starting to really get on my nerves. Lots of jobs are stressful, teaching isn't the only one! And it's only teachers I know that seem to have this general attitude about their profession. AIBU? Is it really more stressful than any other profession out there?

Dorsetdays

We all have to bow to their superior knowledge because outside of teaching us mere mortals don’t know anything

Il stand by what I originally said, all jobs are stressful to the individual, some cope better than others.

Its not a competition, it isn’t a oneupmanship, or a superiority bandwagon, OP was speaking of HER experiences! And one that I’ve personally witnessed, and also seen 1st hand.

Dorsetdays

You have the absolute knack of twisting people's words. I have not said that parents have no idea. I said that a school being over subscribed proves nothing about how good a school is and I gave 1 example of a local school. That isn't saying that no parent understands what makes a good school.

Lastly, I'm not a teacher as I've repeatedly said. I was a school governor for nearly 20 years so I've seen education from the management side and have an idea of what goes on so for you to attack teachers on the basis of my opinions is just wrong.

I am not speaking on behalf of teachers because I'm not one. I am telling you what I have witnessed from a strategic point of view.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend
Decomposing hasn't tried to make sweeping generalisations about the profession, nor have they (that I can recall) continuously jumped from silly tangent to tangent desperately trying to spread misinformation.

I'm taking the piss out of people who seem to think their non-experience as a teacher qualifies them to dismiss and deny the experiences of people who actually do the job.

Eg. If teachers just prioritised their workload there'd not be a problem

I'm still hoping someone can enlighten me on the difference between me (as a career changer) being on the verge of leaving the profession due to excessive workload and stress with a negative impact on my mental health, to someone who really enjoys teaching, has a reasonable work life balance and would happily stay for a long time. You see, we've been told that all these things teachers might raise as issues aren't really issues because some teachers don't face them day to day, and apparently it's just prioritising. So are all these experts seriously going to tell me that that change was because I just flicked a mindset switch?

fedup. Every teacher on here when for example someone has said ‘I’d say nursing is more stressful’ and the response is ‘ah but they don’t take work home’

Or a poster suggests serving members of the armed forces are under more stress. Teachers on here ‘ah but they also don’t bring work home’.

Nursing? Oh they only work three days a week and they DEFINITELY don’t take work home!

Frontline mental health? Children’s social services? Oh, but us teachers also do their job for them as we’re always making referrals and safeguarding....

Do you not see how that comes across?

You are also aware that Decomposing is also not a teacher and is in fact a retired nurse confused and yet her opinions as a non teacher and just going by her sons experience hmm

My opinions are formed from 18 years experience of being a school governor in both primary and secondary schools.

I think I have more than a smidgeon of knowledge about what goes on in schools.

I'm a teacher, every other night I do school work, plus at least one morning or afternoon on the weekend. Midweek I go to the gym twice and as I go after getting my kids to sleep I refuse to then start work at 9.45pm when I get in.

I've been teaching a decade and don't do half as much as I used to do...I prioritise. I am consistently graded outstanding and my pupils make good to outstanding progress consistently (obv the odd one doesn't either due to SEN needs in which case they make good progress for themselves or due to circumstances beyond my control, ie the child with a 35% attendance rate...that is a different part of my job).

I think teachers need to be strong and stand up for their work life balance. No one will die if that email is left until tomorrow, displays should be working walls showing up to date work and marking and assessment should involve the children so they have ownership over their learning and achievements!

We all have to bow to their superior knowledge because outside of teaching us mere mortals don’t know anything
Nobody has said that.

But ANYONE outside of ANY sector knows less about that profession and line of work than those who are in it. Anyone who thinks that their second/third hand experience qualifies them to make sweeping generalisations is arrogant.

My friends have told me about pressure in the health service. I didn't decide to come on MN starting threads saying "my HCP friends have a vibe that I've taken to mean they think their job is worse than mine", nor would I think my conversations with them and experience as a patient make me qualified to tell them their experiences are wrong, or they just need to work harder and prioritise their workload. I certainly wouldn't turn up and suggest they don't like their patients much (we've had staff on here don't show they like children), nor would I suggest they mustn't be good at their job (also on this thread) and so on.

And now people are getting to the point of mocking the sheer stupidity of some of the claims and arguments we're seeing the real chips come out about how "oooh nobody should say anything .. teachers take it personally".

It's really quite simple. Don't be goady and don't try to claim knowledge or expertise beyond what you actually have (in any situation or workplace discussion). It's not a teaching issue; it's a 'people who think their personal opinion is equal to or more reliable than actual professional experience' issue.

Dorsetdays

But they aren't saying "nursing isn't stressful because they only work 3 days and don't take work home". You are missing the point being made.

Teachers are explaining what makes their job stressful - the long hours, the lack of down time, the expectation that nearly as many hours are worked at home,unpaid, as at school, the performance management and issuing of unachievable targets, abuse in the classroom... These are things that make teaching stressful. People are trying to minimise the stress by trotting out the usual "but what about the holidays".

Just because teachers are explaining what makes their job stressful it doesn't mean they are saying no other job is stressful.

Lola. We’re entitled to our opinion, especially when that opinion is on a thread about whether the teachers we know moan more about their jobs than the professions of other friends/family.

Please don’t try to tell me that just because you’re a teacher you know more about how my dsis behaves and what she says about her job than I do. Or any of my teacher friends for that matter.

**HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend
Decomposing hasn't tried to make sweeping generalisations about the profession, nor have they (that I can recall) continuously jumped from silly tangent to tangent desperately trying to spread misinformation.

I'm taking the piss out of people who seem to think their non-experience as a teacher qualifies them to dismiss and deny the experiences of people who actually do the job.**

I don’t see anyone who has done this on this thread, what I have seen is posters give their experiences and others have minimised then one way or another.

Decomposing I agree with what you’ve said, Lola has advised upthread that those not in the teaching world can’t understand as they aren’t in that profession, however you and my experiences and knowledge state otherwise .

Lola, Taking the piss is frankly an understatement, you’ve been passive aggressive and minimised people’s experience and tried to play top trumps, in a very aggressive way.

Decomposing I agree with what you’ve said, Lola has advised upthread that those not in the teaching world can’t understand as they aren’t in that profession, however you and my experiences and knowledge state otherwise .

Slightly confused there Haud as you and I appear to be saying the exact opposite of each other.

Decomposing. If you genuinely can’t see how it comes across when anytime a poster on here has suggested another profession they think is stressful, teachers on here have responded with reasons why their job trumps it (the low point as far as I’m concerned is suggesting soldiers serving in Helmand etc don’t bring their work home 🤦‍♀️)

But ANYONE outside of ANY sector knows less about that profession and line of work than those who are in it. Anyone who thinks that their second/third hand experience qualifies them to make sweeping generalisations is arrogant.

Your talking nonsense, some teachers aren’t worth their salt, can’t teach, and have absolutely lost their love of teaching.

I can’t give loads of examples in which an outside has exposed the failings teachers... your closed minded and that is what’s arrogant.

DecomposingComposers

You are also aware that Decomposing is also not a teacher and is in fact a retired nurse confused and yet her opinions as a non teacher and just going by her sons experience hmm

My opinions are formed from 18 years experience of being a school governor in both primary and secondary schools.

I think I have more than a smidgeon of knowledge about what goes on in schools

Being a school governor is not quite the same thing and you know it. You have more than a smidgeon of knowledge? So let’s call that a smidgeon and a half, shall we?

You're......x 2

Presume you're including whoever taught you English - completely agree.I

I'd sue.

You’re not your, in this instance, @HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend.

Glass houses and stones come to mind!

Just because teachers are explaining what makes their job stressful it doesn't mean they are saying no other job is stressful.

Only the OP experience is exactly that as have many others who have experience this, no one is making sweeping generalisation, they are personally talking about their OWN experiences.

@Feenie

Great minds! And no, we did not confer! Lol

So now I’m being personally attacked due to my English writing skills. I’m dyslexic, quick common knowledge on MN for those that know me.

Nice attacking of those with a learning disability

This is the second thread recently that I have seen somebody base their knowledge of something on their DSis (on the other thread to diminish anyone with an English degree). Mine is a police officer in Philadelphia. Therefore, I claim the right to opine freely on the work of US police officers (lazy, work shy, frankly odd, overpaid and always on holiday. Think they have the world's toughest job; all civilians are stupid, all police are heroic; God, all those police do is brag brag brag). I don't like my sister much; am wondering whether this is an emergent theme.

The illiterati appear to be out in force.

I am a school governor, too! As well as a teacher. Do I win?

Your talking nonsense, some teachers aren’t worth their salt, can’t teach, and have absolutely lost their love of teaching.
I can’t give loads of examples in which an outside has exposed the failings teachers... your closed minded and that is what’s arrogant.
Of course if people have concerns and specific issues about situations then they can (and should) raise issues and if need be a formal complaint. I spend loads of time on here supporting parents who need to hold schools to account, and rightly so.

But doing that does not justify sweeping generalisations about a whole sector or professions, nor does it make trawling workplace forums to misrepresent what people discuss anything other than a bit oddly overinvested.

It's really not that difficult to understand that there is a massive difference between raising concerns in specific situations and deciding to speculate about how workplace bullying couldn't really be an issue because they must have been crap (and other ridiculous claims on this thread).

Me too - We have joint winners!

NoTheresa