Wondering why there's so much hate for teachers?

[Nannyogg134]

I've just been reading some responses to another thread concerning teachers and working over summer and there's a real mix of thoughts. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I'm always very taken back by the amount of negative comments regarding teachers (especially regarding workload and school holidays.)

I've taught in a state secondary school for almost 13 years and I came to the job after working in a care home for a few years. There are pros and cons; the school holidays are great (and yes, they are unpaid- teachers are paid per day of their contract, this is term time only, the wage is delivered over 12 monthly payments for ease of life.) However, there is no flexibility, so I rarely see my own children in sport's day, nativities, or even on parent's evening (if it clashes with something at my school.) Overall, I feel very passionately about giving my best to my students and extra time I spend on them feels mostly worthwhile.

However, whenever there is chat about teaching, the general feeling seems to be very negative. I'm just wondering where this seems to come from? Is it the classic 'horrible teacher' stereotype we see on TV etc.? Or is it a leftover from some of our own school days?

I suppose it's not really AIBU, more of a wondering where this issue comes from and if public view can ever be shifted?

Can we please have a teacher bashing board?

I think working in education has become a lot worse over the past 20 years' like many things and if you have seen this happen whilst you were there you may feel weary

More paperwork for example and budget have been cut so higher expectations, less admin and support staff possibly

Teachers don't get any paid holiday at all? Isn't that illegal?

We are not paid FOR the holidays. As a teacher you really should have understood your contract and conditions. Teachers are salaried and a holiday allowance is included but we are not paid for all 13 weeks outside of term time.

I agree with @Whadda teachers think they work harder than any other profession on the planet.

I think on the whole teachers work hard and do a great job.

What annoys me on here is when teachers on here think they work harder and longer than anyone else… which isn’t true.

Not always, I’m a peri and self employed (hourly paid) so don’t earn anything during school holidays.

It’s mainly down to ignorance I guess. It happens to other professions too. There was a thread provokingly questioning what GPs were up to because a surgery waiting room wasn’t busy enough apparently. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there are many phone appointments among another understandable reasons. Similarly it shouldn’t take a genius to know that a teacher can’t walk into their classroom on the first day of September having done no prep. But there you go.
To be honest, I’ve never come across it much in real life. People are genuinely very positive about teachers in my experience.
On threads I keep hearing something about teachers bemoaning having no time off - I’ve never seen it written or heard it said by any teacher. If a someone declared they were a teacher and started saying they never had a day off I’d assume it was a troll 🤷‍♀️

Read the thread again. You have misunderstood.

And your assertion is based on…?

Similar here. I see loads of teachers (including on my FB feed) sharing stuff about how they work so hard and they do so much overtime unpaid etc etc. In reality I know some of them in real life don't pick up a book in the holidays, don't do much in the evenings etc. So why go on about it?

Conversely I have teacher friends who just quietly get on with it, and probably do work in the holidays and evenings, but they understand that other people do too.

Also, teachers don't have holiday flexibility, but they also generally don't need holiday childcare, so it's swings and roundabouts.

And I'm utterly baffled by the whole "teachers don't get paid for holidays" thing... I mean, they basically do. It's a technicality that doesn't really mean much, but it seems to be picked over endlessly on here.

Depends what sort of teacher you are and who you work for. I don’t get paid during holidays (peri)

I'm a teacher and yanbu, there is a lot of negativity for teachers here. Tbf, sometimes we don't do ourselves any favours by complaining of workload etc because then people accuse us of moaning while we have the longest holidays of anyone in Britain. Despite our complicated pay arrangements.

However, I think it's indicative of everyone's general negativity towards everyone else right now. When money's tight and people are disillusioned by their government, their institutions and their futures, they start rounding on each other. T'was ever thus.

I take the attitude that, if people want ro moan about my profession, then let them crack on and waste their own time and energy. Ignore, ignore, ignore; and continue doing the crucial job that you are professionally qualified to do.

@Newrumpus I work for one of the Big 4 and work incredibly long hours and lots of travel too. It's hard but it's a role I've chosen. I know lots of teachers - friends and family and the huge majority of them truly believe it's the hardest job ever. They never work past 7pm. They do enjoy the bulk of the 13 weeks withiut working and their hours aren't as long as most in corporate roles. If it's that bad and that hard and oh so dreadful then leave!

I already replied that pedantry over the holidays payment makes some teachers look ridiculous, and now we see it on this thread 🤣

Google tells me starting teacher rate is £25,714.

If someone works in a call centre and says, “I earn £25K pa”, you show me a teacher anywhere who would reply, “I’m on £34K pa equivalent, though actually the same as you in reality because it’s 9 months pay.”

You can’t have it both ways - either you don’t get paid for holidays, or your salary is too low.

Because I think £25K is too low for a qualified professional teacher. £34K though? Perfectly good salary to start on.

I think because teachers are civil servants people feel more entitled to an opinion on their holidays/hours/pay.

From the outside looking in teachers work short days, are paid well and have enormous amounts of holiday. But like any job, there's always more to it than people think. I know a few teachers (not well tbf) and I have been told about all the overtime that goes in to marking and lesson planning etc it's not a job I envy and if you're going to do it well, it's certainly not an easy job. Also from what I've heard there's a lot of bureaucracy.

I'm an Estate Agent so I get it. People think we just take a few picture and wack them up on the internet and that's it. I have learnt to ignore those kinds of people.

Absolutely this post completely.

I am married to a teacher, but work in the private sector myself. It's very good for both of us to see the pros and cons of each job.... and there very much are pros and cons to each role.

I do not think teachers work from 9-3.30 pm. I think there are some positives and some negative aspects of the job some of which I agree are not on e.g. the constant government interference in changing curriculums.
But I do find teachers moan a lot and seem to think they have a uniquely harsh job. I know a fair number of teachers. I also know people who work in alternative education for children excluded from school. They are not qualified teachers, are paid less than teachers, and are dealing with the most challenging children. And yet I rarely hear them moaning about their job. Their moans are about the lack of support services for children they work with e.g. respite, during school holidays, etc.

Many teachers appear to think they are very badly paid and seem totally unaware of the many other people working in challenging jobs and paid less than them. I see comments such as - at least in other jobs you can go to the toilet when you want to. These comments just demonstrate a level of ignorance that is irritating.

Teachers are public servants. Civil servants are more maligned in the press as general public think it is all Yes Minister and not Job Centre managers, prison officers, border control etc.

Some teachers are shite, some brilliant and majority in between.

Just because you know some people doesn’t change anything!

Where have I said it was bad and hard? I love my job. I just hate the ignorant and boring teacher-bashing from fools who know a teacher or two and therefore think they know that teachers think this or that.

Of it’s that good, you could join.

I think a lot of it comes from bad experiences when we were at school ourselves or via our children. Unfortunately, a proportion of teachers aren't suited to being teachers, but aren't sacked, so can blight the education of large numbers of pupils, which doesn't get forgotten. Then as adults with children of our own, when we see poor teachers, it reminds us of our own experiences.

I have massive respect for teachers and know they work very hard in difficult circumstances. You'll get no hate from me. I honestly don't think the hate for teachers is any worse overall than for other professions tbh, although I can understand how it felt like that during COVID.

Try being a journalist, a lawyer, an estate agent or a banker if you think teachers are a hated profession. (I've been one of these and almost everyone assumes you're an arsehole as a starting point).

I think what is true is that teachers touch most of the lives of most people on here, which is not necessarily the case if you work for a Big Four accountancy firm. So everyone feels they have a dog in the fight.

I think the debate around teachers and their roles and responsibilities became quite toxic during COVID. On both sides tbh. A lot of people who were forced to do FT work while they were looking after children found the patchy provision of online education and the lack of flexibility from employers that they were being forced to teach their own kids on top of a job quite frustrating, to say the least, but it wasn't directed at teachers. It was directed at the government and the broader educational teaching infrastructure. And to be honest some teachers on here gave as good as they got. I saw some teachers pitch up and be quite short and aggressive with parents who were clearly at the end of their rope trying to do too much.

That was a uniquely high octane situation and some people probably were quite unpleasant then but I don't think that's the normal, steady state view on the profession.

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Haven't seen anything about refugees ( not saying there haven't been ) but being the parent of a severely autistic child there is a hell of a lot of ignorance on here about disabilities.

We are paid 195 days (the amount we work) plus 5.6 weeks (annual leave entitlement). This is then split into 12 equal payments. Therefore it is a pro rata salary. If you read your contract it will state this.